Frederick Flying Cows

Last updated

Frederick Flying Cows
First season2024
LeagueThe Basketball League (TBL)
ConferenceEastern Conference
DivisionAtlantic Northeast Division
LocationFrederick, Maryland
Arena Woodsboro Bank Arena at Hood College
ColorsPurple, Green, White
OwnerAnthony Mazlish, Michael Witt
General managerChris Jenkins

The Frederick Flying Cows are an American professional basketball team based in Frederick, Maryland. Founded in 2023, the team competes in The Basketball League (TBL) and plays their home games at Woodsboro Bank Arena on the campus of Hood College. The Flying Cows came back from a 24-point 2nd half deficit to defeat the Reading Rebels 113-112 in their first-ever game in March 2, 2024. The game was highlighted by a last-second game-winning three-pointer by forward Caleb Wood. [1] In their first season they had a 20-4 record.

Contents

Background

The team is owned by two Bethesda area businessmen, Anthony Mazlish and Michael Witt, who met over 30 years ago playing in pickup basketball leagues in Washington, DC. [2] In 2022, Both men had recently sold their businesses and were looking for a way to stay involved in the community and spread the game of basketball. [2] In June 2022, Mazlish read an ESPN article about Toledo Glass Forward Myles Copeland, who used his instincts and firefighter training to administer CPR and help save the life of referee John Sculli, who collapsed and became unresponsive during their TBL playoff game against the Jamestown Jackals. [2] [3] This led Mazlish to further research the TBL, and he and Witt ultimately decided to invest in a new team. [2] The two considered many different locations across the DMV area before ultimately deciding on Frederick. [2] “We liked the idea of setting this up in an area where there was a separate community, where there was its own identity,” Witt said. “It's growing, feels very vibrant, has its own personality and it's separate.” [2]

Formation

On August 22, 2023, a press conference was held, at Hood College, to officially announce the formation of the team to the Frederick community. [4] At the press conference, the team also announced the hiring of head coach, Ed Corporal, and their first player signee, Tavares Sledge. [2] Corporal is a very well-respected coach in the TBL, who holds the distinction of being the winningest coach in TBL history, with a winning percentage of .832 in 5 seasons. [2] [5] Corporal is known to emphasize defense in his coaching, stating, “The first thing I preach when we get to training camp is defense  — no matter if we’re hitting shots that night or not, our defense never waivers,” [6] He also coached the 2021 Enid Outlaws to a 30-3 record, the best single season record in league history, and a TBL championship. [2] [5] Sledge was a big contributor to the 2021 Enid team, averaging 16.7 points and 10.0 rebounds. [7] The Flying Cows also announced the signing of shooting guard Charlie Marquardt and point guard Tevin Foster. [2]

The name was not announced until September 10 after a fan voting contest held to determine the official name. [8] The name was announced as the "Flying Cows" at Frederick's annual "In The Streets" festival. [8] The team hired Frederick native, Chris Jenkins, to serve as the general manager. Jenkins has a background in sports and event management, having directed the award-winning Governor's Challenge High School Basketball Tournament in Salisbury, Maryland for the past seven years. [5] The Governor's Challenge is considered to be the largest High School basketball tournament in the country. [9]

The Flying Cows held tryouts throughout the fall of 2023 to find local talent, and announced the signing of local Frederick star, Steve Custis. [10] Custis was a standout player at Frederick High School before playing collegiately at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia. [10]

On February 4, 2024, the Flying Cows made their first ever TBL draft pick, selecting Caleb Wood, a 6'4" guard, who played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania. [11] Wood was selected 9th overall. [11] The Flying Cows also drafted Tyrone Jones, a 6'5" guard/forward, with the 42nd overall pick, and Fabian Givens, a 6'2" guard, with the 68th overall pick.

2024 Season

On February 18, the Flying Cows fell to the Montreal Toundra 98-89 in an Exhibition game. Tavares Sledge collected 18 points and 6 rebounds. [12]

Opening Night Win

The Flying Cows' Inaugural regular season game was played on March 2 at what was called BB&T Arena at the time, but is now called Woodsboro Bank Arena. [13] In front of 1,057 fans, [1] The Flying Cows defeated the Reading Rebels 113-112 for their first win in franchise history. Frederick trailed by as many as 24 points in the 3rd quarter and trailed 93-75 to begin the final period, before a huge rally brought them back into the game. [1] With 13 seconds left, Charlie Marquardt hit a jumper to put Frederick up 110-109, but Reading point guard, Aquille Carr, drew a foul on the next possession and made both free throws to put Reading back ahead 111-110 with 11 seconds left. [14] Frederick was unable to score on the next possession and Carr was fouled again after securing the rebound with 1.1 seconds remaining. He missed the first free-throw and made the second to give Reading a 112-110 lead. Coach Ed Corporal used a timeout to advance the ball, and on the ensuing inbound play, Caleb Wood flashed to the near corner, received the pass from inbounder, Damien Daniels, and buried a three pointer as time expired to give the Flying Cows the victory. Wood, who had only played just over 2 minutes, [14] was making his pro basketball debut and was attempting only his 2nd field goal of the game. “It’s a play I got from the Boston Celtics a long time ago,” Corporal said. “We had three or four options to go with, so we went with Caleb on that last shot.” [1] Reportedly, the fans stormed the court in celebration following Wood's shot. [1] Tavares Sledge played a large role in the victory as well, scoring 39 points and grabbing 12 rebounds [1]

Frederick defeated the Virginia Valley Vipers the following afternoon, as well as the Connecticut Crusaders on March 8, before a 104-88 win over the West Virginia Grind gave the Cows a 4-0 record at the end of their first homestand. [15]

After suffering their first loss 104-102 to the Raleigh Firebirds on March 14, The Flying Cows recorded seven straight wins to move their record to 11-1. [16] The last win in the streak was a rematch against the Firebirds, in which the Cows prevailed 112-97 [16]

The Flying Cows fell from first to second place in the Atlantic Northeast after a 137-119 road loss to Reading on April 25, but got the top spot back after defeating the Rebels 101-97 in their third meeting on May 10 in Frederick. [17]

On May 12, The Flying Cows defeated the Tri-State Admirals 136-64 to set a franchise record for margin of victory (72 points). The win also clinched a playoff spot for Frederick. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Patroons</span> American minor-league basketball team

The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won CBA championships in 1984 and 1988 as well as a TBL championship in 2019. The team's name derives from patroon, the term for a large landholders in New Netherland, the Dutch colony that once included the Albany region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonny Weems</span> American basketball player

Clarence "Sonny" Weems is an American professional basketball player for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. He was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA draft and shortly thereafter traded to the Denver Nuggets. He has since played for the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA, and has had stints in Lithuania and Russia. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), Weems plays both the shooting guard and small forward positions. He was an All-EuroLeague First Team selection in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Green (basketball)</span> American basketball player

Caleb Eugene Green is an American professional basketball player for Wonju DB Promy of the Korean Korean Basketball League (KBL). Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he plays at the power forward position. He played college basketball for Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakdale High School (Maryland)</span> Public school in Maryland, United States

Oakdale High School is a public high school located in New Market, Maryland, United States, near the city of Frederick. It is part of the Frederick County Public Schools system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myles Mack</span> American basketball player

Myles Mack is an American professional basketball player for Konyaspor of the Türkiye Basketbol Ligi (TBL). He played college basketball at Rutgers University. He plays the point guard position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edy Tavares</span> Cape Verdean basketball player (born 1992)

Walter Samuel "Edy" Tavares da Veiga is a Cape Verdean professional basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected with the 43rd overall pick in 2014 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and has played internationally for the Cape Verde national basketball team. Tavares receives praise as a physical phenomenon, standing 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) tall and possessing a 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) wingspan.

Jason William Conrad is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Chico State before playing professionally in the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Swanigan</span> American basketball player (1997–2022)

Caleb Sylvester Swanigan was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers. He was ranked among the top prep players in the national class of 2015 by Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN. He completed his senior season in the 2014–15 academic year for Homestead High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who went on to win the first state championship in the school's history. Swanigan was named Indiana's Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Basketball League</span> American minor professional basketball league

The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a professional basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to 38 teams as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Martin (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1995)

Caleb Martin is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack and the Nevada Wolf Pack. He was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year for the 2017–18 season by the league's coaches. He is the twin brother of Cody Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Edwards (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 2001)

Anthony Edwards, nicknamed "Ant-Man" or simply "Ant", is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, he played college basketball for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected with the first overall pick by the Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA draft. He was named an All-Star during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons. Edwards also won a gold medal on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. J. Hampton</span> American basketball player (born 2001)

RoderickDeon "R. J." Hampton Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He was a five-star recruit at Little Elm High School in Little Elm, Texas. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Love</span> American basketball player

Caleb Khristopher Love is an American college basketball player for the Arizona Wildcats of the Pac-12 Conference. He spent his first three seasons at North Carolina, where he was a starter and key piece of the team's 2022 Final Four run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Christopher</span> American basketball player (born 2001)

Joshua Evan Christopher is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He is a 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m), 215-pound (98 kg) shooting guard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Homesley</span> American basketball player

Caleb Homesley is an American basketball player for Gran Canaria of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Liberty Flames.

Caleb Apochi Agada is a Nigerian-Canadian professional basketball player for Prometey of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League. Born in Nigeria and raised in Canada, he represents the Nigerian national basketball team. In 2020-21 he led the Israel Basketball Premier League in points per game and steals per game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caleb Mills (basketball)</span> American college basketball player

Caleb Demond Mills is an American college basketball player for the Memphis Tigers of the American Athletic Conference (AAC). He previously played for the Houston Cougars and the Florida State Seminoles.

Adam Michael Flagler is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Presbyterian Blue Hose and the Baylor Bears.

The 2024 TBL season is the seventh season of The Basketball League (TBL).

Woodsboro Bank Arena is a sports venue in Frederick, Maryland on the campus of Hood College. It is home to Hood's volleyball and women's and men's basketball teams, and to the Frederick Flying Cows of The Basketball League. A part of the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center, the arena was completed in November 2011 by local firms Warner Construction and Zavos Architecture + Design. The arena has 1,600-seats, with space for 500 additional floor-level seats.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 News-Post, Bill Cauley Special to the (March 3, 2024). "Udderly amazing: Flying Cows' debut with buzzer-beating win over Reading". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 adacy@newspost.com, Alexander Dacy (August 22, 2023). "New professional basketball team to begin play in Frederick in 2024". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Hero's moment: Hoops player helps save ref's life". ESPN.com. June 15, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  4. ↑ New pro basketball team to come to Frederick, Maryland , retrieved February 8, 2024
  5. 1 2 3 "About Us – Flying Cows Basketball". goflyingcows.com. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  6. ↑ VanGrootenbruel, Scott. "The Flying Cows: Frederick's Basketball Team" . Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  7. ↑ "The Basketball League" . Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  8. 1 2 aschotz@newspost.com, Andrew Schotz (September 10, 2023). "Name of new Frederick pro basketball team announced". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  9. ↑ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  10. 1 2 adacy@newspost.com, Alexander Dacy (October 23, 2023). "Former Frederick High basketball star Steve Custis signs with Flying Cows". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  11. 1 2 REPORT, STAFF (February 5, 2024). "Flying Cows draft Caleb Wood with their first pick". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Frederick Flying Cows vs. Montreal Toundra - Box Score - 2/18/2024". Basketball Super League Stats. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  13. ↑ staff, News-Post (April 29, 2024). "Woodsboro Bank takes over naming rights for Hood arena". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Match Details". geniussports.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Local Roundup: Flying Cows wallop West Virginia, reach 4-0". The Frederick News-Post. March 11, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  16. 1 2 REPORT, STAFF (April 21, 2024). "Flying Cows win seventh straight". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  17. 1 2 REPORT, STAFF (May 12, 2024). "Local Roundup: FCC baseball advances to regional final". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.