Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Fort Wayne Mad Ants
League NBA Development League
Founded 2007
History Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2007–present
Arena Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
Location Fort Wayne, Indiana
Team colors Crimson, yellow, black, white
                   
General manager Brian Levy
Head coach Steve Gansey
Ownership Indiana Pacers
Affiliation(s) Indiana Pacers
Championships 1 (2014)
Division / Conference titles 1 (2014)
Website Official site

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are a team of the NBA Development League, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum is the home venue for the team. The team is the first minor league basketball franchise to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Association. The Mad Ants won their first D-League championship in 2014. In September 2015, the Indiana Pacers purchased the Mad Ants, thus becoming the Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate.[1]

History

The franchise held a name-the-team contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists: Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, and Mad Ants. The winning name of Mad Ants was chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne.[2]

For the 2007–08 season, the Mad Ants were affiliated with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. The Pistons were founded in Fort Wayne by industrialist and piston manufacturing company owner Fred Zollner as the Zollner Pistons, before moving to Detroit in 1957. The Mad Ants added the Milwaukee Bucks as their third affiliate for the 2008–09 season. The Bucks were previously a parent club for the Tulsa 66ers until Professional Basketball Club, LLC (owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder), purchased the 66ers to be Oklahoma City's exclusive affiliate.[3]

In 2012–13, the Mad Ants, in addition to their affiliations with the Pistons, Pacers, and Bucks, were also affiliated with the Charlotte Bobcats.[4]

In 2013–14, the Mad Ants made it through to the D-League Finals for the first time with a 126–118 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce, winning the second round series 2–0.[5] The Mad Ants defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors 2–0 in the Finals series to claim their first D-League title in franchise history.[6] Following that season, the Mad Ants were affiliated with the remaining NBA teams that did not have exclusive affiliates, after the Phoenix Suns and the Orlando Magic associated with the Bakersfield Jam and the Erie BayHawks respectively, and D-League teams were created for both the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.

In September 2015, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) purchased the Mad Ants, thus making the team the Pacers' one-to-one D-League affiliate. Brian Levy was named General Manager by PS&E.[7]

Season-by-season

Season Division Regular Season Postseason Results
Finish Wins Losses Pct.
Fort Wayne Mad Ants
2007–08 Central 4th 17 33 .340
2008–09 Central 5th 19 31 .380
2009–10 Eastern 5th 22 28 .440
2010–11 Eastern 3rd 24 26 .480
2011–12 Eastern 8th 14 36 .280
2012–13 Eastern 2nd 27 23 .540 Lost First Round (Santa Cruz) 0–2
2013–14 Eastern 1st 34 16 .680 Won First Round (Reno) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Sioux Falls) 2–0
Won Championship (Santa Cruz) 2–0
2014–15 Central 2nd 28 22 .560 Won First Round (Maine) 2–0
Won Semifinals (Canton) 2–0
Lost Championship (Santa Cruz) 0–2
2015–16 Central 5th 20 30 .400
Regular Season Record 185 215 .456 2007–2016
Playoff Record 10 4 .714 2007–2016

Current roster

Fort Wayne Mad Ants roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
G/F 17 Hicks, Stephan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1992–04–02 Cal State Northridge
G 24 Leslie, Travis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1990–03–29 Georgia
G 18 Loyd, Jordan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1993–07–27 Indianapolis
G 11 McKinney-Jones, Trey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1990–08–27 Miami (FL)
F 32 Niang, Georges (NBA) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 231 lb (105 kg) 1993-06-17 Iowa State
F 34 Nickerson, E. Victor (I) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1992–10–27 Valparaiso
F 22 Poythress, Alex 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1993–09–06 Kentucky
G 5 Stone, Julyan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1988–12–07 Texas–El Paso
F/C 33 Walker, Anthony 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1993–07–22 Texas–Arlington
F 21 Watford, Christian 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1991–04–28 Indiana
C 50 Woodbury, Adam (I) 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1994–01–13 Iowa
G 15 Zeisloft, Nick 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1992–12–18 Indiana
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
  • Al Grushkin
  • Tyler Marsh
  • Jhared Simpson
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (NBA) On assignment from NBA affiliate
  • (I) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster • Transactions
Last transaction: 2016–12–06

Affiliates

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pacers buy D-League's Mad Ants to enhance player development
  2. ↑ "The Ants Are Coming!". Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  3. ↑ "NBA Development League". Retrieved 2009-09-06.
  4. ↑ Greene, Dana (July 17, 2012). "Reno Bighorns new Jazz D-League affiliate". ABC4.com. KTVX. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  5. ↑ NBA Development League: Skyforce at Mad Ants Game Info
  6. ↑ Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title
  7. ↑ Brian Levy Named General Manager of Fort Wayne Mad Ants
  8. ↑ Warden, Steve (25 September 2008). "TV plot bringing team to 'Tree Hill'". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
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