Photography by Gary Lloyd McCullough.

Photography by Gary Lloyd McCullough.

After winning their 3rd ABA National Championship in 2016, the Jacksonville Giants and its ownership, management, and staff were all recently recognized for their outstanding performance on and off the court. The Giants received four out of the 14 total ABA Awards in 2016.

Although winning the ABA Championship was the main factor, the Giants received the ABA Team of the Year award for multiple reasons. Being a community leader in Jacksonville definitely contributed to their reception of this award. The Jacksonville Giants organization also achieved a record-setting year in attendance.

Ron Sholes received the ABA Owner of the Year Award after establishing a hard working staff and management team to lead this organization in the right direction. Sholes’ General Manager Pam Masters has found success early on and the ABA has taken notice by giving her the General Manager of the Year Award. Pam has grabbed the attention of basketball fans in Jacksonville and is currently building a strong fan base at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

Head Coach Kevin Waters was faced with adversity all season long by losing key players due to injury or international contracts. Waters saw this situation as an opportunity to instill and establish a tough mindset in all his players and has built a “next man up” culture for the Giants like no other. There is no doubt that Coach Waters is deserving of the ABA Coach of the Year Award.

The 2017 Jacksonville Giants team will have big shoes to fill, but under the leadership on the court and front office, this should not be a problem. The future for the Jacksonville Giants looks very promising considering the achievements and high level of success that has been reached.