Recap

Giants Set Attendance Record in Dominating
Win over Jackson Showboats

The Jacksonville Giants did not disappoint the fan base during Duval County Public Schools night. The Giants set an attendance record for a Jacksonville professional basketball team with a crowd of 8,951. The attendance milestone was also an American Basketball Association (ABA) regular season record and the most since the league was reformed in 2000. The previous record for a Jacksonville-based team and the ABA was set two years ago when the Giants had a crowd of 8,354.

The nearly nine thousand fans witnessed the Giants showcase a decisive 134-78 victory over the Jackson Showboats. The win keeps the Giants (10-4) in contention for their sixth straight Southeast Division title, just a half game behind the Miami Midnites (10-3).

“It was a great crowd and a great night to recognize Duval County public school teachers and staff,” said Giants’ Owner Ron Sholes. “This was a great team win,” added Giants’ head coach Kevin Waters. “We have a lot of talented basketball players on this team and we are really heading in the right direction.”

The record crowd observed an action packed night of basketball and entertainment. From the sharp-shooting 3-pointers from Giants’ guards and perennial ABA all-stars Ed “Hollywood” Horton and Maurice “the Reese” Mickens to high-flying slam dunks the crowd had no shortage of big plays to cheer about. Giants’ power forward Elijah Smith showed the fans why he’s called “Superman” with his big crowd pleasing slams. But it was the Giants’ aggressive full court pressing defense that led the way and helped put the Giants ahead to stay mid-way through the first quarter.

The Giants’ authoritative defensive scheme forced a total of 30 turnovers for the Showboats. The Giants held the Showboats to only 11 second quarter points and headed into the break with a 69-37 halftime lead. Then, the Giants continued their overbearing play throughout the second half and continued to add ally hoops and slam dunks to the highlight reel and giving the fans what they wanted. Newcomer Calvin Warner (6’8″) started for Jermaine “Slim” Bell who has missed the last two weeks of action, but should be back next weekend when the Giants host the Chicago Steam in a Final Four Rematch. Warner, 35, is a Jacksonville native that has played extensively over the past 12 years. “He’s a veteran player that brings great play on the low post and good decision making,” said Waters. Warner demonstrated just that with several blocked shots and provided a dominating presence under the basket on both offense and defense. That’s something the Giants desperately need against the top tier teams in the league.

“The crowd was amazing,” said Giants veteran player Ed Horton, who played with the Giants in their first and third seasons. “I’ve never seen this many people in here before. The intensity and atmosphere was great and we appreciate having everyone come out.”

“To have the crowd come in and do what they did says a lot for the city,” said Giants Assistant Coach Jerry Williams. “Especially with the talk of NBA-D League. I think it shows that the City of Jacksonville can support that.”

Horton led the team in scoring with 20 points followed by Chris Blake (15 points), and Bernard Nuget (14 points). Bastian led the team with 10 rebounds, followed by Brown with 8.

The Giants will be back at the Veterans Memorial Arena next Saturday night, January 16 at 7:00 p.m., against the Chicago Steam in a Final Four rematch from last season.

-Matt Potak, Sports Correspondant