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Local ABA Basketball Landscape Is A Convoluted Mess

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By Thomas Leturgey  Change was in the air when the defending American Basketball Association (ABA) Steel City Yellow Jackets lost to the Burning River Buckets in the regional playoffs in Pittsburgh on April 1. The Yellow Jackets weren’t going to repeat as ABA Champions, and much like when Sid Bream slid under Mike LaValliere’s tag in the National League Championship Series in 1992, there was a grim feeling that the team was going to break up.  In frustration, team co-captain Tone Reddic Sr. immediately announced his retirement from the league. A founding member of the team, Reddic’s season had been truncated by injury and other disgruntlement. Players like center Brandon Burnett, who has an open invitation to return to Spain, said he wouldn’t return to the Steel City’s franchise, while others presumably would come home in October.  In the months that followed, there was a long time of team silence. Then, right before the team traditionally announced tryouts and other preseason preparat
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Steel City Yellow Jackets Lose In Semi-Finals Reddic Retires, 143-124

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The 2022-2023 season ends for the Steel City Yellow Jackets. Photo by Thomas Leturgey.  By Thomas Leturgey The American Basketball Association (ABA) will have a new National Champion in 2023. The Steel City Yellow Jackets, who had not played a game since February 19, were not able to defeat a fully-staffed Burning River Buckets team for a third time this season. The game, which was tight for three quarters, unraveled in the fourth and the Yellow Jackets were defeated for only the third time this season, 143-124. It was 41 days ago that the Yellow Jackets won their last contest, and three games were canceled by the league. The Yellow Jackets ended the regular season 14-2 and poised with a bye into the semi-finals. Meanwhile, the 12-4 Burning River Buckets, who lost two games to the Yellow Jackets in one home-and-away weekend last November. The team from Cleveland only got stronger and healthier. They earned their way into the playoffs and defeated the always-tough Ohio Bruins to face of
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Yellow Jackets Will Need “Sting Line” To Deliver In Ever-Changing ABA Playoffs

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Some of the key players, including the "Sting Line" for the 14-2 Steel City Yellow Jackets in 2023. By Thomas Leturgey The defending American Basketball Association (ABA) champion Steel City Yellow Jackets enter this weekend with two away games in the Midwest, before returning next weekend for the season finale in Pittsburgh. At 14-2, the team is looking forward to a playoff season that’s still being ironed out. The Elite 8 in the ABA has never been more tight and Ace Pippens’ fifth-ranked team needs to be victorious in all three regular-season games to launch a successful defense of the league’s top prize. The “Sting Line” is ready.  As captain Gilmore Cummings dubbed it, the “Five” comprises himself, fellow captains Tone Reddic, Sr. and Claude Scott, Jr., along with twins James and Timothy Jackson. It is a lineup that hasn’t been on the court together much this season, but it will need to be running at all cylinders to continue the charge to winning again. This season’s ABA
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Yellow Jackets Improve To 14-2 With Tough Wins Over Bruins And Blazers

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  Claude Scott Jr. (center) leads the Steel City Yellow Jackets in prayer after Sunday's win against the Tri-State Blazers. Photo by Thomas Leturgey By Thomas Leturgey The Steel City Yellow Jackets were victorious in both of their games this past weekend, but neither one of the contests were easy wins. The American Basketball Association (ABA) defending National Champions traveled to Ohio on Saturday and overcame a 20-point deficit to defeat the Bruins, 109-107. The deciding basket in that game was Timothy Jackson’s three-pointer with seven seconds left in the game. The Bruins nearly upset the Yellow Jackets early in the season at home; however, the Yellow Jackets came out with a one-point win in that game. Game statistics and details for that contest have not been provided. Meanwhile, Ace Pippens’ club returned to Pittsburgh for a 5 p.m. start against the Tri-State Blazers. The game promised to be competitive from the first jump as Justin Fagan was the first to score in the game w
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A Big Weekend Ahead As The Yellow Jackets Face Bruins And Blazers

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  By Thomas Leturgey The Steel City Yellow Jackets have an important weekend coming up as the regular season starts to wind down. The defending American Basketball Association (ABA) Champions were supposed to play this past Saturday against the DC Soul at home, but COVID canceled that contest (it isn’t certain if that game will be rescheduled). Now, the 10-2 Yellow Jackets are set to take on the Ohio Bruins in Westerville, Ohio. The Ohio/Pennsylvania rivals played in Pittsburgh back on November 20, and the Yellow Jackets squeaked by with a 131-130 victory. The Steel City’s franchise improved to 3-0 in the early season. Kenny Holmes had 40 points for the winners, but since then he has moved on to Canada. In addition, 7’ Artis Cleveland collected 18 rebounds.  But Antonio Reddic, Sr., Gilmore Cummings and Claude Scott, Jr. were on the injured list. Since then, Reddic has returned to All-Star form, and Scott is nearly at mid-season form. Cummings is coming off of concussion protocol after
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Yellow Jackets Rebound From Adversity For 200-89 Win Over New Jersey

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With Claude Scott Jr. (center) and James Jackson (l) helping lead the way, the Steel City Yellow Jackets advance to 11-2 with a 200-89 win over the New Jersey Knights. Photo by Thomas Leturgey By Thomas Leturgey Bulletin Board material. Sometimes it’s an off-handed remark about a particular player or a team. Two weeks ago, the Steel City Yellow Jackets defeated the New Jersey Knights 140-124 on the strength of American Basketball Association (ABA) specific “3 D” rules. Whenever a team earns a turnover in the opposing team’s side of the court, the “3D” red light is activated and the fortuitous team has a shot at an extra point. That means a 2-point jumper is worth three on the scoreboard, and so on. When the Yellow Jackets are pressing, they are frequently the recipient of these “bonus” opportunities.  On January 28, Ace Pippens’ team connected on their fair share of “3D buckets.” On their way out, a high-ranking Knights official was overheard, calling the defending ABA National Champio
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Central PA Kings’ “Coach Stef” Is A Positive Influence For The ABA

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"Coach Steph" is one to watch in the American Basketball Association. Photo Steph's FB. By Thomas Leturgey One of the greatest aspects of the modern-day American Basketball Association (ABA) is its diversity. And rarely does a team feature a Bosnian/American like the Central Pennsylvania Kings’ “Coach Stef. “Coach Stef” is now in her second year helping coach Mally and Head Coach Antoine Brown for Josiah Peay’s franchise. A positive influence on her team, as well as other clubs, “Coach Stef” just recently began sharing her faith by leading now-popular team prayers. Just last weekend, the Kings upset the #3 ranked Steel City Yellow Jackets in Pittsburgh, and Idzakovic pulled both teams together for an arm-in-arm huddle.  Idzakovic before the Central PA Kings/Steel City Yellow Jackets game January 28. Photo courtesy of Ray Durkin photo. The road has been a long one for the 30-year-old refugee of the Bosnian War of the early 1990’s. Stephanie and her brother, Stephan, came t
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