Wichita’s minor league basketball team, The Wizards, is back for a second season after a successful inaugural year.
Last year, the Wizards, who play their games at Friends University, finished their premiere season 14 – 1. Their only loss came in the first round of the league playoffs. This year, most of the players are back; 11 of 17 players are from Wichita, and the roster adds six new faces.
Several returning players like Terrance Moore, Robert Goff, Ja’ln Williams and Brison White have deep ties to Wichita basketball – all local heroes of the game. Goff went on to played Division I basketball at Marshall University, and White had a stint in the European league.
“If you’ve never been to a Wizards game, you’re missing it,” said Mark Creed, owner of the team. “It’s a high octane event, with a DJ setting the tone, announcer Tyler O’Quinn keeping the crowd energized, plus the Lady Wizards at half time and time outs, and best of all, there’s the Wizards doing their thing on the court.”
A pre-season game against the Omaha Cuttaz, an away game on March 14, will be their first game. Their regular season begins on March 21 in Wichita against the Lawrence Admirals. This season the Wizards are looking to add “champion” to their name. They hope to make it to the league’s Final Four, hosted in July in Nashville, TN.
The Wizards will be featured during the 2020 Wichita Riverfest; bringing the Minor League Basketball All-Star Weekend to Wichita.
The top 24 players from the league will be selected, based on their individual stats during the season, to play in the all-star game on Sun. May 31. The top 2 from this pool of players, one from Southcentral and one from the Southeast conference, will be selected as MVP captains the week before.
Like the NBA, on Sat. May 30, additional players from the league will compete in the all-star events that will include a three-point shoot-out, a slam dunk contest, two ball, and skills challenge. Blu Nightclub, located in West Wichita, will host the MVP’s draft on Saturday. The MVPs will have the opportunity to choose 12 of the 24 players to join their team. The public is invited to all events, including the draft where there will be no cover charge to attend.
This season, Wizard regular game and season tickets are selling through myvoicetix.com, an online ticketing company powered by The Community Voice. General admission tickets are $15 purchased online in advance and $20 at the door. Children’s tickets are $5 each, online and at the door. The highly coveted floor seats are $30 online in advance. Advanced ticket purchases are encouraged to help minimize lines at the door.
Season tickets for general seating are $99, and $299 for one of the 32 floor seats. “Those seats sold out every game,” said Creed. “The best way to make sure you have a floor seat is to secure your seat with a season ticket NOW, before they’re gone.”
Individuals can either print out their advance purchase ticket or have their ticket e-mailed to their telephone. Both will be scanned at the door.
The Wichita Wizards are members of the 24 team Minor League Basketball Association. The league, in its third year, has teams from the east to the west coast, divided into four regional conferences. The Wizards are in the South Central Conference.
Businesses who would like to sponsor the Wizards are encouraged to call Creed at 918-404-3183 or Lamont Anderson at 316-880-5546.