Slamball

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Slamball is a four player team sport loosely based on basketball. It is played on a combination of surfaces, combining the acrobatics of the trampoline, the physical play of ice hockey, and elements of basketball, particularly the slam dunk.

Four trampolines are set at floor level around a padded basketball rim and backboard on either end of the court, serving as launching pads. The object of the game is to outscore the opposing team. A dunk is awarded 3 points. A successful block of a shot is called a stop.

Professional slamball games were aired on television by Spike TV for two seasons in 2002 through 2003.

Contents

[edit] History

Slamball is the creation of Mason Gordon, who wanted to create a combination of sports that approximated a real-life video game. Upon developing concept, he approached Mike Tollin, a TV and film producer of Smallville and Coach Carter fame. After giving it some thought, he agreed to help Gordon. Six months after their first meeting, a court was constructed in a warehouse in East Los Angeles.

Gordon then tried to convince street basketball players to test his new idea; he wanted to find skilled, strong players who could compete comfortably while launching off trampolines and crashing into each other in mid-air.

Five recruits - James Willis, Sean Jackson, David Redmond, Michael Goldman and Jeff Sheridan - trained with Gordon to produce the first games. Soon, more players were brought in, including Stan Fletcher and Dion Mays.

First played in Los Angeles, California, the game gained attention from street basketball players in the area. Within a year, 400 people had been enlisted as potential players.

In 2002, slamball made its television debut, on The National Network, soon after former Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce had signed on as a partner. Five teams (the Bouncers, Mob, Rumble, Slashers, and Steal, played in the inaugural season. Slamball also aired on the British television station Trouble and ESPN aired a feature on the new league.

Before the second season of Slamball debuted on the newly-renamed Spike TV, two expansion teams (the Riders and Bandits) were added and a new court was built at Universal City, California. But Spike TV chose not to renew the contract with the league's founders and partners and the show was cancelled in 2003.

Today, the sport is still played in occasional exhibitions. One such event was scheduled to take place at Hoop City, a fan interactive event, at the 2007 Final Four in Atlanta, Georgia.[1]

[edit] Media Exposure

On television, the sport has been seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, King of Queens, ESPN's SportsCenter and The Best Damn Sports Show Period. In print, Slamball has been featured in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Time Magazine and European editions of Maxim, GQ and FHM.

A fan site featuring articles analyzing games, player interviews, a message board and chat room, is maintained by a group of "fan reporers".

[edit] Teams

  • Bandits
  • Bouncers
  • Diablos (runners up 2002)
  • Mob
  • Riders (winners 2003)
  • Rumble (winners 2002)
  • Slashers (runners up 2003)
  • Steal

[edit] Positions

There are four players on the court at any one time and substitutions come in on the fly, as in hockey. There are three positions:

  • Handler runs the offense and handles the ball
  • Gunner primary scorer
  • Stopper primary defensive player. Trails the offense only when necessary, protects the rim from attacking players

[edit] Standout Players

Dion Mays, Stopper and first year MVP for the champion Rumble, averaged 10 stops. The following season rookie Stopper Adam Hooker (6' 6", 240lb) stopped more than 24 shots per game for the runner-up Slashers. Other notable Stoppers are Antony White (led Diablos in blocks and scoring), Kevin Cassidy (known for wrestling the ball from the offensive player in mid-air), Kevin "Special K" Kalisz, Pat "Freedom Eagle" Creed, known for his flamboyant playing style and high flying acrobatics, and the particularly aggressive George Byrd (6'9" and 290lbs).

Offensive standouts include Handler Sean "Inches" Jackson (5' 10"), Steal Gunner Stan Fletcher (6'3"), Chris "The Ghetto Bird" Young, James "Champ" Willis, who won back to back championships with two different teams, David Jackson, and MVP Jelani Janisse.

[edit] Trivia

  • In the Star Wars novels and comic books, Grav-ball is a game like slamball and the most popular sport in the galaxy.

[edit] External links

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