Fort Wayne Mad Ants

NBADL team
color1 = #Fbb726
color2 = #C41E3A
name = Fort Wayne Mad Ants

imagesize = 200px
League = NBA Development League
founded = 2007
history = NBA D-League: 2007-Present
arena = Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
city = Fort Wayne, Indiana
colors = red, black, gold
coach = Jaren Jackson
owner = John D. Zeglis and Jeff Potter
affiliations = Indiana Pacers ("local" affiliate)
Detroit Pistons
Milwaukee Bucks

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are a team of the NBA Development League, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Home games are played at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The D-League team is the first minor league basketball team to play in Fort Wayne since the Fort Wayne Fury. On May 23, 2007, it was announced that former Fort Wayne Fury coach Kent Davison would be the team's first head coach.

The franchise held a name-the-team contest on their website where fans could vote on one of the four finalists: "Lightning", "Fire", "Coyotes", and "Mad Ants". The winning name of "Mad Ants" was announced June 18, 2007, chosen as a salute to the city's and fort's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. [ [http://aol.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/ The Ants Are Coming!] ]

On July 5, 2007, it was announced by the NBA that the Mad Ants would be affiliated with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. Coincidentially, the Pistons were founded in Fort Wayne by Fred Zollner as the Zollner Pistons, before moving to Detroit in 1957. On September 3, 2008, the Mad Ants announced the Milwaukee Bucks as their third affiliate for the 2008-09 season. The Bucks were previously a parent club for the Tulsa 66ers until Professional Basketball Club, LLC (owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder), purchased the 66ers to be Oklahoma City's exclusive affiliate. [ [http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/bucks_080903.html NBA Development League] ]

eason-By-Season

Mad Ants Current Roster

flagicon|USA Earl Calloway
flagicon|USA Nate Gerwig
flagicon|USA Ron Howard
flagicon|USA Dahntay Jones
flagicon|USA Anthony Kyle
flagicon|USA James Peters
flagicon|USA Eric Smith
flagicon|USA Larry Turner
flagicon|USA Roderick Wilmont

In popular culture

*In the television series "One Tree Hill" episode "You've Dug Your Own Grave, Now Lie In It", James Lafferty's character Nathan Scott receives an offer to coach the team. The episode orginally aired September 29, 2008 on The CW Network. [Warden, Steve, [http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080925/SPORTS0603/809250304/-1/SPORTS TV plot bringing team to 'Tree Hill'] , "Fort Wayne Journal Gazette", September 25, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-10-01.]

ee also

*History of sports in Fort Wayne, Indiana

External links

* [http://www.nba.com/dleague/fortwayne/ Fort Wayne Mad Ants Official Website]
* [http://www.memorialcoliseum.com/ Allen County War Memorial Coliseum]

References