The American Basketball Association (ABA) is bringing a team to the birthplace of the game.
The name and logo of the newest entry into the region’s professional sports marketplace, the Springfield Sting, was revealed on the steps of Springfield City Hall Friday by the franchise’s owner Zach Baru, who said he was making his dream a reality.
" For me personally bringing professional basketball back to Springfield is very special," said Baru. " As a western Mass. native I am so happy to call the city of Springfield the home of this team."
The Sting will play a 20-game season starting this November in the ABA’s Northeast Division, which has teams in New York, Long Island, New Jersey, and Providence.
Baru has hired a general manager-head coach and is scouting for players. An open tryout is being held July 30th at American International College. As yet, the team does not have a home court, but negotiations are taking place with possible venues, according to Baru.
"I am very confident we will reach an agreement very shortly," Baru said in an interview prior to the announcement about the team name.
He said he considered several names for the team before settling on the Springfield Sting with a bee as part of the logo.
" The Springfield Sting just felt right. It flowed and it just seemed like the right fit," he said.
The team’s inaugural season will coincide with the first year of the Springfield Thunderbirds playing in the American Hockey League.
Baru lives in Longmeadow and teaches business at Holyoke High School. He was a sports management major in college. He said he wanted to own a sports team ever since he worked as a teenager for the old Springfield Spirit of the National Women’s Basketball League.
" I was 14-years old. It was my first job and I remember thinking I have to do this some day," said Baru. " I am still in shock that this is all happening. It is a dream come true, it really is."
Several elected officials led by Mayor Domenic Sarno welcomed the announcement that a new professional basketball team was coming to Springfield.
" To have a young businessman who wants to come into our city and invest and has belief in the city of Springfield, we deeply appreciate that," said Sarno. " It is important, as we will do with our Springfield Thunderbirds, that we support these franchises."
The ABA was formed in 1967 and lasted 10 seasons until four of its teams were merged into the NBA. The upstart league featured a red, white, and blue basketball and introduced the 3-point shot to the game. It produced future hall-of-famers Moses Malone and Julius “Dr. J” Erving, a product of UMass Amherst.
The ABA was resurrected in 1999 by a group of entrepreneurs.
Springfield’s last professional basketball team was the Armor of the NBA Development League. It played five seasons in Springfield before leaving in 2014.
