As coach and owner of the Gainesville Heat -- a brand new American Basketball Association franchise set to begin play this fall -- Randolph is prepared to put that belief to the test.
"I looked hard at basketball in this area for some time now, and I think that people will get behind this team if we get out and make it part of the community," said Randolph, a Gainesville High graduate who has assisted at Gainesville and Johnson High Schools, along with coaching several years in AAU and YBOA basketball. "We have great high school basketball here already, and I think people will be willing to come out and support us too.
"And I think with the style that we'll play and the hometown talent we have people will want to come out and watch the guys."
The Heat will be part of a wide-ranging league that includes 90 ABA teams based across the nation and in Canada. Gainesville will feature nine homegrown products on the roster, including former Johnson High standout Jonas Randolph, when the regular season tips off in October.
"We're going to play fast-paced and press a lot; we've got some really athletic guys," coach Randolph said. "The competition will be really good. I think people will be surprised."
Beyond providing an entertaining product, Randolph's goals also include helping his players aspire to even higher levels of the game.
"We want to help these guys get onto teams overseas or in the D-League (NBA Developmental League). And we want to help them progress toward the highest levels of the game," said Randolph, who knows that, in order to do that, he must put a successful product on the floor and in the community -- a lesson he says he learned well through research and watching the last semi-professional basketball team to play in Gainesville.
The Gainesville Knights, of the World Basketball Association, attracted plenty of interest when they began play in 2005 but lasted just two seasons -- a fate that Randolph is determined to avoid.
"The Knights first game was jam-packed with fans, but they didn't run the right organization," Randolph said. "To be successful, you have to be about business and basketball, not just basketball."
To that end, Randolph and recently hired general manager Devaneski Fulton are -- in between the duties of building a team for the 2012-13 season -- doing their best to canvas Hall County.
"The biggest thing for us is community relations. The ball is in our court," Randolph said. "If we get out and push it, I think it will be very successful. The Knights didn't do that."
That means everything from finding financial and advertising sponsors to finding a place to play -- Randolph hopes that will be in the gym at Gainesville State College in Oakwood.
"It's a totally re-done facility, and it's very nice," said Randolph, whose Heat will play in the Atlantic South Division -- which features teams in Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla. (last year's champions), Brimingham, Ala., and Savannah, amongst other locales.
"We'll be in the toughest division in the league," said Randolph, who has already been conducting team practices and installing pieces of the Heat's offense.
"We're getting the talent together," Randolph said. "I have a huge passion for this game, and I've always enjoyed helping others get better. Now I want to see if we can help guys develop their game to play at the highest levels; maybe we can have a little part in that."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/7/250544