New name, new ownership, new identity. Year two for the Owensboro Thoroughbreds is all about change, and the biggest focus will come off the court by giving back to the community.
Known as the Kentucky Thoroughbreds in the inaugural season, the name change was an effort to help the people of Owensboro take ownership of the team.
New president and co-owner Veter Dixon plans to help the cause by requiring his players to embed themselves in charity work around the city. In order to fulfil that promise, Dixon moved from Tampa Bay, Fla., so he can live in Owensboro year-round.
“As an owner, it’s my job to try to change the culture,” he said. “We need to assure the fans and the community that we’re going to be here. We’re not going anywhere. I moved here to be a part of the community. I had to become one of you. We’re going to be in the community 12 months a year. If we’re out of sight, we’re out of mind.”
New head coach Adam Chrisco, an assistant last year, is also a full-time local resident. His plans for the team fall right in line with Dixon’s. Though he will be coaching basketball, he said more time will be spent off the floor than on it.
“Basketball is only about 20 percent of our day,” Chrisco said. “We have 80 percent of the day to do things that will help bring the Thoroughbreds into the right places in the community so that we’ll last and be here five, six or 10 seasons.”
Both coach and owner agree that to have staying power, the team has to show they’re an asset.
That’s not to say they don’t care about their performance, but Dixon said he knows success is about more than playing skills.
“We’re coming to play,” he said. “We’re coming to win. We want to build a championship team on the court, but we also want to build a championship team in the community. One doesn’t work without the other.”
The organization is revitalizing some of the game-day operations in hopes of creating a more welcoming environment.
David Clark, the new director of sales and marketing, introduced a new pricing plan. General admission prices will start at only $8, and there will also be a value seating strategy for corporations and individuals.
With the talent coming from both the Owensboro and fellow teams throughout The Basketball League — a minor professional league — Clark said the Thoroughbreds are offering a great deal.
“You’re not going to find better basketball than you’re going to find at the Sportcenter in January,” he said. “We want to add championships. We want to add family memories. We want to provide a great game-day experience for family and friends. The league has a national footprint. We can have this place packed.”
Filling the arena is one of Chrisco’s major on-court goals this season. He wants to bring back the atmosphere he felt as a player.
Chrisco was in an usual position last year, as he’s never really held an assistant position. It helped him develop a wider range of understanding about the job. Chrisco said he’s not going to take his opportunity lightly.
“Sometimes coaches are your only outlet in life to find the right path, or they’re the only person you’ll listen to,” he said. “I respect that role, and I understand how important it is to be able to lead men. Most of what I teach in the gym is about life, it’s just worded in basketball terms.”
As far as actual playing style, he largely wants to keep his blueprint for success a secret. At its core, though, his strategy will be to play fast and be versatile.
“It’s going to be up tempo,” he said. “I want all of my guys to be interchangeable at their positions. We’ll play an up-and-down style of basketball where we all share the ball and everybody gets the opportunity to contribute equally.”
He’ll try to bring back some local talent, but said it all depends on what kind of character each person shows. One he’s already excited to have returning is Tyler Brown.
“Tyler showed me a lot of character in the way he carried himself last year,” Chrisco said. “His game speaks for himself. I could get a guy that scores 50 points, but if he doesn’t care about us as a community, I can’t use him. Tyler fits both needs for me. He’s a high-character guy that can score and play some serious basketball.”
He said he’s happy to have good players stick around, but he also looks for opportunities to advance their career. If he can create a string of players reaching the next level, it would help solidify the team even more.
“If they’re going to have a career as an Owensboro Thoroughbred and they can survive in that role, then that’s great,” he said. “We’ll keep them around as our centerpiece. But the opportunity for the G-League to look at out players has never been better. With the connections I have as a coach, I’m going to push some of those players and see if they can survive up there.”
Even so, both Dixon and Chrisco couldn’t reiterate enough how important it will be for the Thoroughbreds to give back to Owensboro. They understand the checkered past of a professional team in the city, and they’ve got both long-term plans to fix it.
“From this day forward, we’re not just going to talk the talk,” Dixon said. “We’re going to walk the walk. This team is about community first, not basketball first.”
Chrisco said they’ve even gone as far as making it a part of the player’s contracts to do charity work. At least two charity events a week are expected, and it’s a year-round service they plan to provide. He said even he will get involved, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him serving breakfast at the homeless shelter.
If they don’t fulfill their duty to the city, Chrisco said, they can’t expect the people to support the team.
“We want to be a community service first, and athletes and entertainers second,” he said. “This is not the NBA. We cannot afford to not engrain ourselves into this community.”
