Cashless Crush crumble to termination

Bryce Alderton

A 9-1 start didn’t translate into a winning formula off the court for

the Orange County Crush, which has folded without finishing its first

season.

The American Basketball Association franchise that was slated to

play its home games at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa,

but never did, found itself at the cusp of potential legal issues

along with lack of financial backing that co-owner Jim Simington said

were too much to handle.

“It was more of an attrition situation that I chose not to

battle,” said Simington, who, along with Frank Castillo and Jose

Martinez, were part of an ownership shakeup announced at a meeting

almost three weeks ago attended by officials from Orange County Crush

Basketball LLC, the franchise’s original governing body, along with

players, coaches, cheerleaders and staff members.

“It wasn’t worth it to me. There were thousands of dollars being

mismanaged. When you’ve got another entity within your own

partnership threatening you ... .”

Simington said he made his decision Jan. 9, the day the Crush

played their final game -- a 127-114 victory over Long Beach.

“I didn’t sleep [the night of Jan. 9],” Simington said. “The

employees, players, coaches and cheerleaders are all a great group of

people who wanted a vibrant, winning team. I made the right decision,

but feel horrible about it.”

Kevin Copeland, the team’s former general manager, neither

confirmed nor denied litigation was pending against Simington,

Martinez and Castillo, but said salvaging the remainder of the season

remained a priority.

“I think we had a compromise and were willing to let [Simington]

continue with the franchise to try and get a deal with the

fairgrounds or a deal with another league,” Copeland said.

Coaches, players, cheerleaders and staff members announced they

had terminated contracts with the franchise’s original ownership

group, which included Copeland and public relations director Erick

Benson, during the meeting nearly three weeks ago. Simington was also

part of the original ownership group.

As it stands, the ABA created a replacement team, the California

Buzz, to complete the Crush’s remaining schedule while former Crush

players joined the Long Beach Jam in another shakeup there.

Crush assistant coach Corey Gains replaced NBA Hall of Famer Nate

“Tiny” Archibald as coach of the Jam after Archibald announced his

resignation Monday.

“The best thing for them is to stay together,” former Crush Coach

Earl Cureton, who guided Long Beach to the league championship last

season, said. “Things didn’t go the way they should have and all of

us lost a lot.”

Crush players and coaches are also seeking paychecks that remain

outstanding.

Cureton said he is owed two months of pay -- coaches are

compensated every month. Players, as of last week, had not received

paychecks in three weeks, Copeland said.

“[Orange County Crush Basketball LLC] has no money,” Simington

said. “You have to advertise if you want to be known. [The Crush] had

no real advertising except for a small flier.”

The organization suffered public relations hits when it lost

former NBA rebounding champion Dennis Rodman to the Jam in December

and revealed an alleged ticket surcharge greeted fans trying to

purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster’s website for the Crush’s

home opener last month at the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine.

Crush management contend the ticket mishap caused Rodman to flee

for an apparent lack of fan support, and the loss of ESPN coverage,

apparel deals and ticket sales.

Copeland said attorneys for the former franchise, Ticketmaster and

the Bren Center, are investigating potential damages caused by the

alleged ticket mishap, which tacked a $50 convenience fee for $10

reserved-level seats, according to an e-mail a fan sent to Copeland

last month.

No litigation has been yet been filed, but could be imminent,

Copeland said.

“The Ticketmaster thing was something we couldn’t recover from,”

he said.

Buzz Coach Burrel Lee said the team is looking to play its home

games at either Venice or Taft high schools in Los Angeles County in

the immediate future, but added that Orange County remains an option,

even toward the end of this season.

“If I can find a high school gym with a good cost, I wouldn’t mind

playing [in Orange County],” said Lee, who started in the ABA four

years ago.

Lee said the Crush’s termination isn’t a surprise in a league

where making money can be difficult at the start.

“It takes a whole lot of resources and you’ve got to market your

team,” said Lee, who coached the league’s Los Angeles Stars this

season before taking the reins of the Buzz. “Attracting 4 to 5,000

fans doesn’t happen in the first year. The Kansas City Knights (9-5

this season) spent four years taking losses. This isn’t a get-rich

league, it is a get-broke league.

“I think teams should partner up, not necessarily with finances,

but with marketing and promotions. Orange County, Long Beach and L.A.

are all in the same general spot.”

Cureton said he might pursue a general manager position within the

league, but will spend the rest of the season rooting for Long Beach.

Just as he did last year.