CBA Team Oklahoma Cavalry Finds a New Home in Lawton, Oklahoma

In a surprise twist, Lawton, Oklahoma will be getting its own Continental Basketball Association Team. The Oklahoma Cavalry, which was originally to have been called the Oklahoma City Cavalry, and was to have played at Abe Lemons Arena on the campus of Oklahoma City University, has found a new home in Lawton, where they will be playing at the Great Plains Coliseum.

In preparation for the team's arrival, the Great Plains Coliseum is undergoing a facelift. The outside of the facility will be updated and the inside is getting major overhaul. In addition to the addition of approximately 1,000 new seats, all the old seats in the coliseum will be replaced with new seats in the Cavalry's color of royal blue. There will be suites added and the locker rooms are being remodeled.

A press release from Oursportscentral.com recently announced that team tryouts will be held in the Lawton/Ft.Sill community September 22-23 at the Rinehart Gymnasium located at 2730 Bragg Road on Ft. Sill.

A non-refundable registration fee of $125 is required at the time of sign-up for the try outs. The camp will run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Players interested in trying out for the team can visit www.okcavs.com for more information and registration forms.

The Cavalry will kick off their inaugural season on November 20 when they play the East Kentucky Miners at the Great Plains Coliseum at 920 S.W. Sheridan Road in Lawton. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Oklahoma Cavalry team members have already begun interacting with the Lawton Community. They participated in the Cops and Kids Picnic held on September 15, and The Big Read Auction held to benefit children in Lawton Public Schools on September 8. They also joined in the activities at the End of Summer Youth Explosion where the Cavalry dance team members performed.

The original Oklahoma Cavalry team participated in the Continental Basketball Association from 1990 to 1997 and played at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. The team won the league championship in 1997.

Coaching the team upon their arrival in Lawton will be Micheal Ray Richardson, a former coach of the Albany Patroons. The team is owned by Baron Hopgood. The president of the team is Otis Birdsong who has been meeting with corporate sponsors from the Texoma area to garner support for the team. Both Mr. Richardson and Mr. Birdsong are former four time NBA All-Stars and played for the New Jersey Nets.

Other teams playing in the Continental Basketball Association are the Albany Patroons, Atlanta Krunk, East Kentucky Miners, Minot SkyRockets, and Pittsburgh Xplosion in the American Division and in the National Division the teams are the Butte Daredevils, Great Falls Explorers, the Cavalry, Rio Grande Valley Silverados, and Yakima Sun Kings.

Sources:

Oklahoma Cavalry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Cavalry

Here Comes The Cavalry. http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7008105&nav=menu495_6

Oklahoma Cavalry Participating In Lawton Community Events. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3538101

Oklahoma Cavalry Participating in Cops and Kids Picnic. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3539968

Oklahoma Cavalry to Hold Player Tryouts in Lawton. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3537013