Power is Philly's latest stop for local NBA hopefuls

Local high school and college products - such as Bernard Blunt, Jeff Myers, and Ron Wilson - are using time with the USBL's Phila. Power as a stepping stone to their bigger dreams. For the third time in United States Basketball League history, Philadelphia has a team -- the Philadelphia Power. For city residents and Big Five and Drexel Dragons' fans, it means another chance to see local products competing at the professional level -- at a reasonable price, too. And for the players, it means a chance to hone their skills and gain some exposure in an effort to ascend to the next level -- whether that be the National Basketball Association, the Continental Basketball Association or one of the numerous European leagues. "Everybody is trying to get to the next level. This [league] is my stepping stone, my springboard to the next level," Power guard and recent Drexel University graduate Jeff Myers said. USBL Commissioner Daniel T. Meisenheimer counted ten current NBA players among USBL alumni. Some of the best known NBA players who have passed through the USBL are Michael Adams, Muggsy Bogues, Manute Bol, Chris Childs, Mario Elie, Tim Legler, Avery Johnson, Anthony Mason, Charlie Ward, and John "Hot Rod" Williams. At the ceremony held in February to welcome the Power, Meisenheimer said: "This is the league of opportunity. Our goal is to help our players get to the next level, which is the NBA." The success of such USBL alumni -- certainly not the $300 to $500 a week USBL paycheck -- is part of the dream that every one of today's USBL players shares. "It not about money -- it's about opportunity," Power head coach Jerry Powell added, and he knows just what it takes to get to the next level. He is an advance scout for the Atlanta Hawks, for whom he served as an assistant coach in 1995. He accepted the job with the Power not for the chance to scout new talent, but for the coaching challenge. Thus far, Powell and the Power have faced plenty of challenging teams, but have been unable to conquer many of them. The team sits in last place in the USBL's Northern Division with a record of 5-14. "We're struggling right now...We have young players and they make mistakes," Powell said. "Obviously it's a challenge to have a new ball club in a city where you have to win." The USBL garners support for their teams by linking a competitive product to a hometown flavoring. The local players on each team are supposed to provide this sort of attachment between the team and its neighborhood. "We wanted to get as many local guys out as possible for the fans," Powell said. The Power's roster includes two other men besides Myers who played collegiate basketball in the area and several others who played high school basketball here. Bernard Blunt and Ron Wilson each played in the Big Five -- Blunt starred at St. Joseph's and Wilson at Villanova and both also have been to another level, professional basketball in Europe. Blunt has the brightest credentials of the three players. He was cut last year by the Washington Bullets after a promising tryout. He played instead for the Portuguese team Estrelas, for which he averaged 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists per game. The year before, he scored 35 points per game for BK Kloster Neuburg, an Austrian team. But scoring is nothing new for Blunt -- he finished his career at St. Joseph's as the Hawks leading scorer all time with 1,985 points. Blunt will take the overseas route again if he has to, but he would prefer to play in the United States. "Playing overseas is a trade-off. Overseas you get a lot of money, but it's hard because you're away from your family. Most of that money goes to your phone bill." At six feet, 10 inches, Wilson, is a strong rebounder and shot blocker who is working on developing a more complete offensive repertoire. Last year, he played for Cossnay in Switzerland where he posted strong numbers -- 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four blocked shots per game. At Villanova, Wilson served as one of the team's co-captains in 1994-95. Following graduation, he played in Finland for the Uusikaupunki Sharks. There, he averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks per game. Myers, who hails from South Philadelphia, graduated with an accounting degree from Drexel this year after leading the Dragons with a 16.3 points per game average. Although he played off-guard, he also led the team in rebounding a team-high 15 times this year. He scored more than a 1,400 points in his career. His goal of playing in a more prestigious league is a common one among the USBL's players. "My number one goal is to get a tryout with an NBA team, maybe even the CBA," Myers said. The man primarily responsible for bringing the Power to the people is Gerald "Chip" Mitchell. He is president, CEO and co-owner of the team. Mitchell is currently also the president of Hoop City, Inc., a basketball entertainment company that he began operating in 1993. His co-owners are two of his former Pennsauken High School classmates -- Keith Taylor, a nine-year National Football League veteran, and Fred Colon, a computer technologist and investor, who has made the Power his first investment in the sports industry. Finally, Michael Altman, the Vice President of New Business Development for Hoop City, Inc., is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Power. Philadelphia's past USBL franchises -- the Aces from 1987-90 and the Spirit from 1991-92 -- both folded, mostly because of financial troubles. Together, Mitchell and his colleagues payed $300,000 in franchise fees to bring the expansion team to Philadelphia, and they have taken steps to ensure that the Power will remain here. Their shot to land a big name swished when they signed Simeon Rice, the defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals who led all National Football League rookies with 12 sacks last year. Rice is serious about his basketball prospects, too. Despite being just six feet, five inches tall, he thinks that he has the ability to play in the NBA because of his power, and his Power experience. Last spring, Rice showed that dimension of his game in a pick-up contest at Penn's Weightman Hall when he damaged a rim beyond repair with a thunderous dunk. Unfortunately for Rice and the rest of the Power, the other USBL teams have not been as weak as that rim. The other five teams in the USBL's Northern Division are the Atlantic City Seagulls, Long Island Surf, Connecticut Skyhawks, New Hampshire Thunder Loons, and Portland Mountain Caps. Most of the Power's players and coaches believe the problem is just a lack of chemistry right now. With the playoffs -- in which every team particpates, regardless of record -- just three weeks away, it is something that is being addressed. "We are starting to mesh, but haven't found ourselves yet," Powell said. "This is the minor leagues, it's not the NBA, and we understand that. These guys play hard, though. The effort it there." Signs of the squad's improved effort came this past week when the Power's Gerald Jordan, a West Philadelphia High graduate, was named USBL's "Rookie of the Week." Local basketball fans are invited to judge the Power's improvement at Drexel's Physical Education and Athletics Center, nicknamed "the Powerhouse." Their next home game is Tuesday, June 17th at 7:05 p.m. Ticket prices for adults are eight dollars and for children, ages three to 12, just six dollars. There, Philadelphians can check out players who may utilize their opportunity with the Power to rise all the way to the NBA.