By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
It was a full house on Friday night as area residents and regional sports fans packed into the large gymnasium barn at the Rising Star Sports Ranch in Mesquite. They were there to cheer on the Nevada Desert Dogs, a new professional basketball team making its home in Mesquite. Friday was opening night for the team.
The venue was intimate and fan-friendly. With seats set up right around the courtside perimeter, fans could hear and see all of the action on the court. And the players could hear from the enthusiastic fans as well.
“It has all of the intimacy of a high school basketball game, but the players are pro quality.” said basketball fan Craig Finley who had come to Mesquite from St. George to check out the opening night action.
The Desert Dogs is the latest addition to the newly formed North American Premier Basketball League (NAPB). The league was established last year to fill a pro basketball void in the U.S., said Desert Dogs VP of Business Operations Preston Guthrie.
“Anywhere else in the world you can see A, B and C pro basketball leagues doing well,” Guthrie said. “So there is really no reason that the basketball country of the world, the U.S., shouldn’t have more pro basketball. That is the thought that got things started for the league.”
Guthrie said that a lot of great players get out of college and have to leave the country to play professional basketball. “They are going to Spain or South America or Asia to continue playing ball,” Guthrie said. “This is offering a way for these guys that want to play in the NBA to come back to America and play. And a lot of them are jumping at the chance.”
The Dogs were led by former Oregon player Jonathon Lloyd who was the only PAC-12 player on a championship squad in both basketball and football. Since college, the Bishop Gorman alumnus has played in Germany and China and says he is happy to back playing in the States.
The other two point guards for the Dogs are Anthony Strickland, who played last year in the Canada Basketball League, and Tyree Murray who played at Cal State-San Marcos.
The Dogs are also not lacking on height and mass under the basket. At 6’10” and 250 lbs, Luke Cochrane was a force to be reckoned with inside the paint. ‘Slim’ McGee, who played pro ball in El Salvador is 6’11”. He is thin but with a huge reach he could block and pull down the rebounds with the best of them.
Friday’s game put the Dogs against the Knights of Vancouver. The high octane game stayed exciting with the two teams trading baskets back and forth through much of the game. By the end of the first half the Knights had pulled ahead to make the score 60-53 Knights.
But the Dogs fought their way back through the third quarter to end still within shooting distance with a score of 84-88 Knights.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Dogs poured it on and staged a rally that tied the score at 88. A few minutes later they even pulled ahead of the Knights for the first time in the game with a score of 92-90. This brought the Mesquite crowd to the edge of their seats.
But the Vancouver team rolled forward again. The Desert Dogs, while keeping the score close, never quite caught up. The game ended with the Dogs taking a loss, 115-119.
But the audience was excited just at the chance to see pro basketball being played on a Friday night in Mesquite.
“This has been a lot of fun,” said Mesquite resident Keith Buchhalter. “For a small community like ours to have something like this, I think it is great! These guys are really good. It has been fun to watch them play.”
Guthrie said that he was overjoyed with the turnout at the game and the support from the community. “The whole town has circled around to welcome the team here,” he said. “We are excited to be here and bring this level of play to town. What a great way for the community to get together!”
The Desert Dogs played a second game against the Vancouver team on Saturday night and lost again with a score of 105-122.
