Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 25 - 31, 2023 UCW 19 SPORTS Fayetteville Stingers bringing basketball to the Crown by GARY MANGUM, CityView Today Yes, the Fayetteville Stingers are a professional development team in e Basketball League that seeks to help their best players move up the pro ranks, landing spots on foreign rosters or perhaps make an NBA roster. But, during a press conference Jan. 17 at the Crown Coliseum, team of- ficials emphasized connecting with the community as the first-year TBL franchise's main priority. "is team has to be active for this community and its young people that has a family-friendly environment that people can come out and have fun with their kids," said head coach Robert Brickey, a 55-year-old former E.E. Smith standout who played col- legiately at Duke under Mike Krzyze- wski. "e time we walk out in our uniforms, what we do in warmups, how we conduct ourselves on the floor and in the community, we want to be a class act." "ese are players you can touch." e Stingers are scheduled to open their initial season on March 3 in Raleigh against the Firebirds. eir home opener is set for March 10 at the Crown Coliseum against the Central Florida Force. e Stingers will play a 27-game regular season with 12 home dates. "is league is really strong basket- ball across the country. ere's a lot of entertainment bang for your buck these days. ere's a great place to come here for non-basketball things," said Brickey, who began his coach- ing career in 2000 and last coached the Raleigh Firebirds of the TBL from 2018-2021. "We want it to be fun for our fans. We want it to be great for our community." Season tickets are on sale now. Single-game tickets are set to go on sale Feb. 1. Single-game tickets for the upper and lower levels are $15 and $20. Courtside back and front tickets are $85 and $100. Season tickets are available for $350. Tickets can be purchased through ticketmaster.com and www.fayettevillestingers.com. e TBL is in its fifth season, start- ing out as the North American Pre- mier Basketball league in 2018 before changing its name to e Basketball League. e league started with eight teams. It now has 55, including 22 in the Eastern Conference where the Stingers will play, according to Stingers General Manager Raymond Phillips. e Albany Patroons won last year's TBL championship, beating the Shreveport Mavericks 2-1 in the best- of-3 final series. Fayetteville is the third team from North Carolina in the league. ey join Raleigh and Charlotte (Purple Jackets). Phillips said about 90% of the play- ers on the team are expected to come from Cumberland County. "Our plan is to bring quality and affordable entertainment to the city of Fayetteville and its surrounding area," Phillips said. "We look forward in 2023 to have the ability to bring the com- munity together in a positive way far beyond basketball. In years to come, we're looking forward to expanding our fan base and winning champion- ships both on and off the court." Bunker's Buddies Kids Club memberships now available a STAFF REPORT e Woodpeckers season begins April 7, but it is not too early to get the family ready for baseball season. Registration is open for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers official kids club for the 2023 season. Bunker's Buddies Kids Club will have four tiers of memberships available for children 12 and under. Children in the Bunker's Buddies Kids Club will enjoy perks at Segra Stadium. Each tier will offer a person- alized ID card, one complimentary reserved or general admission ticket voucher for the child's birthday, an end-of-the-year Bunker's Buddies party, and newsletter updates. e tiers gradually increase in the num- ber of perks. e top tier, 'Home Run' Membership, will have a member limit of 100 children. ere are four membership levels available ranging in price from free to $75. e 2023 Bunker's Buddies 'Home Run' Membership is $75. is level is limited to 100 members. •Personalized I.D. card and lanyard •Official membership goodie bag, club t-shirt, surprise specialty item •One complimentary ticket to 12 Sunday home games •One complimentary ticket for the child's birthday •Discounted tickets for up to two parents or guardians for 12 Sunday home games •Two complimentary parent or guardian tickets. One on Mother's Day (May 14) and one on Father's Day (June 18) •ree special club events, plus the end-of-the-year Bunker's Buddies party •Kids Run Bases express lane access •e opportunity to be chosen to deliver game ball before a home game •$30 off a reserved birthday package •Newsletter updates e 2023 Bunker's Buddies 'Triple' Membership is $50. • Personalized I.D. card and lanyard •Official membership goodie bag and club t-shirt •One complimentary ticket to seven Sunday home games •One complimentary ticket for the child's birthday •Discounted tickets for up to two parents or guardians for seven Sunday home games •One complimentary parent or guardian ticket on either Mother's Day (May 14) or Father's Day (June 18) •Two special club events, plus the end-of-the-year Bunker's Buddies party •Kids Run Bases express lane access •$20 off a reserved birthday package •Newsletter updates e 2023 Bunker's Buddies 'Dou- ble' Membership is $25. • Personalized I.D. card and lanyard •Official membership goodie bag •One complimentary ticket to four Sunday home games •One complimentary ticket for the child's birthday •One special club event, plus the end-of-the-year Bunker's Buddies party •Kids Run Bases express lane access •$10 off a reserved birthday package •Newsletter updates e 2023 Bunker's Buddies 'Single' Membership is free. •Personalized I.D. card •One complimentary ticket for the child's birthday •End-of-the-year Bunker's Buddies party •Newsletter updates Bunker's Buddies Kids Club Sunday dates are April 9, 16, 30; May 14, 28; June 18; July 2, 16, 30; Aug. 6, 20; and Sept. 10. e Fayetteville Woodpeckers return to Segra Stadium for the 2023 season on Friday, April 7, playing against Carolina Mudcats. For more information about Bun- ker's Buddies or to sign your child up, please visit www.milb.com/fayette- ville/fans/kids. GARY MANGUM, CityView Today. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200.