JAMESTOWN – As the Jamestown Jackals continue its third season in the city, several team volunteers tell us they’re working hard to establish a broader fan base.
” We are very excited to see what we can bring to the city in exchange for the love they (the City) give to us,” said Aryol Prater. “We have all come together for the sole purpose of bringing the City the best entertainment possible.”
The Jackals play in the North American Basketball League, which was founded in 2016 and features several teams within driving distance, including teams in Fredonia and Buffalo.
A team source tells WNY News Now that the Jackals’ former head coach, who lives in New York City, abruptly quit after his son, who was playing for the team at the time, went missing and was subsequently dropped from the roster.
The Jackals heavily utilize volunteers throughout the city.
“Everything you see here is done by volunteers,” said Prater. “It’s not easy, but we recognize the effort we put into Jamestown is the beauty we’ll get out. We work towards making this the best town we can by giving what we got.”
The current players on the roster came to Jamestown from as far as the The Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are also players on the roster from Florida and Pennsylvania.
“The most local guy on the team is Michael Davenport, who played at St. Bonaventure,” said Jackals play-by-play broadcaster Norman Rodriguez.
Davenport’s career looked promising at one point after starting and playing in every game in consecutive seasons for the Bonnies from 2009-2011. During the 2012 season, he suffered a left shoulder injury against Canisius and missed the rest of the season.
Rodriguez said the fan base that’s intact seems very excited about the team.
“Great team play, great team quality, (and) it’s worth coming here,”said Rodriguez.
The Jackals gave the fans something to shout about on Friday night, drilling the Elmira Eagles 121-94.
You can follow the team’s progress on its Twitter account, @JTownJackals , and you can view the home games on Facebook.
