The Santa Barbara Breakers will start their second pro basketball season with a plethora of fresh features — a new league, new rules, new faces and newly reduced ticket prices.
Thirteen of the Breakers’ 20 games will be played at SBCC’s Sports Pavilion, starting with the weekend of April 11-12 against the Newport Beach Surf and Hollywood Shooting Stars. All home games begin at 7:05 p.m. Eight teams will comprise the new West Coast Pro Basketball League, along with several others from the American Basketball Association, which completes its season this month.
Tickets will be reduced by roughly 20 percent this year, with general admission priced at $20 for adults; $12 for seniors (55-and-over) and students; and $8 for children 10 and under. VIP courtside seats are available for $200, $125 and $75. To purchase tickets, call 805.685.5600.
Rule changes include a 23-second shot clock (one more than last year), eight seconds to get the ball over the halfcourt line and the “Oop Play,” which awards three points for a lob pass from inside half-court (and outside the three-point line) that leads to a dunk by a player who takes off from outside the key.
“I thought our ticket prices were reasonable last year but I made a decision to create even more affordable prices for our fans,” said Curt Pickering, Breakers’ owner and head coach.
“There will be no assigned seating for general admission this year, so it will be on a first-come, first-served basis. People might want to get to the games a little earlier to get the prime seats. People who buy season tickets will get reserved, prime locations.”
The Breakers are coming off a stellar rookie campaign that produced a 17-6 record and a runner-up finish in the Western Division playoffs. With a lineup that featured ex-NBA players Toby Bailey, Lamond Murray, Fred Vinson and Samaki Walker, they averaged more than 133 points a game and attracted nearly 3,500 fans for their final two home games. The last regular-season game at SBCC, which was televised by Cox 8, drew a sellout crowd of 2,002.
Bailey averaged 24.8 points and nearly eight rebounds in 2007 while Vinson, now the shooting coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, set a league record with 15 3-pointers in a single game.
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Day Date Opponent Time Friday April 11 Newport Beach 7:05 p.m. Saturday April 12 Hollywood 7:05 p.m. Saturday April 19 Carlsbad 7:05 p.m. Saturday April 26 Pasadena 7:05 p.m. Saturday May 3 Ventura 7:05 p.m. Friday May 9 Hollywood 7:05 p.m. Saturday May 10 Pasadena 7:05 p.m. Saturday May 31 Newport Beach 7:05 p.m. Saturday June 7 High Desert 7:05 p.m. Sunday June 15 Ventura 7:05 p.m.
The eight-team West Coast Pro Basketball League playoff tournament is scheduled for June 20, with the league championship game the following day.
Dave Loveton is the Santa Barbara Breakers’ media relations director.