(Orlando, FL) – The Florida Basketball Association (FBA) has approved the Gainesville Mighty Oaks of Gainesville, Florida as an expansion team for the upcoming 2020 season.
The Mighty Oaks will be owned by David Smith, a veteran to minor league sports. Smith, a minority partner for the Twin City Cyclones of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL), worked as a scout for the Brooklyn Aviators and Augusta Riverhawks. He remains a Head Scout for the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FHL).
The Mighty Oaks are one of two expansion teams joining the FBA for the 2020 season. FBA Commissioner Greg Kite heralded the city of Gainesville as a top tier prospective city for FBA growth.
“Gainesville has a rich basketball history,” said Kite. “The Mighty Oaks will provide a nice landing spot not only for the University of Florida, but also for Santa Fe college players seeking to continue playing basketball professionally.”
As with all FBA teams, the Mighty Oaks will use a mix of sports agents, scouting, recruiting and open tryouts to build their roster for their inaugural season. The team plans to host a free, open tryout after the restrictions due to COVID-19 are lifted.
“I was instantly impressed with Commissioner Kite and the growth, direction and sustainability of the FBA business model,” said Smith. “I’m excited to become a member team, and looking forward to bringing a fun, high-quality, affordable basketball entertainment product to the good people of Alachua County.”
The free tryout event is tentatively scheduled for June 7th from 2-6pm at the Legacy Park Multipurpose Center located in Alachua, Florida, pending updates from officials monitoring COVID-19 protocol. Interested players can email GainesvilleMightyOaks@gmail.com, call 206-304-3332, or message the team on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Gainesville-Mighty-Oaks.
The FBA is a Florida-based professional basketball league providing a development, branding and exposure platform for athletes, referees and other individuals seeking to further their professional basketball career.
Comments