STRONG ISLAND SOUND

Strong Island Sound

The Strong Island Sound has been a member of American Basketball Association, which the team played their home games at Suffolk County Community College in Long Island, New York. They have announced that the team is looking for a new financial partner and will temporarily suspend basketball operations until one is found. The team played off on the intersection of basketball and popular culture in which Strong Island is used as hip hop slang for Long Island and the neighboring Long Island Sound. In addition to their team mascot (a chicken named Sheykan Bayke), they have also added a professional dance team - the Sound Dancers.

The CBMS Sports and Entertainment was the ownership group and corporate organization behind the team, began the season with a new partner that was handling the basketball operations of the club, as well as being a financial partner. Due to philosophical differences, the partnership ended recently and the current ownership group will be unable to continue any further.

The team’s inaugural in 2005 ABA season was full of obstacles and their 10-0 run down the stretch gave them some well earned respect among the growing ABA fan base. In their second season of play, the Strong Island Sound improved their regular season record by four wins, finishing 20-13. During this season former Globetrotter and member of the 2005-06 Sound, star player Chris Sandy died in a car accident in Finland. He had been playing with Kouvot Kouvola and was rumored to return to the Sound shortly before his death. In honor of Sandy, a major contributor to the final four effort of the 05-06 Sound, the team wore black bands around the shoulder of their uniforms for the remainder of the season. Strong Island Sound temporarily ceased their campaign in December 2007 with their final game a 92-90 victory over the Halifax Rainmen in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The teams collapse was a quick and without warning as co-owners Darren Cioffi and Michelle Wuestman had their financial backers pull out after the costly trip to Halifax. The team’s players and coaches were never paid their final week’s salaries and communication between management and the staff was poor at best during this difficult time.

Cioffi being the CFO of the ABA further stated that the organization is looking for a new partner to take over basketball operations or to purchase the team outright, and hopes to have the issue resolved by the end of January so that the team can resume playing. As of now, the CBMS Sports and Entertainment acquired the rights to hold ABA Camps and Clinics worldwide, as well as Cioffi. Both of these will not be affected by the Sound suspending operations. Darren Cioffi also stated that his corporation will go forward with the planning of a proposed 6,000-seat arena as part of the county-owned land in Yaphank, and that he expects the situation with the Sound to be resolved.

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Long Island Sports