OC Crush collapse was disappointing

It turned out to be a disappointing season for Costa Mesa and Orange

County’s latest pro basketball team, the OC Crush.

Sure, their 9-1 record, including a final 127-114 victory over American Basketball Assn. rival Long Beach Jam, was stellar. They

made headlines when they signed former NBA star Dennis Rodman and

looked poised to have a strong run at its home court at the Orange

County Fairgrounds.

But then the news, particularly off the court, started to turn for

the worse. There was an alleged wrongful ticket surcharge on fans

trying to purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster’s website for the

team’s December home opener at UC Irvine’s Bren Events Center. Rodman

then bailed to play for the Jam -- in part, Crush management said,

because of the ticket mishap. A hoped-for fan base wanting to see the

former NBA rebounding champ never materialized.

Then, two weeks ago, there was an ownership and management

shakeup, and the team planned to move its home games from the

fairgrounds -- where no games ever got played -- to Concordia

University in Irvine. There was talk of playing next season’s home

games back at the fairgrounds.

It turns out that won’t happen. The team announced last week it

was folding, and players were sent off to Long Beach, and a new ABA

team, the California Buzz, will finish the Crush’s schedule.

It’s a disappointing end for a number of reasons and a number of

people.

Those most obviously affected are the players and employees. While

many appear to be finding a new home elsewhere in the ABA, they went

weeks without pay and dealt with the uncertainty of the club’s start.

We hope they find greater success with their next team

Costa Mesa, too, is a loser here. Having a pro team -- even what

amounts to a minor league one -- would have been another boost for

the city’s status and name recognition. The 4,000 to 5,000 people

coming to the games would have provided an economic boost to area

businesses, as well.

But those benefits are not to be. At least Crush owners gave it a

shot -- after all, you never make the ones you don’t take.