The College Park Skyhawks (2-3) fell 120-112 in their inaugural home debut against the Delaware Blue Coats (3-3) at Gateway Arena in College Park Thursday night. While the result was not a desired one, the event for the College Park community as a whole meant so much more.
The Skyhawks trailed for most of the game and couldn’t find a rhythm until the fourth quarter. The team finished the game shooting 38% from the field and 27% from the three-point line. Lack of offensive consistency was a big part of the loss for the Skyhawks and the players will look to correct this in their upcoming matchup.
Charles Brown Jr. and Jordan Sibert lead the team in scoring. Brown Jr. scored 22 points, but on 6-for-22 shooting from the field. Sibert fared slightly better, percentage wise, as he shot 6-for-14 from the field and scored 20 points.
However, all is not lost in tonights defeat for the Skyhawks as they engrained themselves into the community. The mission for the Skyhawks has been to be fully immerse themselves in the College Park community and they succeeded with tonight’s home opener. The Skyhawks are lifting the community up and that cannot be overlooked.
Skyhawks part-owner and College Park native Tauheed Epps, known by his stage name 2 Chainz, sees the Skyhawks opener as a future resurgence for College Park.
“I’m an alumni of the area and when this opportunity came it was coming to fruition not just to be an entrepreneur, but to give back to the community and that’s what [Skyhawks] are doing.” Epps said.
NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim praised both the community and team for its home opener.
“It’s awesome for the Atlanta Hawks and the investment they’re making in the city of College Park,” Abdur-Rahim said. “It’s a great community asset [and] to have the Skyhawks in College Park is awesome.”
Just like the College Park community itself, the Skyhawks fought back from adversity faced throughout the game. At one point, the team trailed the Bluecoats by nearly 30 points and could’ve easily given up. Instead, the Skyhawks battled back to make it a game again and nearly get back in arms reach.
Losing the game by only single digits highlighted the talent and prowess of the team and the Skyhawks definitely have a bright future ahead.
