n Regular season for the WBA's Rock-N-Rollers will begin in May.

BY JOHN WILBERT

Daily Journal

TUPELO - "It's one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready ..."

And that's how the Tupelo Rock-N-Rollers basketball franchise was officially introduced to Northeast Mississippi by owner Russell Brooks on Monday afternoon at Tupelo's City Hall.

Brooks, a former supervisor in Chickasaw County, performed his rendition of "Blue Suede Shoes" as part of a news conference introducing Tupelo's World Basketball Association Exposure League franchise.

The Rock-N-Rollers will take part in a seven-team league this season that gives players a chance to showcase and further develop their skills in hopes of playing at a higher level professionally. The league will be entering its seventh season and is headquartered in Atlanta.

The WBA's regular season begins in May and ends in June. The Tupelo team will play its home games at the St. Paul United Methodist Christian Life Center in Tupelo. A schedule has yet to be finalized.

"I was talking to some of the former college players in this area and asking them what they were doing now," Brooks said.

"And some of them said that they didn't get a chance to get the proper look that they deserved while they were in college, and they informed me about this league."

There are no players on the Rock-N-Rollers roster; the WBA's draft is set for April 17-18. The league's teams, which are located in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, will consist mainly of players who live in the area of where the team is located.

A few players from outside a team's area will make up the rest of the roster.

The players will not be paid much and franchises can be owned for less than $50,000, according to WBA founder Leroy McMath.

"There's a little bit of a supplement, but it's not about the pay," Brooks said. "It's mostly about the exposure the players will receive."

Also, a coach has also yet to be named.

"We are going to leave the doors open for anyone who wants to apply in this area," Brooks said. "We are just asking that you have a good record, (be) a people's person who wants to work with the players and the community, and have a winning record and put us a good team on the court so we can be competitive."