Kansas City Tornadoes

The Kansas City Tornadoes were an American professional basketball team based in Kansas City, Missouri, and members of The Basketball League (TBL).

Kansas City Tornadoes
LeagueThe Basketball League
Founded2017
HistoryKansas City Tornados
2018
Kansas City Tornadoes
2019
ArenaHy-Vee Arena
LocationKansas City, Missouri
Team colors              
CEOJustin Pattison
Vice-president(s)Otis Birdsong (COO)
Head coachEddie Corporal

History

On September 27, 2017, North American Premier Basketball (NAPB) announced a team that will play in Kansas City, Missouri, and Calvin Thompson would be the head coach and general manager.[1] On November 10, the team name was revealed as the KC Buzz as well as naming the assistant coaches and first players signed.[2] On November 20, 2017, Georgia Tech sent a request to the Kansas City team to change the name and logo since they "have the trademark on the bumblebee as well as the word B-U-Z-Z." that is attached to their mascot Buzz.[3] By the end of the month, the NAPB team had changed their moniker to the Tornados, sometimes written as "Tornado's" by their social media.

The Tornados started their inaugural season playing their home games at the Municipal Auditorium. However, by March 2018, the team began playing home games at Avila University due to scheduling issues.[4]

After their inaugural season, the NAPB changed its branding to The Basketball League (TBL). Concurrently, the Tornados rebranded as the grammatically correct Tornadoes. They also announced they were pursuing a new venue and named Eddie Corporal as the head coach. Kevin Loder was named chief operating officer of the team.[5] On July 28, 2018, Loder announced via Facebook Live that the team will be competing at the Hy-Vee Arena.[6]

After the season began, the Tornadoes ran into several scheduling issues leading to canceled and rescheduled games. The team decided to end their season early and sit out of the playoffs despite having the second best record at the time.[7] The team did not return for the 2020 season.

Current roster

Kansas City Tornadoes roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
G Cole, CJ 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 26 – (1993-07-12)12 July 1993
G French, Jacob 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
G Greenberg, Grant 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
SF 7 Major, Renaldo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 38 – (1982-05-07)7 May 1982
C 13 Manns, Justin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 30 – (1989-07-06)6 July 1989
G Patterson, Tyshawn 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 29 – (1991-04-19)19 April 1991
C - Sledge, Travares 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 110 lb (50 kg) 28 – (1992-04-24)24 April 1992
Head coach
  • Eddie Corporal
Assistant coach(es)
  • Tom Hughes
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured

References
  1. "NAPB to bring professional basketball back to Kansas City". KCTV. September 27, 2017.
  2. "KC's new pro basketball team reveals its name, first players". Kansas City Business Journal. November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  3. "Buzz no more? Georgia Tech takes issue with nickname, logo for new KC pro basketball team". Fox4KC. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  4. "Due to scheduling conflicts with the KC Municipal Auditorium the KC Tornado's NAPB games will be played at 7 PM beginning Tuesday 3/6 at Avila University". Facebook.com. March 2, 2018.
  5. "Changes swirl for KC Tornadoes ahead of second season: new coach, venue, logo". Kansas City Business Journal. July 16, 2018.
  6. "Kansas City Tornadoes". Facebook.com. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  7. "Patroons trying to make it work". Times Union. April 8, 2019.
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