Anyone who has ever lived in the piedmont area of North Carolina knows the City of Queens is built on three main principles: churches, banks, and basketball. After being relegated to watching professional basketball from a distance the last couple of seasons, the game so deeply rooted in the hearts of children and adults alike is back home, in more ways than one.

This year, the piedmont area has added an ABA basketball team to its creative list of professional entertainment. The ABA is a league with storied history which dates back well into the glory days of big hair and short shorts. Stars such as Julius Erving, and David Thompson graced ABA floors for years before four of the better ABA teams merged with the very popular NBA. In 2001, the ABA began its resurgence with seven teams across the United States. Many former well-known college and professional players were apart of the ABA rebirth, including the tattooed legend himself, Dennis Rodman.

This season, the league has quadrupled its size, tipping off in more than thirty cities across the continental United States. The Carolina Thunder, based just north of the Charlotte city limits, is North Carolina's first ABA basketball team. With the vision headed up by Tony Priscaro, the Carolina Thunder looks to entice local fans with a professional style of play built on passion and teamwork. With former college players ranging from Iowa State to UNC-Charlotte , the Thunder has pieced together a competitive group of players that is sure to provide plenty of excitement in its inaugural season.

The expansion of the ABA will continue on into next season with teams beginning play in Raleigh, NC, San Antonio, TX, and Tampa Bay, FL; just to name a few. For the fans that have never witnessed the ABA first hand, the masses can expect team basketball, void of the political potholes that often affects professional sports markets. The fans can also expect a fan friendly atmosphere with the same convenience services that most professional sports have. The ABA provides fans with an opportunity to follow their favorite college players, years after they have completed their collegiate careers. Now that the games are back in town, come out and see the pro game being played with the passion and chemistry that James Naismith intended.