truebluefan

Cornwall, VT. The ABA Vermont Frost Heaves will introduce coach Will Voigt and the team's new mascot during a press conference next week at Burlington's Memorial Stadium. Mayor Bob Kiss will be among those attending the event which is set for 1pm Tuesday, May 30th.

Voigt, who has led the Ulriken Eagles of Norway's top professional league to the playoffs in each of his three seasons as head coach, is a native of Cabot, Vt., who previously worked under San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Texas coach Rick Barnes and two-time NCAA Division II coach of the year Mike Dunlap at Metro State in Denver. Voigt became coach of the Frost Heaves last month in a vote of members of the Frost Heaves' on-line community, the Bump in the Road Club.

The team's mascot is a creation of Jean-Claude Tremblay of Mascouce, Quebec, who has brought to life the Vermont Lake Monsters' Champ, the Vermont Mountaineers' Skip, as well as the Montreal Expos' Youppi and hundreds of other crowd-pleasing creatures.

"Slowly, but steadily, a pro basketball team is taking shape in Vermont," said Frost Heaves president and GM Alexander Wolff, who is chronicling the team's progress in Sports Illustrated and on si.com. "On May 30th, we'll also be sharing details about our forthcoming open tryout camps, as well as several exciting partnerships we've struck with Vermont businesses."

The Vermont Frost Heaves will play in Barre Municipal Auditorium as well as Burlington's Memorial Auditorium during their inaugural season in the ABA. The team tips off its 36-game schedule in November. For more information, cal Alexander Wolff at 802 989 3518 or email info@vermontfrostheaves.com or visit www.vermontfrostheaves.com or www.abalive.com.