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Rock County Robins set to hoop it up

JANESVILLE — Jets.

Gladiators.

Robins?

Will this area support another minor-league team? The Rock County Robins are about to find out.

Organizers hope that this region’s tradition of strong basketball teams and fans can translate into crowds who will come to watch women play basketball in Janesville next year.

The team has a coach, a Web site and a league, the Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League.

The season begins next May and ends in August.

The Robins are looking for players and sponsors. Tryouts are next month, and organizers are asking local businesses if they’d be willing to become sponsors, said team co-founder Jacque Williams.

The team is not looking for taxpayer support, and it’s not looking to sell beer at games, Williams said when asked about issues that arose with the Junior A Janesville Jets hockey team.

Williams works for the Janesville School District and played basketball at Janesville Parker High School in the early 1990s. She has applied to rent the Craig High School gym for next season.

The season would feature five or six home games, Williams said. Ticket prices would be in the $8-$10 range.

Gregg Bridges, a coach of the sophomore girls team at Beloit Memorial, is another co-founder. Also working for the not-for-profit organization is Kim Valery of Clinton, who brings marketing skills to the group, Williams said.

The coach is Cecil Youngblood, who coached the Beloit College men’s team from 1997 to 2007.

Youngblood is now assistant dean of students at the college. He said he got his start in coaching with the Augustana College women’s team in the 1980s. He’s hoping to attract former players from universities in southern Wisconsin as well as others who have experience.

“We’ve got a lot of young ladies that have been very talented around this area that would like to continue competing,” Youngblood said.

Players must have a love of the game and be willing to compete “pretty hard,” the coach said.

The WBCBL Web site says players include some who have played in the WNBA and in Europe.

“The WBCBL is a league designed to show scouts what you are capable of doing in live game situations,” the Web site states. “You will compete against very talented professional players with a variety of experience.”

Williams said the Robins would compete with teams from Chicago; Detroit; Flint, Mich.; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Toronto; and a new one forming in Elgin, Ill.

Janesville was picked in part because Williams and Bridges live in the area. Its proximity to talent in the surrounding cities also played a part.

“It just seemed to be the right area, and there’s not anything here (for former women players), and there’s a lot of talent that comes out of this area,” Williams said.

Organizers are hoping that this area’s sports-crazy fans will come out for their games.

“I think if you like to watch basketball, which this area does, it can be an exciting thing,” Youngblood said.