Central Illinois Drive
Encyclopedia
The Central Illinois Drive is a Premier Basketball League
team set to begin play for the 2012 season. Based in Bloomington, Illinois
, the Drive will play their home games the U.S. Cellular Coliseum
.
The Drive are owned by Jim Morris, owner of the Sonic Drive-In
restaurant in nearby Normal
(ergo, Sonic is the Drive's official team sponsor) as well as fellow U.S. Cellular Coliseum tenants the Bloomington Extreme
of the Indoor Football League
. Their head coach is A. J. Guyton
, a Peoria
native and former Chicago Bulls
and Golden State Warriors
player who was previously set to be the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Midwest Flames
before they folded.
The Drive name, logo, and colors were announced on September 29, 2011.
Premier Basketball League
The Premier Basketball League, often abbreviated to the PBL, is a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States that began play in January 2008. The league had ten teams for the 2008 season and thirteen teams for the 2009 season. Nine teams from Canada and the United States...
team set to begin play for the 2012 season. Based in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, the Drive will play their home games the U.S. Cellular Coliseum
U.S. Cellular Coliseum
U.S. Cellular Coliseum is an arena in downtown Bloomington, Illinois that opened to the public on April 1, 2006. It is on the southwest corner of Madison Street and Front Street. It hosts the Bloomington Extreme of the Indoor Football League, the Bloomington Blaze of the Central Hockey League,...
.
The Drive are owned by Jim Morris, owner of the Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Drive-In is an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, complete with carhops who sometimes wear rollerskates. As of August 31, 2010, there were 3,500 restaurants in 43 U.S. states. Sonic serves approximately 3 million customers daily.-1950s:Following...
restaurant in nearby Normal
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
(ergo, Sonic is the Drive's official team sponsor) as well as fellow U.S. Cellular Coliseum tenants the Bloomington Extreme
Bloomington Extreme
The Bloomington Extreme are a professional indoor football team and a member of the Indoor Football League. The team's name is derived from a naming rights deal with local auto dealer Extreme Motors. The Extreme play their home games at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington,...
of the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
. Their head coach is A. J. Guyton
A. J. Guyton
Arthur James Guyton is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2nd round in the 2000 NBA Draft, and played collegiately at Indiana University, where he was named Big Ten Co-MVP and first team all-American during his senior year, averaging...
, a Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
native and former Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
player who was previously set to be the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Midwest Flames
Midwest Flames
The Midwest Flames was a failed expansion franchise of the American Basketball Association which was scheduled to begin play in the 2011 season. The team was based in Peoria, Illinois, but never announced a home venue, and folded in September 2011 citing lack of money. A. J. Guyton signed a...
before they folded.
The Drive name, logo, and colors were announced on September 29, 2011.