Schwartz: Long Island Nets Are Red, White, Blue And New

By Peter Schwartz
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I have to admit, the Long Island Nets had me at hello.

Well, actually, they had me at their jerseys.

For someone like myself that grew up on Long Island and went to New York Nets games at the original Nassau Coliseum, seeing the red, white and blue uniforms that the Brooklyn Nets' brand new D-League franchise are wearing certainly brings back a lot of memories.

More on the jerseys later.

Next year, the Long Island Nets will move into the new Nassau Coliseum, but for their inaugural season Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be the new franchise's home court. After starting the season with a pair of games on the road, the LI Nets will play their home opener on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. against the Canton Charge.

"When I started in April, this Wednesday seemed like 12 years away," said Alton Byrd, the team's VP of business operations. "I'm excited, our team is excited and the organization is excited."

MORE: Long Island Nets Ready For Inaugural Season In NBA Developmental League

Now if you're wondering about that unusual afternoon starting time for a game in Brooklyn during the middle of the week, that will be the case all season long as the LI Nets utilize Barclays Center's availability while their permanent home, the new coliseum, is completed. The hope is that a couple of thousand people a game will find their way to Brooklyn and sample the new franchise.

All this while the team tries to lay down some roots on Long Island, like the scrimmage it held at Long Island Lutheran High School back on Nov. 4.

"It's a parallel universe that I'm living in," Byrd said. "I'm trying to build the brand on Long Island while trying to play games here in Brooklyn. Our real home is going to be the new coliseum, so we're doing what we must this year with the focus on Long Island next year."

The LI Nets chose to play at Barclays Center instead of finding a temporary home on Long Island closer to where they will drop anchor next season. They could have tried to play across the street at Hofstra University or even out east at Stony Brook, but the D-League is part of the overall NBA family and there are criteria that a franchise has to follow when it comes to a home court.

So when the idea of playing at an NBA venue like Barclays Center was presented, all parties agreed it was the best option for this first season.

"So in effect, we'll be playing in what we believe will be the two best venues in the D-League," Byrd said.

The NBA Development League began operations in 2001-02 and is currently comprised of 22 teams from coast to coast. It is the NBA's official minor league with the mission statement being to prepare players, coaches, officials, trainers and front office staff for a career at the next level. At the same time, the league serves as the NBA's research and development laboratory.

Last year, the Knicks brought the Westchester Knicks to the D-League. This year, the Nets are now involved with their eyes on the future.

"We are developmental all the way around," Byrd said. "We're developing the next level of talent for the Brooklyn Nets, but we're also developing our people for their career growth."

Some names to look for on the LI Nets' roster that will play for head coach Ronald Nored include guards Devin Brooks and Boris Dallo, as well as forwards Gary Forbes and Dwayne Polee Jr.

For fans that are new to the D-League, the in-game experience is not much different than what you might be accustomed to in the NBA.

The focus is on the game as much as anything else, but the entire experience once inside the arena centers around family affordable entertainment.

"That is our core audience," Byrd said. "You, your son, your daughter, and your wife or you and friends that are around families have been the core audience of the D-League across the board since its inception. I don't think you'll see wild and crazy promotions like $2 beers."

But what you will see are those amazing red, white and blue uniforms as the LI Nets go "Back to the Future." When the team was formed and it was announced that it would eventually be playing in the new coliseum, it was a no-brainer to bring back the old colors and go back to the organization's roots.

"It was very important that there was some kind of re-connect to Long Island," Byrd said. "This is going to be the anchor tenant of the new coliseum. The colors should be as close as possible to what they were with a little bit more modern touch and feel."

As the LI Nets play their inaugural season at their temporary home in Brooklyn, they'll be very active in building their brand on Long Island, including making public appearances. From a gameday experience standpoint, they'll use the season to kick the tires on some things, all to build momentum ahead of the move to the new coliseum.

"We've got a lot to build between now and the time we play next year, so this gives us some real opportunity to try some things and see what works," Byrd said.

The marketing slogan for the New Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum presented by New York Community Bank is "Come Home to the New Coliseum." The Long Island Nets will do just that after going through a matinee home schedule for their one season in Brooklyn.

Don't forget to follow Pete on Twitter at @pschwartzcbsfan. You can also follow @LongIslandNets, @barclayscenter, and @nassaucoliseum