Delaware Blue Coats stoked to kick off season at home Friday
WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) -- The Delaware Blue Coats open up their season on Friday, and you can catch the game on PHILLY57.
The Blue Coats are the Sixers' NBA G League affiliate and are looking to replicate last season's success. They won their first ever G League championship last season.
Blue Coats guard Aminu Mohammed may not be as well known as Joel Embiid, but the team is showing they're a force to be reckoned with.
"Show up, support us, and let's get another one!" Mohammed said. "You've got the 76ers G League team in your backyard! Why not come here?"
It's been 10 years since the 76ers acquired the team, and five years since the team adopted the name the Blue Coats.
"We obviously want to mirror the Sixers as much as possible," head coach Mike Longabardi said. "We want to be fast-paced, we want to play with intensity, we want to play with great energy, we want to play unselfishly, and we want to play hard."
The Blue Coats compete against other minor league NBA teams as its athletes work toward the NBA.
"Every guy you see here is trying to get to the next level. That's why we're here, not only to represent the Delaware Blue Coats as individuals, but we're also trying to make it to the next level as a team," Mohammed said.
READ MORE: Full list of Delaware Blue Coats games airing on PHILLY57 this season
For the fans, games mean fun for the whole family.
"From the time you walk through that door, it's a festival," team Ambassador of Basketball Joe Richmond said. "You don't know it's a basketball game until you're here. Our kid zone is amazing. We have inflatables everywhere, face painting, balloon making."
When it comes to cost: Tickets, food and parking would cost a family of four less than $100.
"We have all kinds of packages," Richmond added. "We even have education days where you get a ticket, you get lunch, you get a game, and you get the number one mascot in the whole G League: Coaty."
Coaty then did a backflip for us.
If you love Coaty and the Blue Coats logo, you have to check out their merchandise. Some of it will only be sold during home games at Chase Fieldhouse.
On the court, the team is training hard. Their goals are to play a brand of basketball that will make Blue Coats fans proud and bring a second straight G League championship back to Wilmington.
"We want to pack this house, make it a great home court atmosphere, and our goal is to keep the championship trophy here in Delaware," Longabardi said.
What is the NBA G League?
The league used to be called the D-League, with the "D" standing for developmental.
But it's now the NBA G League as part of a multi-year partnership between the NBA and Gatorade.
CBS Philadelphia will be airing Blue Coats home games on our sister station, PHILLY57, all season.
