The Maulers will play their home games at the Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center, 800 Lafayette Ave.
Late last year, the 82-year-old center officially reopened following a $6.7 million renovation and over one year of construction.
The renovation has almost doubled the square footage of the facility, including a new 9,000-square-foot gym and 1,800-square-foot family room.
Middletown City Manager Ashley Combs said the renovations at the community center have “sparked new interest in our recreational spaces and will encourage more people to visit our city. The addition of a Middletown-based sports team further highlights the strong, business-focused economic ecosystem we’ve built.”
Marie Edwards, executive director of Community Building Institute that oversees operations at the center, called the Maulers playing home games there “a permit fit.”
She said “history and future will collide” at the center. In 1917, the Armco Colored Club was formed, followed a year later by the opening of Booker T. Washington School, which provided additional recreational and cultural space.
In 1942, the Armco Colored Association (another moniker for the Armco Colored Club), dedicated a new clubhouse on Lafayette Avenue, now the community center.
She said Maulers games will give local kids another activity to consider and she sees the team attracting basketball fans from outside Middletown.
The Ohio Kings, another professional basketball team owned by the Aldridges, played at the community center Saturday before a crowd of about 300 with another game scheduled for Feb. 14.
The Kings, a Cincinnati-based franchise, have competed in the American Basketball Association since 2019. They’re 10-2 and in second place in the Central Division.
“Bringing professional basketball to our hometown has always been a dream,” said Kevin S. Aldridge, 51, a 1992 MHS graduate. “We want to give local aspiring players a platform to pursue their dreams and compete at a high level.”
The team’s name and steelworker-inspired logo are a tribute to Middletown’s storied steel industry, said the owners, who characterized Middletown as a city with blue-collar grit and relentless spirit.
“This is the same attitude our team will bring to the court,” Kevin S. Aldridge said. “We will put on our hard hats every game and compete with the same pride and tenacity that the city we grew up in taught us.”
Details on player tryouts, sponsorship opportunities, and ticket sales will be announced in the coming months, the Aldridges said.
Middletown High School has won seven state boys basketball titles and Fenwick High School won the 1982 Class A state title.
The Miami University Middletown men’s and women’s basketball teams have won numerous conference and state championships.
HOW TO GO
WHAT: Ohio Kings vs. Hoosier State Instigators
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Feb. 14
WHERE: Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center, 800 Lafayette Ave., Middletown
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $10 each
MORE INFO: ohiokings.org
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