FAYETTEVILLE — The West Virginia Blazers — a professional basketball team with a positive, youth-oriented message — will play their first home game of the season Saturday in Fayetteville. The team chose the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building in Fayetteville as their home base for this, their fourth season.

“Every time we come to Fayetteville, it just seems like it’s a basketball frenzy and we get a good crowd to come out,” says team spokesperson Greg Puckett. “There’s a lot of history in that gym and it’s great to feel it.”

The space is familiar to team member Joey Preast, who graduated from Fayetteville High School in 2004 and played school games there over the years. He says the Blazers are hoping for a good turnout from his home crowd.

“Playing in that gym now, I can look back and remember all the people who supported me and my teammates,” he says. “We’re trying to give back something to the community because they give so much all the time.”

The Blazers will play nine home games in Fayetteville this season. The Fayette County Commission recently agreed to provide the gym to the Blazers for a discounted rate of $1 per attendee.

Puckett urges southern West Virginians to come out in support of the team, as well as the work they do off the court.

“We are southern West Virginia’s basketball team. We want a good solid crowd to come out and support us because that’s really how we provide the mentorship,” says Puckett. “Financially, we need the support. It’s about sustainability for the program itself.”

The Blazers are owned by the Bluefield Housing Authority, and sponsored by a number of local organizations and businesses. Their goal is to support and provide positive role models for at-risk youth in West Virginia. They organize free sports camps, play games and speak at schools and juvenile centers, and mentor children in the Bluefield area.

Tickets are $10 for adults and free for students, with profits going back into the youth programs.

“It’s a great family time,” says Puckett, “and we try to make sure it’s fun for everybody.”

“Our games are not typical games,” says Preast, who currently lives in Scott Depot and works toward his M.S. in health care administration. “There’s no dead time. We have activities from the start to the end. And when people pay their admission ticket, that money goes back to the community and surrounding area for kids that are at risk.”

Chris Nichols, a 1998 Midland Trail graduate and Princeton resident, says players sign a contract to stay drug free and maintain a job or university studies while they are a part of the team.

“You don’t see our guys in the headlines doing drugs or getting caught doing other things. If you’re going to preach this to the kids, you need to be doing it yourself,” he says.

“We tell kids to make positive life choices, stay off drugs, stay away from alcohol, go to college and do the best they possibly can.”

The Blazers play other professional teams in the region, and made the playoffs for the past three years. So far this season, they are one and two, scoring a recent win over the Tennessee Mad Hatters.

“We’re excited. We think it’s going to be another good year,” says Puckett. “There are several new teams we’ve never played before in the division. We’re excited about having new talent come in.”

Saturday’s home debut will tip off at 7:30 p.m., against the Carolina Jaguars. For more information, check the Blazers’ website, www.wvblazers.com.

—E-mail: cmoore@register-herald.com

W.VA. BLAZERS HOME SCHEDULE

All home games will be played at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Building in Fayetteville

Tickets are $10 adults, free for students

Jan. 7    vs. Carolina Jaguars    7:30 p.m.

Jan. 14    vs. Carolina Cheetas    7:30 p.m.

Jan. 15    vs. Lynchburg Legends    3 p.m.

Jan. 28    vs. Carolina Jaguars    7:30 p.m.

Feb. 11    vs. Lynchburg Legends    7:30 p.m.

Feb. 12    vs. Carolina Cheetas    7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19    vs. Tennessee Mad Hatters    3 p.m.

Feb. 26    vs. Fayetteville Flight    3 p.m.

March 3    vs. Fayetteville Flight    3 p.m.