Tag: Grand Rapids Galaxy

Nikki Thompkins named head coach of Grand Rapids Galaxy

When the Grand Rapids Galaxy open the 2018 Women’s Blue Chip Basketball League (WBCBL) season there will be a new voice in charge of the sidelines. Nikki Thompkins, a 1990 graduate of Creston High School in Grand Rapids, will take over the reigns as head coach.

Nikki Thompkins Galaxy
Galaxy owner William Kelly, head coach Nikki Thompkins and GM/VP Darnell Hollis

When asked about the future of the Galaxy, Thompkins hopes to “build on the success of our inaugural season last year. We have revamped the staff but still bring a winning attitude to the new season. We look forward to a new style of play, increased sponsorship, great attendance and more community involvement.”

New GM/VP of Operations for the team, Darnell Hollis, made the move official today, announcing it on social media. Hollis, also a Creston HS graduate, spent last season as an assistant coach with the Galaxy.

“I loved playing for Creston High School. I’m a proud Polar Bear!!”

Thompkins starred for the Polar Bears before heading off to Central Michigan University (1991-1994). She ranks 12th on the Chippewa’s all-time scoring list with 1,258 points, averaging 12.0 points per game. The Galaxy will surely be practicing their shooting and rebounding early and often this season. Thompkins still ranks at the top of the list on CMU’s field-goal percentage rankings at 54.3% for her career. She holds the 10th place spot for rebounds at 780, or 7.4 boards per game.

Thompkins played alongside Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame recent inductee, Carla Sterk, during her time at CMU.

She then spent eight years as a professional player in Isreal, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey. After her experiences working out with WNBA teams and training with UTS Sports Training, her passion for the game shows she is ready to lead the team to a successful season.

During last year’s City League Pride Weekend, an event put together by former Union High School All-Stater Michael “Pops” Sims (Marquette University), Thompkins led the Polar Bears squad to a tourney championship and was named MVP. When asked about the weekend, Thompkins showed her inner spirit and competitiveness, “That was awesome. It was great to represent my school and win. Bragging rights!!! I loved being the only female and dominating the guys! haha”

Hollis knew he wanted Thompkins to coach this team from the very start. “I wanted Nikki to be the coach when I was offered the job. My number one goal was to bring a coach that has passion and love for this game. When you want a team to win and have the passion it starts with the coach. I couldn’t think of a better person than Nikki,” Hollis told us in an interview. “I watched her in practice last year and listened to her talk about the game. I new she could lead a team and help develop a team to continue their career of playing professional basketball. Not to mention both of us being Polar Bears (Creston High School) helped a lot.”

The Galaxy are in good hands on the floor and in the office. Maybe a WBCBL championship isn’t so far, far away after all.

Grand Rapids Galaxy join ranks as Beer City USA’s first women’s semi-pro hoops team

There’s a new basketball team coming to Grand Rapids!

Owner/CEO William Kelly is bringing the Grand Rapids Galaxy, the first women’s semi-professional basketball team from West Michigan, right here to Beer City, USA in May.

Kelly is looking to expand the area’s interest in women’s basketball past the high school and colleges games and believes there is a market for his team. Kelly has reached an agreement with the DeltaPlex, home of the Grand Rapids Drive, to host the Galaxy for the upcoming 2017 season.

After experiencing setbacks while an account executive with the Kalamazoo Pure, a semi-pro men’s team in the American Basketball Association, Kelly set his sights on becoming a team owner. The Pure team was disbanded in 2016 just days before the ABA championship when owner Rico White abruptly left West Michigan for Las Vegas amid swirling rumors and questions about the authenticity of his organization. At the time, Kelly told Fox17 news they were “told the direction was to become the development team of the [Chicago] Bulls, which you know we found that was just, you know, one of many lies.”

Kelly knows the challenge is an uphill battle, but continues to strive toward making this dream into a successful reality. Co-owner of Joy Consulting and a partner with the WBCBL’s Battle Creek Blazers, Kelly hired Dan Thornton to coach the team. Thornton, a veteran AAU coach and assistant at Kalamazoo College, formerly coached girls basketball at Kalamazoo Central HS.

This past Saturday, Galaxy players, coaches and staff, along with members of the dance team, held a meet and greet for fans at Polished Nail & Spa, 4301 Kalamazoo SE, from 1-3 p.m. There was even a dance competition between players Dakiya Johnson and Jamilya Hardley, two of the Galaxy Girls dance team, and a group of young fans.

“It was great to see a group of ladies all different ages, sizes and races come together and have a great time. This is just a small display of what we are about by providing positive female role models in the community.” -Galaxy Facebook post.

Tryouts took place in June of 2016 at the Courthouse Athletic Center in Byron Center, MI. Players must be over 18 years old with two years of college playing experience preferred. Transportation, meals and insurance will all be provided on game days for players.

The 2017 season will run from April to August with the Galaxy open their schedule on May 6, 2017 on the road against the Detroit Dodgers. The home schedule opens June 4, 2017 when the Dodgers come to town. The game starts at 3 p.m. and doors open at 2 p.m.

Tickets will start at $10 for General Admission. Courtside seats are $20 and Suite table packages for six people are $210 ($260 with food packages).