Saint John Mill Rats gets new owners and new name

Saint John's minor pro basketball team is under new ownership — and the group's biggest goal is getting Saint Johners fully behind the franchise, according to new CEO Scott VanWart.

The Mill Rats came to Saint John from New Hampshire in 2010, and the team was put up for sale in 2014.

The search for new owners panned out this summer, when 21 local residents, headed by Scott VanWart, Mike Cormier and Paul Vaughan, bought the team. Other teams in the region, including the rival Moncton Miracles and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan hockey team, have similarly embraced a multiple-owner model.

"We saw all the momentum and all the positive things happening in uptown Saint John and wanted to be part of that," said VanWart.

Team seeks new name

Information Morning - Saint John7:01Saint John's basketball team under new management, looking for new name

Scott Van Wart is the new CEO of the Saint John National Basketball League franchise, formerly known as the Mill Rats.

Part of the vision also includes a new name for the National Basketball League of Canada franchise.

"For a long time, Saint Johners have dealt with people looking at Saint John a certain way," said VanWart, "and [the name Mill Rats] kind of played on that. This is a chance for the team to have a fresh start."

More details about the re-branding — including its head coach, Name-the-Team contest and player signings — are expected in the coming months.

Giving back to Saint John

VanWart points to Basketball and Books, a partnership between the Mill Rats and the YMCA, and Rumble in the Station, which furnished 20 inner-city students with new basketball sneakers and an all-day basketball workshop at Harbour Station, as a examples of the good work the team is doing in priority neighbourhoods.

"We can leverage our players and our sport to get our kids involved," said VanWart.

• Saint John Mill Rats host students for first Rumble at the Station 
• Moncton Miracles announce new local ownership group

They also want to make sure the quality of the product continues to be there, according to VanWart.

They've re-signed point guard Anthony Anderson, the league's all-time leading scorer, as well as 2015 defensive player of the year Anthony Stover, and a slew of other talented players.

"The goal this year is to have a young, fast, exciting team," said VanWart. "Lots of dunks, and fast breaks, so that it's exciting."

Season starts in December

The new owners are hoping the strategy of community engagement combined with competitive, fast-paced basketball pays off.

"The team has struggled financially over the years, and a little bit with just getting bums in seats," said VanWart, adding the new, local leadership is poised to turn that trend around.

He said they've developed some new partnerships with local businesses, as well as rejigged the focus to make the games "a family entertainment event."

"If Saint John wins a game, great. But if they don't, people will still have a great time," he said.

"If you haven't been to a game, just come out and try it."

The National Basketball League's season kicks off in December.