When you walk into Beyond the Baseline sports complex in Davenport on a Sunday night, you’ll walk into an area full of players of Mexican descent passing the ball to each other while their families and friends are cheering along from the bleachers. But they are not kicking around a soccer ball, they are playing basketball.
From December 2007 to March 2008, 6 different teams face each other on the hardwood court as part of another season of the Mexican-American Basketball Association (MBA), a league that is now entering its 40th year in existence.
It all began in 1968 when Steve Terronez from the Illinois Quad Cities and Bob Reyes from the Iowa side would get together once a week to play basketball. They eventually got other teams involved and started the league. There were 6 teams when the league got going and since has moved around from different area elementary and middle school gyms, to Black Hawk College in Moline, to its current location in Davenport.
They play two 20-minute halves and follow IHSA (Illinois High School Association) rules with some exceptions. The league rules state that you must be of Mexican descent, no matter how much, to be part of the league. This is done so that the competition level is consistent.
The longevity of the league is something current league commissioner James Terronez is very proud of. “Show me another league in the Quad Cities, any basketball league of whatever color that has been going on for that long, that’s one of the things that we definitely pride ourselves on,” Terronez said.
Terronez also plays for and coaches the Dos Equis Team and has to wear many hats to make sure the league continues to run smoothly. His story is similar to others in the league, James joined because his father, Gilbert Terronez, played in the league.
“It’s been passed on from generation to generation, my dad played in the league, now I’m playing in the league and hopefully one day my son is going to be playing in the league,” he said, “this is our thing.”
The MBA has helped open doors for those involved all while promoting a healthy lifestyle and good sportsmanship. Some of the guys who help referee are now working high school games and even college games.
For John Alonso, 49, the MBA has been a stepping stone for his coaching career at United Township High School. John is the coach of the Sophomore Girls Basketball, Girls Softball, and Assistant Cross Country Coach for boys and girls at United Township. “They keep me busy all year round,” Alonso said.
John got involved around 1974, when he was only 15 years old and still in high school, but he managed to get his own team to join the league. He’s had his own team for over 30 years; today he is in charge of the MBA Hall of Fame, helps as referee for the league and assists James Terronez from time to time.
“Ike Rangle got us in the league and he was my next door neighbor here in Silvis,” Alonso said. “Other than us Mexicanos, nobody really knows about it (the MBA).”
The MBA Hall of Fame inducts 3 to 4 players a year based on league longevity, the skill level they brought to a league, and the difference they made for a team. The captains of the original teams were inducted last year.
The next Hall of Fame induction will take place on Saturday, February 23 at Beyond the Baseline during the MBA’s All-Star Week, in which the best players of the league face off. This season ends with a tournament on March 29.
James Terronez would like to get more teams involved; especially a team from the Davenport area since they only have one Iowa team that comes from Muscatine. Beyond the Baseline sports complex accommodates 3 games at the same time and would perfect for a big tournament, a goal that James would like to accomplish during his tenure as commissioner.
He says that some out of town tournaments used to be big gatherings of players and their families and sometimes they would even crown a fiesta queen. He wants to eventually crate a big tournament here that will attract teams from other states and Chicago.
You can catch the MBA action Sunday nights beginning at 6 p.m. at Beyond the Baseline, 1520 West 12th St., in Davenport. For more information about joining the league contact James Terronez at (309) 230-1954 or John Alonso at (309) 737-6515.
Facebook Comments
