There is a new basketball team coming to Mile One Centre, however we won’t know much about them until next week.

Tony Kenny, President of 2001 Investments Limited, is brining an American Basketball Association team to St. John’s to play 30 games throughout the season after inking a 5-year lease agreement with the City.

The new lease agreement to bring the unnamed ABA team to Mile One Centre was officially signed in early September but no details around a team name, coaches or players have been announced since.

President Tony Kenny says all of that will happen next week, when the currently unnamed coach pays a visit to the province and a team name is unveiled.

The ABA has more than 180 teams spread out all over the United States. Kenny says they are in a division with 22 teams.

Kenny says the ABA was the best, and most reliable option for them. He says they had discussions with the NBL Canada and didn’t think it was a viable option.

Kenny explains that the ABA has had issues like most leagues, but he ultimately decided on it because it’s been around for some 20 years and has lots of teams.

The announcement of the ABA team was met with some criticism from the public. Some say the ABA has a much lower level of play in comparison to the NBLC, and hundreds of teams that have come and gone from the league in 20 years. However, Kenny insists it will be a new and exciting flavor of basketball that fans will be pleasantly surprised with.

Meanwhile, as for the St. John’s Edge, new owner Dean McDonald of Deacon Sports and Entertainment says the team will be returning, although questions remain as to where they will play.

Kenny says he can’t speak for the Edge, but it will be up to the fans to decide what kind of basketball they want to watch.

More details around the new ABA team, including a team name, the coach, players and ticket prices, are expected next week.