Hear the Thunder? See them in action tonight at Bernalillo High School

BERNALILLO – The Santa Ana Thunder start to make noise in The Basketball League when they tip off the season in the Bernalillo High School gym tonight at 7 vs. the Shreveport-Bossier (La.) Mavericks. The teams meet again Saturday at 7 at BHS.

“We got a great team,” says Thunder head coach Cliff Levingston, a former teammate of NBA legend Michael Jordan.

The roster’s set at a dozen players, after Levingston’s team training camp and two preseason games were conducted.

“I liked what I saw; I see where we can improve,” he said, following an exhibition vs. the Long Beach Blue Waves at Tamaya Wellness Center. “More importantly, I got a chance to see how the guys react when the lights are on.”

A laidback coach, Levingston says, “The coach is a reflection of his team; if I’m out of control, my team will be out of control, so I just try to stay composed.”

Winning the two games vs. the Blue Waves wasn’t important, he said. “The whole thing is, I gotta put guys in to see what they’re gonna do. I’ve got to give them a chance to fail or succeed, swim or sink.”

And that’s what he does, sitting on the bench, watching the action, and allowing his assistant coaches to communicate to the five on the floor.

Meet the 2024 Santa Ana Thunder

• Chris Bradford (No. 2): 6-5 shooting guard. Born in Los Angeles he attended College of the Canyons, and played in TBL for the Southbay Flash in Compton, last season, averaging 27.5 ppg.
• Derrick Dandridge (21): 6-7 power forward. He played at Florida A&M, then saw action overseas in Portugal.
• Bakarie Evelyn (7): 6-3 point guard. Born in Detroit, he played at the University of Iowa, then saw time playing in France. He obtained a degree in sports management from Valparaiso University.
• Edward Oliver-Hampton (23): 6-8 power forward. He attended National Christian High School then went to Colby Community College (Kan.), where he averaged 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 2018-19 with season highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds. Played at Hampton University after that.
• Jordan Jones (10): 6-7 small forward who played at Sandia High School for former Lobo Alvin Broussard, graduating in 2014. He then played at Otero JC before finishing at New Mexico Highlands University.
• Bradlee Lewis (5): 6-5 shooting guard. He played at West Virginia State University, and was with the Kokomo BobKats last season, then coached by Cliff Levingston.
• Ty Sean Powell (11): 6-8 small forward. He’s from Twinsburg, Ohio, and played collegiately at Cumberland University after two seasons with Duquesne. Powell was a top recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., while playing AAU ball for the Ohio Basketball Club, averaging 16.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
• Randy Rickards (8): 6-7 power forward, who played at Miami-Dade before finishing at the University of Wilmington. At Miami-Dade, he was a second-team all-conference player.
• Victor Wariso (1): 6-0 point guard. Born in Elk grove, Calif., he played collegiately at Pacific Union, and last season averaged 11.7 ppg. for the Southbay Flash, where he was a teammate of Chris Bradford.
• Ilisia Washington (4): 6-5 small forward. Born in California, he moved to Arizona at the age of 5 with his father and discovered a love for basketball and competition. He was an All-Conference player at Chandler Gilbert, then attended Fairmont State University, where he got his BS degree in business administration and is pursuing a master’s degree.
• Marcus Williams (6): 6-2 point guard. A 2008 Rio Rancho High School graduate who played on the Rams’ 2007 state championship team; he also played football and was on the RRHS track & field team, where he was a state high jump champ. Now an assistant in the Rams’ boys’ basketball program. He was an honorable mention NJCAA All-America as a freshman and second-team All-America last year at Cochise College in Douglas, Ariz., and completed his college career at Sam Houston State.
• Nathaniel Yazzie (3): 6-1 point guard. The team’s first indigenous player, he was a two-time All-District player and twice the district’s defensive player of the year at Gallup High School, where he completed his eligibility in 2023.

(In addition, the Thunder have three players who are inactive for the opener, but on the roster: point guard Jah-Kobe Womack from St. Louis, Mo.; former Cleveland High standout and UMass-Lowell shooting guard Ryan Jones; and former Rio Rancho Ram Jared Fuller, a small forward.)