Tech entrepreneur buys ABA basketball team

Andre Spivey, a software entrepreneur who has been involved in Ignite Tampa Bay and other startup technology industry events, has bought a team for the Sarasota-Bradenton market in the American Basketball Association.

The team will be called the Sarasota Manatees, according to a press release. Terms of the deal, or the entry fee, were not disclosed.

The nationwide league, according to the ABA's website, has more than 1,000 players, 200 coaches and 200 officials. Players include former NBA players, NCAA Division I and Division II players and former McDonald's All-Americans, the league says.

The original ABA was founded in 1967 and merged with the NBA a decade later. Two entrepreneurs brought back the league in 1999, and changed the business model to have more teams and less travel. The Florida division, for example, has 10 teams. That includes the St. Petersburg Pride and teams in Jacksonville, Miami and Orlando. There are a dozen divisions, according to the website, from the Far West, to Florida, Georgia and Louisana, to the Northeast.

Spivey has held IT and computer security positions at several Tampa area firms. He also founded Live 2 Learn Differently Inc., which has developed Android apps that aid children on the autism spectrum in learning and communicating.

Tryouts for the Sarasota Manatees, according to the release, will be held Aug. 19 and Aug. 20. Go to www.manateebasketball.com for more.