Diehard Gastonia fan excited about the playoffs

[King Taharqa]

I thought this was a nice read about one of the diehard original Bobcats fans who happens to be a long time minority owner. Contrary to other local papers, they DO exist.

PROUD OWNER: Gastonia's Warlick thinks playoff run will help Bobcats franchise move forward

CHARLOTTE – When the Charlotte Bobcats make their NBA playoff debut in Orlando Sunday, Gastonia’s Andy Warlick will be there.

Warlick, a member of Michael Jordan’s Bobcats’ ownership group, wouldn’t have it any other way.

After all, Warlick regularly attended playoff games at the old Charlotte Coliseum for the Charlotte Hornets in the 1990s and earlier in this decade.

That’s why the irony of the Bobcats clinching their first playoff berth with a victory in New Orleans against the Hornets on April 7 wasn’t lost on Warlick.

“It’s like that curse has been exorcised,” Warlick said of beating the Hornets, the franchise that moved to New Orleans after a messy arena squabble between city leaders and owner George Shinn following the 2001-02 season. “It’s very ironic and it’s a new start. We made the playoffs and they’re not going anywhere. He (Shinn) is selling his team and Mike’s got our team and I'm excited by what’s going on here.”

Clearly, things have been looking up for the Bobcats ever since Jordan was approved as the team’s new majority owner in March.

“Let me tell you something: That guy (Jordan) is working his tail off for this team,” said Warlick, the CEO of Gastonia’s Parkdale Mills. “He’s been at every meeting with every staff committee on the team and doing a lot of things that haven’t been done before. He’s taken a big interest as a majority owner. As a majority owner should.”

As one of the Bobcats’ original investors, first with Bob Johnson and now with Jordan, Warlick and his wife Pam have attended many of the team’s games in its six-year existence, frequently sitting courtside at Time Warner Cable Arena near the rival team’s bench.

Seeing this year’s playoff run – and how attendance continues to pick up – has given the Warlicks a huge sense of pride. The Bobcats ended the season averaging 15,824 fans per game home. That is an increase over the attendance averages of the previous three years, including 1,250 better than last season.

“We’re both fans first and we’re owners second,” Warlick said. “It’s been a great run for us. Being an owner, you realize how winning cures a lot of ills. And you see what’s starting to happen. You’re now seeing people wearing the colors more. You’re seeing people carrying signs. It’s catching on. And the playoffs should only add to it.”

Warlick has been confident throughout the franchise’s history that local fans would eventually embrace the franchise. He thinks having Jordan as majority owner, Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown directing the team and a first-ever playoff berth have confirmed his confidence.

“This area knows what good basketball is about,” Warlick said. “This is the best basketball consumer in the country. They’ve seen championships with Dean Smith at North Carolina and championship teams at Duke and N.C. State. We are basketball country.”

http://www.gastongazette.com/news/run-46076-help-bobcats.html

We need more articles praising & recognizing fan loyalty and dedication to our Charlotte Bobcats. Thank you Richard Walker and thank you Mr. Warlick for your long time support & commitment.