Hagerstown Warthogs: New name, new future for local semi-pro basketball?
Under new ownership and rebranded with a new name and new logo, Hagerstown’s semi-professional men’s basketball team is ready to start its fifth season.
The Hagerstown Warthogs — previously the Hub City Hogs — will open at home against the DC Heat on Saturday at St. Maria Goretti’s Gael Center, beginning at 6 p.m. The ticket price is $10 for adults and free for ages 18 and under with a paid adult.
The Warthogs maintained their membership in the East Coast Basketball League even though the team folded midseason last year due to a “multitude of problems,” said James Meunier, the new co-owner and general manager.
“We retained a good group of core players from previous seasons,” said Meunier, of Smithsburg. “We have six or seven guys who have been on the team before, and we brought back two of the former coaches.
“The core of the team was in place. It was more on the ownership to rebrand the team and figure out from a business standpoint how we’re going to move this team forward and be successful.”
The 15-player roster includes seven former Washington County high school standouts — Tysean Hanna (Boonsboro), Gavin Rajahpillay (St. Maria Goretti), Chad Sipe (Hancock), Elijah Stubbs (North Hagerstown) and, from South Hagerstown, Jeffrey Wetzel, Abe Waters and Shaunkwon Brooks.
Other former local high school stars on the roster include Jamal Bland (Hedgesville), Elijah Boyd (St. John’s Catholic Prep), Antoine Carter (Hedgesville), Michael Henderson (Spring Mills), Devonte Montgomery (Waynesboro) and Jordan Robinson (Martinsburg). Micah Woodley, a Boston native who lives in Hagerstown, and Willie McDowell, of Baltimore, round out the team.
“The team originally was looking for local talent and then got away from that, trying to get talent from other areas,” Meunier said. “We’re trying to keep it local. We want it to be the Hagerstown team, not bringing in people from New York or wherever. We think it will be more appealing to the community, having our own guys fielding this team.”
The head coach is Ira Brown, who served the same role during the team’s inaugural season. He’ll be assisted by Eric Stubbs and strength and conditioning coach Will Hill. The other co-owner is Shawn Perry.
How did Meunier get involved with the Warthogs?
“I was a medic for the team for two years, not last year but the two before that. That’s kind of how I got involved,” Meunier said. “I ran into Will Hill this summer, and he told me that the team folded mid-season. And I was kind of half joking and said, ‘What’s (Rich Drier, the previous owner) going to do? Is he going to sell it?’
“I contacted Rich, and he said, ‘I’ll just give it to you.’ I contacted the league, and the league suggested that due to the team folding, which kind of left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth, that I rebrand the team, new name and everything.”
Meunier said that scoring wins in the community is as important as the team’s performance on the court.
“I’m a paramedic here in town, and I see the bad all the time,” he said. “My goal with taking this team is to get in with the community and give back to the community. During tryouts, we said that if you’re going to be on this team, you’re going to have to do stuff in and about the community.
“We’re going to run some summer camps for the youth, and we want to start a Warthogs academy, offering eight-week blocks of instruction that will be geared for kids who are trying to make a high school team or are on a high school team and want to improve their skills and make themselves better and work them up. We’re trying to funnel the youth into our team.”
Salvaging a 2024 season
Although the Warthogs are members of the East Coast Basketball League, they won’t have a typical 16-game regular season this year due to the temporary absence of the league’s Mid-Atlantic Division.
“Our season kind of got messed up this year,” Meunier said. “We lost two teams out of our division, so for us to complete a full season with the league, they wanted us to travel down to North Carolina and South Carolina every weekend. And I told them, ‘One, I can’t do that. And two, my players can’t do that. They all work full-time jobs and everything.’
“We kind of have a disgruntled season, you could say. I basically have to schedule exhibition games with the remaining teams in our division that are in the same situation, and there are two other teams that are trying to get into the league in 2025, so we’re going to do some exhibition games with them as well. … We’re looking at probably about 12 games this season. We have three home games scheduled right now and three more I’m waiting to confirm dates for.
“It’s been a lot of work trying to schedule stuff, just to get our guys working out and having some games and seeing where we are. We’re using this as a building year, building the team and the program. We’re just trying to get it all off the ground and salvage what we can out of this season.”
Do the players get paid?
“My plan is to pay them once we start generating the income, but this year so far we’re not,” Meunier said. “We’ve made zero money so far. The money used for everything so far has been out of my pocket.”
He said the Warthogs plan to generate money through ticket and merchandise sales, sponsors, summer camps and their academy.
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He also wants to hold the team’s home games at the new Hagerstown Field House, which is currently under construction, and host tournaments there. Meunier said he even hopes to have a Warthogs dance team to perform halftime shows.
“The ideas are there. It’s now just about making them happen and getting the name out there,” Meunier said. “I’d love for this to get big and successful and well-known in the community.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown Warthogs semi-pro basketball team rebrands for 2024
