Ballard Begins Professional Career With ABA’s Columbus Crush

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Former University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball player Cody Ballard has signed a professional contract with the Columbus Crush of the American Basketball Association (ABA).

Ballard, a native of Westerville, Ohio played at USC Aiken during his junior and senior seasons from 2007-2009 after transferring from Morehead State.

"The pro experience I can get with the Crush this season will help me reach my ultimate goal to earn a pro contract overseas," said Ballard, who mentioned Germany as a possible destination to further his professional career.

He noted the physicality and speed of the ABA will allow him to further develop as a professional; "the guys in the ABA are much bigger, the league is guard oriented, and we (the Crush) are a run and gun team," continued Ballard.

The run and gun offense of the Crush was on display in their 166-103 victory over the Indiana Rollers on November 28. Ballard finished the win with 17 points, five assists, five steals and two rebounds in the win.

Ballard was a member of the 2008-09 Pacers that advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA Division II Tournament, further than any previous USC Aiken basketball team in school history.

The trip to the Sweet 16 capped off a tremendous two-year run for the USC Aiken under head coach Vince Alexander which saw the Pacers amass a school-record 52 wins from 2007-2009, coinciding with Ballard's two years as a captain for the Pacers.

The 2007-08 Pacers shattered numerous school records including most wins (27), conference wins (19), home wins (14), consecutive home wins (15) and most wins to start a season (9) on their way to the program's second ever Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship.

Ballard was the only player on a star-studded Pacer squad to start all 33 games in the 2008-09 season, averaging nine points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 28.7 minutes per game.

The senior captain was routinely assigned the job of guarding the opposing teams' best offensive player and he responded by collecting a team-high 47 steals during the year. Despite playing just two seasons at USC Aiken, Ballard is seventh all-time in school history with 82 steals.

Ballard is one of several players from the 2007-09 Pacer era to earn a professional contract. In fact, he is the fourth Pacer to sign a professional contract this offseason as Jeremy Fears signed recently with DEKE of the Hungarian A Division, while Brian Egwuatu recently inked with Kereven de Energia in Finland. Chris Commons recently signed a professional contract with the Al Itihad Basketball Club of the Bahrain Premier Basketball League

His successful career at USC Aiken as a team captain under coach Alexander helped Ballard develop into the player he is today.

"We learned how to win in difficult situations and handle ourselves not just as good basketball players, but also as men," remarked Ballard.

The Columbus Crush are one of 30 teams competing in the ABA. The ABA originated in 1966, operating independently until a 1975 merger with the NBA. The ABA offers a chance for players to showcase their skills and further their careers. Julius Erving (aka Doctor J), Moses Malone and George Gervin got their professional starts competing in the ABA before moving onto the NBA.

Playing back in his hometown state of Ohio is another benefit for Ballard, saying "my family gets to come to the games and watch, which is great for me."

The ABA was reborn in 2001 and, along with the Crush, features teams in cities such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Nashville. The Crush, currently 3-0, are coached by Kelley McClure under the direction of general manager David Moore.