GREAT FALLS — For the first time since 2008, a professional basketball team will play in Great Falls.
Former Great Falls Americans hockey owner Jim Keough will be the general manager of the new franchise, the Great Falls Electric. It will be the first professional basketball team in Great Falls since the Explorers ended their two-year run in the Continental Basketball Association in 2008.
The Electric will be members of The Basketball League, which was founded in 2017 and held its inaugural season in 2018.
“We’re excited about it,” said Keough. “Great Falls is ready for some good family entertainment with basketball. The TBL is a very professional and strong league that we’ll be participating in.”
The team has not announced a coaching staff but plans to do so in the coming weeks. The organization will be looking for local players first but will also be holding a camp in Las Vegas in hopes of bringing in some out-of-town talent to fill a 12-man roster.
“We’re looking at a combined effort by the league to help us out with getting players and we’ll be looking at a couple local players too,” said Keough.
The season will begin in March and run through June. It will consist of 24 regular-season games plus playoffs. The Electric will play at the Four Seasons Arena, and will be part of the Western Conference joining teams from California, Washington and Oregon.
