PIKEVILLE — Professional basketball has made its way to eastern Kentucky. Can you dig it?

The East Kentucky Miners, one of the newest Continental Basketball Association teams, has taken up residence in Pikeville. The Miners home opener is slated for this evening in the Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center against the Pittsburgh Xplosion. Tip off is set for 4:05 p.m.

“I hope we have 1,000 fans in the arena cheering us on,” Miners head coach Kevin Keathley said. “We hosted Miners Madness, an open practice, this week and we had over 500 people out just for a practice. We hope to see every community represented there throughout the season.”

Among those in attendance for Miners Madness was former University of Kentucky standout Kyle Macy. Macy coached the Morehead State University men’s basketball program for several years but resigned following the 2005-06 season.

The Miners debut was Friday night at Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the East Kentucky fell 123-118 in overtime after a back-and-forth battle throughout the game with the Xplosion.

The Miners have a 10-man roster and come complete with a dance team — the Diamond Girls — and mascot, a yellow canary called Hard Hat Harry.

Trinity Sports and Entertainment Group, Inc. visited Pikeville in March and spoke with local media at the Expo Center during the 15th Region high school basketball tournament. The group officially announced the expansion in July.

“We know that this region is really basketball crazy,” said Jay Fiedler, a former NFL quarterback and one of the owners of TSEG.

Conceptualized in 2006, TSEG is owned by Fiedler and South Florida entrepreneur Demetrius Ford. The company also owns another team, the Indiana Alley Cats. The Alley Cats were part of the American Basketball Association in 2005-06 but joined the CBA for the 2006-07 season. They are currently being moved to another market and will not participate this season but will return in 2008-09.

The CBA is made up of 10 teams ranging from the states of Washington to New York and as far south as Atlanta. Pikeville is the smallest town with a team.

“If we thought we were only going to draw fans from Pikeville, we wouldn’t have set up here,” Fiedler said of the rural area. “We hope to draw people from Lexington or Ashland and up to two hours away.”

Being in the rural area, the Miners could gain loyal fans due to the lack of nearby major franchise sports, such as the NBA, NFL and MLB.

“I think the closest thing to a real major sport is the University of Kentucky and we know they’re crazy for that. Thankfully we didn’t have any real conflicts with their schedule so fans can enjoy both.”

Fiedler and Ford dug in and went to work organizing the Miners over the summer, naming a coach, forming a dance team and holding camps for potential players. All through the process, members of the organization went to the streets throughout eastern Kentucky, visiting schools, festivals and other events to get the word out about Miners basketball.

“We were really out to meet the fan base before the games got started,” Fiedler said. “The fan support and reception is well beyond anything we’ve ever experienced in any other city.”

Keathley was also among the street crew.

“Since I landed back in eastern Kentucky over four months ago, we’ve been out all over,” Keathley said. “I spoke at countless places and regardless of how far away, the reception was great.”

Keathley brings some local flavor to the team. He grew up in Floyd County and has several ties to the area.

“I understand what basketball means to this area,” Keathley said. “My dad spent his entire life in the coal mines so I’m proud that we’re representing what built the economical foundation in eastern Kentucky.”

An eight-year coaching veteran, Keathley began at small colleges before making the leap to pro sports. He guided the Louisville Eagles to the 2003 UPBL championship. He coached the ABA’s Kentucky Colo-nels in 2004 and 2005 and was named coach of the year in his final season. Keathley also authored a book on basketball, Hardwood Constitution: A Blueprint to Coaching Success.

The Miners have also picked up a few players with ties to the state. Guard Bryant Northern played three season at the University of Louisville and also played for Keathley with the Kentucky Colonels. Guard Jason McLeish is an Eastern Kentucky University product who played for Travis Ford. Guard Ed Horton spent his senior season at Murray State.

East Kentucky is also hosting a press conference today, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The team is expected to announce its new general manager, whom is also expected to have ties to the state of Kentucky.

All Miners home games will be broadcast on Q95 (WQHY, 95.5 FM), which also airs a weekly show. The Coach Kevin Keathley Show debuted in early November and will air on WYMT-TV. The station will also broadcast select game.s