Utah's D-League team now officially the Flash

OREM — Utah Valley entrepreneur Brandt Andersen announced the name of his new NBA Development League team Tuesday — the Utah Flash. Andersen unveiled the Utah Flash name and logo at a press conference attended by representatives of the NBA and Utah Jazz, public officials, team sponsors and other community leaders.

David Fredman, a 28-year veteran of the Utah Jazz, has accepted the post of Utah Flash general manager. In addition to his many years of service to the Jazz, he also recently served as the assistant general manager of the Denver Nuggets, and held positions most recently with the NBA league office.

Andersen plans to announce the name of the team's head coach later this spring.

In addition to Andersen and Fredman, speakers at the event included NBA D-League president Phil Evans, former Utah Jazz coach Frank Layden and Dennis Haslam, president of Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment.

The team will compete against 15 other D-League teams in the 2007-08 season, which starts in November. The Flash will play at Orem's McKay Events Center on the campus of UVSC. In the meantime, famed architect Frank Gehry is designing an arena for the team as part of Andersen's mixed-use development near Point of the Mountain in Lehi.

The team is optimistically leaning toward being the Jazz's prime developmental franchise, and will conduct itself similar to the Utah Jazz as far as practices, and type of play on the court.

The team has a strong interest in developing and maintaining a synergistic partnership with the Utah Jazz. Andersen has worked closely with Jazz administration, seeking their advice throughout the start-up process.

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E-mail: bhedin@desnews.com