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FAIRBANKS — The state’s newest professional sports franchise, the American Basketball Association’s Alaska Dream of Anchorage, will make their debut Friday night at the Carlson Center.

The Dream will face the San Francisco Rumble at 6 p.m. Friday in the opening round of the first Dare to Dream Tournament.

The first day of the four-team, round-robin tournament concludes when the Las Vegas Aces take on the Maywood (Calif.) Buzz at 8:30 p.m.

The tournament continues Saturday when the Aces take on the Rumble at 6 p.m. Saturday and the Dream battle the Buzz at 8:30 p.m.

Sunday’s games feature the Dream against the Aces at 3 p.m., and the Buzz against the Rumble at 5:30 p.m.

A tournament for junior high school teams is scheduled in conjunction with the professional tournament, but details on that event won’t be available until later in the week.

Tickets for the tournament are available at all Fred Meyer stores, the Carlson Center box office, TicketMaster outlets and at www.ticketmaster.com.

Most of the teams in the ABA feature college players who are trying to earn a shot at the National Basketball Association Development League or spots with teams in a foreign county.

The Dream are coached by former Alaska Nanooks coach Al Sokaitis and feature several former Alaska players, including Justin Bourne of Fairbanks.

The Dream also feature former Nanooks Andrew Smith of Anchorage and Travis Knutson of Soldotna. Former Alaska Anchorage players on the team include forward Carl Arts and Buddy Baily.

Alaska’s roster also features three players from Humboldt State — forward Grayson Moyer, Jeremiah Ward and Will Shiefult.

“Our team is very good,” Sokaitis said Sunday evening. “They are all good kids who play hard. They can shoot, run, defend.

“... They don’t have egos,” he added. “They’re not trying to make the big time.”

Maywood was the only other team that had a roster posted on its Web site as of Monday night. It featured players from NCAA Division I schools such as Long Beach State, Iona, DePaul, San Diego State, Arizona State and Ball State.

The Dream don’t open their ABA regular season until early December, but scheduled the tournament in Fairbanks to help fill the void left when the University of Alaska Fairbanks folded the BP Top of the World Classic last summer.

Contact the News-Miner sports department at 459-7581.