NATCHEZ — It’s a long drive to watch the Miss-Lou’s closest professional basketball team play a game.

But for those who can’t make it to New Orleans Arena to see the Hornets, at least there’s a local option.

The City of Natchez Parks and Recreation Department’s Adult League Basketball begins its 2009 season Saturday at the Martin Gym on Homochitto Street.

And with eight teams involved, there’s sure to be lots of excitement.

“It gives the community something to do on Saturdays and Sundays,” said Director of Park Operations Wilbert Whittley, who runs the basketball leagues. “They can bring the family out and enjoy a good game of basketball. We’re right here, and they can get the same amount of excitement that they would get by going to a professional game.”

Whittley, a former Natchez High basketball coach who inherited the program from Henry Harris, said the league has been running the recreation department for a number of years, and most of the teams have been playing for awhile as well.

The newest team, Bad Boy Buggies, replaces the Walmart team, which could not meet the Dec. 19 registration deadline.

Other teams include Hometown Sports, Isle of Capri, Jefferson County, Hot Boys, OneWay, The City and Truth.

“The Hot Boys are a group that hunts a lot in the area, and they just got together and put a together a team for the past three years,” Whittley said. “They’ve been very competitive.

“The City is a group of employees of the City of Natchez that got together to form a team.”

OneWay is a car wash and tire company on East Franklin Street that sponsored a team.

But the most unique team might be Truth.

“Truth is a group of young men going to college at Alcorn,” Whittley said. “Some have aspirations of playing for Alcorn one day. This is an avenue for them to just keep up their skills so they can maybe try to walk on to the team one year.”

That dream already happened for one former adult league player.

Delvin Thompson of Fayette walked onto the team in 2004 after coming up through the Natchez league. He played for three seasons, averaging 15.8 points in 30.6 minutes per game.

Whittley said former Alcorn basketball coach Sam West regularly came to games, and he hopes new coach Larry Smith will attend as well.

Players must be 18 years old with no college or professional experience to play in Natchez’s adult league, and the teams play 17 games each through March 15, before playing the league tournament the final weekend in March.

The team with the best record is the regular season champion, but the tournament champion can be any of the eight teams.

“The bottom team in the regular season can win the tournament,” Whittley said. “Anything can happen. It’s like March Madness.”

Isle of Capri won both the regular-season and tournament championships last season.

But the more coveted award is the Edwin Harris Sportsmanship Trophy, given to the team who best exudes team play and good sportsmanship. The City won that last season.

“The guys really try to show their sportsmanship all year round,” Whittley said. “That award is picked by my staff. If you’re sitting on the sidelines, pouting or whatever, we’re like Santa Claus. You better not pout because my staff is going to see you.”

Hot Boys and Jefferson County start off the season Saturday, followed by Hometown Sports against OneWay, Isle of Capri versus Truth and Bad Boy Buggies against The City.

Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children, and games start every hour beginning at 6 p.m.