WNBA's Dream May Have Buyer

((HT: AJC/Swartz))

Kathy Betty, widow of former EarthLink CEO Garry Betty and a major contributor to Georgia Tech's basketball teams, has emerged as the top prospect to buy all or part of the Atlanta Dream, Central Atlanta Progress President A.J. Robinson said.

"Talks have involved into her taking that role or taking a bigger role in the team," Robinson said late Friday morning.

Current Dream owner Ron Terwilliger told the WNBA in August that he wanted to relinquish his position of primary owner of the two-year old professional women's basketball team. Terwilliger, chairman and chief executive officer of Atlanta-based Trammell Crow Residential, said he intended to remain an investor in the team.

Trammell Crow is one of the nation's largest developers of apartments and condominiums. As with the rest of the real estate industry, his business has suffered because of the recession.

On top of that, Terwilliger has moved to New York and has had unspecified changes that prevent him from being actively involved with the team and in the Atlanta community, said Bob Hope, president of the Hope-Beckham public relations firm.

The Dream made substantial gains in the win-loss column under second-year Head Coach Marynell Meadors. Chamique Holdsclaw will do that, right...? It included a playoff berth, but the team is more known for having to move their games since "Sesame Street Live" had Philips Arena first.

Terwilliger's WNBA Dream Over...???

((HT: AJC/Vivlamore))

Atlanta Dream owner Ron Terwilliger ((pictured, thanks Ben Gray/AJC)) has informed the WNBA that he no longer wants to be sole owner of the franchise.

Terwilliger intends to remain an investor in the franchise, according to Bob Hope, who is part of an informal group from Atlanta charged with finding a new lead owner.

“His heart was in the right place, but life changed on him,” Hope said.

A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress, a downtown business group, also is part of the group searching for a new owner. Hope and Robinson were part of the original 12-person group that aggressively pursued a WNBA team for the city. Last season the Dream made their debut and finished a league-worst 4-30, but they currently are 10-10 this season.

Since 1986, Terwilliger has been chairman and CEO of Atlanta-based Trammell Crow Residential, one of the nation’s largest developers of apartments and condominiums. Commercial real estate has been hard hit by the economic recession.

Calls to Bill Bolen, president and CEO of the Dream, and to the WNBA were not immediately returned.