The Continental Basketball League thread

[LightningMan]

Until such time as they warrant a forum, how about we put anything about them here?

[LightningMan]

Sioux Falls thinks it's the CBA under a different name.

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20091101/SPORTS/911010334/1052/OPINION01

[LightningMan]

Augusta loses it's Groove as Rick "Can I write you a check?" Perry joins the CBL.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/03/nba_554304.shtml

[LightningMan]

The Wilmington Sea Dawgs pipe aboard.

http://capefearbusiness.com/?p=2872

[wellington]

Augusta loses it's Groove as Rick "Can I write you a check?" Perry joins the CBL.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/03/nba_554304.shtml

"It seems like you get a lot of talk (in Augusta), but when it's time to do something everybody disappears."

The nerve of some people. Maybe he was talking about himself.

[LightningMan]

The Sea Dawgs are preparing to play. Too bad we haven't heard a peep out of the league itself.

Sea Dawgs Announce Try Out Date (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3961903)In their first three seasons, the Wilmington Sea Dawgs earned back-to-back-to-back postseason playoff berths. Now, with its fourth season less than two months away, they are looking to add new players to its roster.

The Wilmington Sea Dawgs organization is pleased to announce open try-outs for the 2010 Wilmington Sea Dawgs professional basketball team on Sunday, February 21, 2010.

Interested players may arrive at the gym as early as 8:30 a.m. with tryouts running from 9:00 am. until noon at the Wilmington Family YMCA in Wilmington, NC. Candidates must be 18 years of age with a high school degree or equivalent. Players should wear appropriate shoes and clothing and come ready to compete. Registration forms are available online

They're charging $30 a pop. Any thoughts?

[tops804]

The Sea Dawgs are preparing to play. Too bad we haven't heard a peep out of the league itself.

Sea Dawgs Announce Try Out Date (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3961903)

They're charging $30 a pop. Any thoughts?

The release doesn't even mention what league they are in. Are they ashamed of it?

Asking $30 for a team that may or may not play in 2010?

ABAish.

GPBLish.

...and now CBLish.

[Minor League Man]

And the CBL's site got updated today, but no other teams have been added!

Will the Sea Dawgs be the next Harlem Globetrotters?

[misenern]

Ouch. The Gwiz are in.

[LightningMan]

Ouch. The Gwiz are in.

Yep. :(

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3965603

[LightningMan]

The league site (which doesn't mention the Gwizz yet) does mention the Savannah Wildcats (http://www.cblhoopsonline.com/component/content/article/38-fp-rokstories/101-wildcatlaunch) and the Carolina Cougarz (http://www.cblhoopsonline.com/component/content/article/38-fp-rokstories/100-cougarz) (out of Fayetteville, NC). The Savannah logo looks professional, the Carolina logo not so much.

[LightningMan]

Just checked the travel distances.

1ST 2ND MI KL
WILM FAYT 80 129
MACN SAVN 157 253
WILM SAVN 237 382
FAYT SAVN 242 390
FAYT MACN 311 500
WILM MACN 343 552

[Minor League Man]

So, any guesses as to how long Malone & Fudd's team will last this year?

[CHris902]

How many games have the Gwizz actually managed to play in the last three years? 15 or 20 at most?

[LightningMan]

The Sea Dawgs are trying to bring their awareness back up. They're having a skills camp (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3970492) and a basketball training (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3971102) (and yes, they're charging). And their mascot is putting in an appearance at the county's Tourist Day, (http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=12083343) where locals can go to all of the local tourist attractions for free, the idea being that when people come to visit you, you know first hand which things they should go tour while visiting.

[LightningMan]

It looks like formerlyknownasfells is the media arm for the league, so, alas, I am expecting no more Gwizz-tastic press releases.

[misenern]

It looks like formerlyknownasfells is the media arm for the league, so, alas, I am expecting no more Gwizz-tastic press releases.

Yeah, they have a press release floating around out there that is Malone clearly did not write all by himself.

[tops804]

Looks like the league welched on the number of teams (from 6 to 5), and
games played (20 to 16).

Continental? -- Not yet.
League? -- With five teams, it looks more like a circuit.

With the Gwizz in there, it's more like four and a half.

[LightningMan]

Looks like the league welched on the number of teams (from 6 to 5), and
games played (20 to 16).

Continental? -- Not yet.
League? -- With five teams, it looks more like a circuit.

With the Gwizz in there, it's more like four and a half.
I think it's a little early to start bashing. I don't recall them promising a number of teams, but even if they did, better five teams that survive the season than six with one or two folding.

And the Gwizzlies main problem (aside from their name) has been their foot-in-mouth press releases, which as I said earlier I believe won't happen with formerlyknownasfells on the job. He as much as anyone knows about the Gwizz comedy hour and wouldn't want to be associated with it professionally.

[LightningMan]

Forgot to mention the arrival of the Birmingham Steel (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3971449) today.

They arrived.

[Dan K]

What, and battle the vaunted Birmingham Crusaders of the USBA and the renowned Gladiators of the ABI in the same market?

[tops804]

I think it's a little early to start bashing. I don't recall them promising a number of teams, but even if they did, better five teams that survive the season than six with one or two folding.

Not sure if it's really bashing. But once it's said, it look's like one of the
dominoes already fell.

http://www.cblhoopsonline.com/keep-up/44-cbl/103-the-view-from-the-front-office

Now, onto what the fans want to know; where will our teams be? We will have teams in Fayetteville, NC; Savannah, GA; Atlanta, GA; and Wilmington, NC with two teams that are left to be announced. Those announcements should come by the beginning of next week. We will play a 20 game schedule that will go from the middle of April through the end of June. The top four teams will qualify for the post season. The post season will consist of a single elimination tournament at a site to be determined. Our ownership groups are solid, financially set and we are all on the same page when it comes to making the CBL a success.

It already looks like Birmingham could be the lone travel problem.

Atl to Bir - 147 mi.
Wil to Bir - 562 mi.
Fay to Bir - 522 mi.
Sav to Bri - 394 mi.

[The Magician]

Forgot to mention the arrival of the Birmingham Steel (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3971449) today.

They arrived.

Interesting ... http://www.steelbasketball.com/

[LightningMan]

The Sea Dawgs bring back Dale Kuhl as coach. (http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3974209)

I think this is a good hire. The Sea Dawgs actually played defense last year and Cedric McGinnis, while not having his finest output, played IMO his overall best basketball in this town last year.

[wellington]

It has been a little quiet on the CBL front... any news? A resurgent WBA and the emergence of the CBL could be a big step for minor league basketball in the Southeast. I know there were rumblings of some type of merger or at least crossover play -- it really makes a lot of sense for all parties involved. Whether this happens or not... at some point in the future this will occur organically as the stronger teams (i.e. Wilmington) look for like-minded teams whether that is the CBL, WBA, PBL, or some other entity.

One idea is for the stronger WBA and CBL teams to join up with the PBL and form a Southern Conference. The existing PBL teams would constitute a Northern Conference. Teams would primarily play within their conferences to keep travel cost reasonable. Teams would only go on one out of conference road trip (3 games).

It just seems to me that for minor league basketball to survive, people have got to start working together...

[globie]

Wellington, well said

[LightningMan]

Well, the Sea Dawgs have their schedule posted.

http://www.goseadawgs.com/schedule

In a trice, I'll check to see if the league schedule is up.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

I've lived in the approximate same latitude as some of these CBL places. It's hot as blue blazes in May. Are these venues air-conditioned?

[formerlyknownasfells]

I've lived in the approximate same latitude as some of these CBL places. It's hot as blue blazes in May. Are these venues air-conditioned?

They had better be!!! :D

[LightningMan]

In my living down here, the only enclosed buildings not air conditioned are tool sheds and portable toilets.

[wellington]

In my living down here, the only enclosed buildings not air conditioned are tool sheds and portable toilets.

Although these days many Man Caves are air conditioned.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl2/man-caves.html

http://www.wordplop.com/2009/11/25/ten-steps-to-having-a-proper-man-cave/

[tops804]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3991560

The Carolina Cougarz of the Continental Basketball League have announced they will take on the Robinson Lakers in an exhibition game on April 19th. Owner Wayne Washington made the announcement on Tuesday.

Anyone hear a result or see a release?

:) Eight day's to tip-off.

[LightningMan]

First game tonight, IIRC.

[tops804]

First game tonight, IIRC.

You would be correct...

Game Date Visitor Home Time
1 4/30 Georgia Savannah 7:00pm
2 5/1 Carolina Birmingham 7:00pm
3 5/2 Wilmington Birmingham 7:00pm


Hope Embry and company remembered to gas up the bus!!!

Check the spark plugs, inflate the tires, bring the GPS, bring enough players...

[misenern]

Sea Dawgs roster is announced:

Wilmington NC-The Wilmington Sea Dawgs organization is pleased to announce their 2010 roster as listed below:
NAME* Years with Sea Dawgs HT WT COLLEGE POSITION

J.J. Cook 1st year 6'4" 215 Power Forward

Aaron Coombs 1st year 6'10" 255 UNCW Center

Zach Herrmann* 2nd year 6'0" 165 Augusta State Guard

Jim Jones* 2nd year 6'2" 195 Arkansas State Guard

Joseph King* 3rd year 6'1" 193 UNCW Guard

Adrian Malcolm* 2nd year 6'3" 195 Bakersfield Community College Power Forward

Kadiri Richard* 2nd year 6'9" 220 Virginia Union Power Forward

Aaron Scott 1st year 6'0" 185 Chowan University Guard

Terrance Todd* 2nd year 6'0" 185 Fairfield University Guard

Brian Williams* 2nd year 6'8" 215 University of California/American University Power Forward

*Denotes returning player

"We're excited about the upcoming season. We have some quality players returning from last year, and we have some exciting, talented newcomers that will prove that we can be one of the top teams in the Continental Basketball League," says Head Coach Dale Kuhl. "Our fans will enjoy watching these guys work their way back to a fourth postseason invitation."

The Wilmington Sea Dawgs will officially start their upcoming season on the road on May 2nd. Their first home game will take place on May 13th.

For more information please contact the Wilmington Sea Dawgs at 910-791-6523, email us at info@wilmingtonseadawgs.com, or visit www.wilmingtonseadawgs.com.

How does the team look LightningMan? You'd have to think that Wilmington is going to walk all over the CBL this year. Also, shout out to former Rainman Kadiri Richard!

[LightningMan]

How does the team look LightningMan? You'd have to think that Wilmington is going to walk all over the CBL this year. Also, shout out to former Rainman Kadiri Richard!
Most conspicuous by their absences are Cedric McGinnis and Alex Harper. Although Cedric wasn't as important for scoring as in the prior two years, he still was an offensive force. Alex was 2009's Sixth Man of the Year and from where a ton of Sea Dawg offense derived.

That said, it looks like Coach Kuhl is still stressing defense and still has some impressive holdovers from last year in the PBL. Kadiri Richard is a defensive machine and Joe King can really light it up from outside when he's on, but like all outside shooters can get cold in a hurry.

Zach Herrmann returns from two years ago. He's a gritty player and IIRC was the reason the Sea Dawgs got that documentary made a while back. Adrian Malcolm showed some flashes of ability last year.

Although Terrence Todd and Brian Williams are listed as returning, I don't remember anything about them, which probably isn't good. J.J. Cook has no school listed. I guess he was a HS player who never went to college. Potential red flag there.

If they had a public practice or exhibition, they failed to let me know about it, so I haven't seen them together. The question will be where scoring comes from other than Joe King (and if Kadiri will actually try to score, which he should).

I'm thinking of catching their road game next week in Fayetteville, since it's so close.

[LightningMan]

I forgot to mention Jim Jones, who developed into a pretty decent point guard.

[formerlyknownasfells]

Final from Savannah:

Savannah 128
Georgia 89

[LightningMan]

Dawgs lose in Alabama. Two more road games too. Hopefully they'll right the ship before they get back.

[misenern]

Dawgs lose in Alabama. Two more road games too. Hopefully they'll right the ship before they get back.

Where are the boxscores for this league? Anyone?

[LightningMan]

Where are the boxscores for this league? Anyone?
No idea where the box scores are. I got my info about the game from the local paper's website. There are some game releases here too. Perhaps something for Fells to look into.

[LightningMan]

Met the GF in Fayetteville and watched the Dawgs take on the Cougarz. If you decide to go, give yourself a little extra time the first time, in case you get lost on the Methodist University campus, as I did. It's a beautiful campus by the way.

The Riddle Center is a nice gym. They had state of the art 24 second clocks and light up at 24 backboards. It was an otherwise plus in an operation with "challenges".

First off, the team only collected cash, both at the gate and the concession stand. The Dawgs have card readers and I just got lucky enough to have enough cash to get in.

Next, although I didn't arrive horribly early (20 minutes before game time) the fine brown thing working the door did not have a strong box. She did, however, go to the car to get one.

Then, I had to buy a program for a dollar, a program which consisted of two pieces of paper (which should have been one piece of paper copied on both sides) showing the CC and WSD rosters. No ads, no features, no nothing.

The national anthem singer was apparently auditioning for diva, because the entire gym stood for about a minute before she arrived to sing.

And finally there was the crowd. The crowd was small. I'd say they would have been lucky to have 100 people there. There was a sizable contingent of people from Wilmington there proportionally.

The GF analyzed the Wilmington portion of the crowd as player wives, player GFs, and me. Well, there actually was some guy in an old Cedric McGinnis jersey, but he sat behind the team and might have been with the team.

The Cougarz definitely have room for improvement and they should probably come down for a Dawgs game to see a little bit on how it's done.

[LightningMan]

Joe King and Kadiri Richard came off the bench this game, which puzzled me. I'm wondering if it's not something similar to last year, where Alex Harper was coming off the bench, making sure you have at least one quality player playing at all times.

At any rate, the new center (Aaron Coombs) has decent game but no lift and Zach Herrmann was as scrappy as ever. It looks like a lot of the offense is going to come from Aaron Scott, who started getting his outside shot to fall by the end, including a beautiful 3 pointer from NBA distance, and Donielle Davis.

The Cougarz had size but really didn't seem to have much of a set offense. Their coach was very animated about everything they do. You could have spent your evening just watching the coach and had plenty of fun.

During the first half and the early part of the third quarter, the Cougarz were hitting all their outside shots and had the Dawgs down by as many as 14. It was very similar to how it goes when you play the Orlando Magic. You have to guard the three and if they're making them anyway, you're toast. But if they start missing them, then they're vulnerable.

The Cougarz did start missing them and they did get schooled. The Dawgs worked their way back starting in the third and ended up winning it 96-83. Overall I had a good time and I might consider making the drive to see them on the road again.

[LightningMan]

The GF noted that the CBL is the bad name league, with the Steel being one of those singular nicknames that I hate, and that the only other team that spells its name correctly is the Wildcats.

[runninref]

Who won?:confused:

[formerlyknownasfells]

Who won?:confused:

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4005852

[LightningMan]

Who won?:confused:

The Dawgs worked their way back starting in the third and ended up winning it 96-83.

I was pretty sure I had mentioned it.

[tops804]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4006934

Wildcats game against Birmingham postponed


May 9, 2010 - Continental Basketball League (CBL)

Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Continental Basketball League, the Savannah Wildcats and the Birmingham Steel, tonight's Birmingham at Savannah game at A.E. Beach High School has been postponed. A makeup date for the game has not been announced.
Wildcats owner Lamont Moreno says, "There were circumstances today that prevented tonight's game from being played. We will be working with the league and the Steel to reschedule Sunday's game as soon as possible. We apologize to the fans of Savannah for any inconvienience."


The league is too new to have this problem. Not really telling what the reason
is only adds to the question of how legitimate the reason was.

Ole' Scoreboard

Games played = 6
Games scheduled = 7


Still better than the ABA after 7 games. :rolleyes:

[JosephCMyers]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4006934



The league is too new to have this problem. Not really telling what the reason
is only adds to the question of how legitimate the reason was.

Ole' Scoreboard

Games played = 6
Games scheduled = 7


Still better than the ABA after 7 games. :rolleyes:

Here's a press release I'm about to send out and also post on the WBA thread as well. I was just told about this happening this afternoon and will have another release with more information later today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joseph Myers, WBA Public Relations Director
Joseph@WBABall.net or (706) 276-3171

Tupelo Operations Suspended, WBA Adds Birmingham Steel To Fold

Late Sunday night, the World Basketball Association Exposure League (WBA) suspended operations of the Tupelo (Miss.) Rock & Rollers franchise and accepted the application of the Birmingham (Ala.) Steel - formerly a franchise in the Continental Basketball League - to join the WBA for the upcoming 2010 season.
More information will be made available in a press release later Monday afternoon or Monday evening. The WBA's seventh season is scheduled to tip off Tuesday in Kissimmee, Fla., where the Florida Flight host the Jacksonville BlueWaves in a 7:30 p.m. game.

[CHris902]

ugh... the minor leagues never change.

[LightningMan]

This is a serious black eye for the CBL. The league looks like a Joe Newman special with this. I'll be interested in what Fells has to say.

[preeths]

I have it on good authority that the press release from the WBA was the first indication the CBL had of any intent by Birmingham to move. According to them, they had no idea the Steel owner was looking at another league.

[tops804]

Guess it goes to say.

Who is the bad guy here?

CBL ? (Recruited a team with a potential travel issue? Brought in a team
without doing due diligence?)
WBA ? (Recruited a team from another league? Violation of "Newman code")

Birmingham franchise ? (Left CBL high and dry for "greener pastures"?)

On to the next question(s)

Where does the CBL go from here? Four teams enough? Can they find a
replacement?

[preeths]

And of course the biggest question of all, can minor league basketball be any more of a circus?

[robster2001]

And of course the biggest question of all, can minor league basketball be any more of a circus?

That depends... what's Moose Lewis' next "great" idea? :)

Seriously, I don't think this can ever truly hit bottom -- when we think it has, one of these shysters will surprise us and sink lower still...

[wellington]

Another sad episode... if Birmingham is willing to jump ship from the CBL, what is going to keep them from doing the same thing with the WBA? I realize that the WBA wants to replace Tupelo, but they are playing with fire -- it could come back to haunt them. Wouldn't it be better to just cut out Tupelo and play with one less team? That is what I would do.

[JosephCMyers]

Here's the more information I promised yesterday.....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joseph Myers, WBA Public Relations Director
Joseph@WBABall.net or (706) 276-3171

Birmingham Steel Become Latest Addition to WBA

The World Basketball Association Exposure League (WBA) - which starts its seventh season tonight in Kissimmee, Fla. - is pleased to welcome its newest addition, the Birmingham (Ala.) Steel.
The Steel - formerly a member of the Continental Basketball League - are owned by Richard Ashmon, who played professional basketball in Europe and the U.S. minor leagues. He has also coached in the WBA and ABA as well. He serves as the Steel's head coach and general manager and his assistants are Jonathan Threatt and Charles Judkins.
The addition of Birmingham to the league keeps the WBA membership at seven teams in four states after the league suspended operations of the Tupelo (Miss.) Rock & Rollers for the 2010 season. Even though Tupelo won't be playing in the WBA this season, league commissioner William Slaton is hopeful that the Rock & Rollers will return to the league in 2011.
"The Tupelo franchise didn't meet league standards for the 2010 season," said Slaton. "However, we're working towards them being back in the league next year."
Birmingham will now assume the Tupelo franchise's schedule, with one exception. Tupelo was scheduled to travel to Marietta, Ga., to take on the Marietta Storm Thursday in both teams' season openers, but that game has been moved to May 28. Instead, the Steel will open their WBA campaign Saturday against the Florida Flight at Leeds High School in Leeds, Ala. at 7 p.m.
Birmingham will play a pair of home games (Saturday against Florida, May 21 versus the Decatur Court Kings) before hitting the road for its first away game May 22 in Franklin, Tenn. against the Franklin Knights.
The revised opening weekend schedule now has Jacksonville at Florida (at the Kissimmee Civic Center) tonight at 7 p.m. and a pair of games Friday with Franklin versus the Gwinnett (Ga.) Majic at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Ga. and Jacksonville going to Decatur to face the Court Kings at Agnes Scott College in a pair of 7 p.m. contests.
There are three games set for Saturday, with Jacksonville hosting Marietta at Edward Waters College at 2 p.m., Decatur going to Gwinnett to take on the Majic at Meadowcreek High School in Norcross at 6 and Birmingham hosting Florida. The WBA's first weekend of action closes out Sunday with a 5 p.m. game between Florida and Franklin at the A-Game Sportsplex in Franklin.
Each team will play 16 regular-season games before the playoffs, which are scheduled to start in mid-July. For more information about the WBA Exposure League and the complete 2010 schedule, go to the league's Web site at www.wbaball.net. The schedule is located on the site's main page under the "Schedule" header.
The WBA Exposure League serves as a training ground to develop players on and off the court. Emphasis is placed on exposure, development, community involvement, and most importantly providing an exciting brand of basketball and entertainment. Hundreds of former WBA players have gone on to play professional basketball all over the world including the D-League and NBA.
The Next Best Thing To The NBA!

[LightningMan]

Birmingham Steel is replaced by Birmingham Sabres. Some players stay.

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4008721

[formerlyknownasfells]

Birmingham Steel is replaced by Birmingham Sabres. Some players stay.

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4008721

Based on what I have heard from the new owner, all of the former Birmingham Steel players will be playing with the Sabres. They have a tough one on the road against Wilmington on Saturday night. It will be interesting to see how they play in front of what should be a very good crowd.

[formerlyknownasfells]

Tonight's Savannah at Wilmington game will be webcast at www.goseadwgs.com. Tip time is set for 7:00 Eastern.

[tops804]

Tonight's Savannah at Wilmington game will be webcast at www.goseadwgs.com. Tip time is set for 7:00 Eastern.

:p Chris, by any chance are the 'Gwizz' the official supplier of CBL keyboards?

http://www.goseadawgs.com/


BTW -- Looks like a decent number of people in the crowd.

[formerlyknownasfells]

:p Chris, by any chance are the 'Gwizz' the official supplier of CBL keyboards?

http://www.goseadawgs.com/


BTW -- Looks like a decent number of people in the crowd.

WHOOPS!!!!

By the way, Wilmington leads 54-45 at the half. As expected, there is a good crowd on hand. I don't know the official numbers yet but should have those tonight or tomorrow morning.

[LightningMan]

Wilmington 97, Savannah 93

I'd say two thirds to three quarters full in the gym. Savannah was pretty quick with an aggressive, gambling defense that reminded me a bit of the Battle Creek Knights of last year in the PBL. Franchot Brown (who played with the Dawgs last year IIRC) was very active and appeared to be the floor leader for the Cats. Dawgs got ahead playing "Big A" (Aaron Coombs) and Kadiri Richard at the same time and while Savannah scrapped back to make it close, they could never seal the deal.

Zach Herrmann is still just as gritty as ever, Kadiri is now providing some offense to go with his excellent defense, and the scoring still seems to be coming a lot from Aaron Scott and Donielle Davis. Savannah will force their opponents to use a lot of energy this year.

I'd write more (and more eloquently), but I have to go hope the Cavaliers can pull one out of their backsides.

[tops804]

I'd write more (and more eloquently), but I have to go hope the Cavaliers can pull one out of their backsides.

It is quite depressing isn't it? Best record in the league = nothing if you don't
get past the second round.

Boston 95 Cleveland 84 (final)

:( So long LeBron.

[LightningMan]

Back to this league, I must say it's a bit distressing that I cannot still today find a score of the Carolina Georgia game.

[tops804]

Back to this league, I must say it's a bit distressing that I cannot still today find a score of the Carolina Georgia game.


Here you go, LightningMan.

CBL Scoreboard
Fri., May 14 Birmingham at Carolina 7:00 p.m.
Thu., May 13 Carolina at Georgia Cancelled
Thu., May 13 Savannah 93 at Wilmington 97 Final
All times Eastern
On game days, refresh page for latest results



Fells...Sorry, but the CBL has become the ABA with this latest one. :(

Unless the Gwizz have been busy masquerading as Cavalier's players since Monday. :(

[LightningMan]

Why didn't this get played?

[LightningMan]

What a difference two weeks makes.

Two weeks ago, the Wilmington Sea Dawgs started the season with a loss to the then Birmingham Steel. Since then, the Dawgs had gone 3-0 heading into tonight's game against the newly renamed and re-ownered Birmingham Sabres.

The press release indicated that this Birmingham team would have many of the players of the previous team, but they certainly didn't have the same kind of game. The Sea Dawgs were leading by six when I went to the concession stand at the start of the second quarter to get my granddaughter a hot dawg and a drink. By the time I got back the Dawgs were leading by over twenty.

I have no idea what happened, but whatever it was, it happened a lot. By the end of the half, Birmingham was pressing to get themselves back in the game. It worked a little bit to start the third quarter, but by the end of the third the fat lady had sung Carmen in its entirety and the fourth quarter looked one part scrimmage and one part Globetrotters.

Since I missed the crucial part of the game, I have no idea how to characterize anyone's play, other than to say that the Dawgs continue to be vulnerable to quick hands and teams patrolling the passing lanes. Everyone on the Dawgs seemed to have showtime moments in the final three periods. Zach Herrmann in particular did some nice stealing and quick dribbling.

I would double check the box score from this game against the first against the Steel (were that possible) to see how much of the teams were the same. But if they were close, it seems the Dawgs have the Sabres rattled. [Hey, I missed the key part of the game; I'm entitled to a bad pun.]

[LightningMan]

Not that there's a lot of suspense in which four teams will make the playoffs in a five team league, but it is interesting to note that after just three weeks of play (one quarter of the scheduled games to be played) the Sea Dawgs have all but locked up one playoff spot with a 4-1 record. It's also worth noting (for unfortunate reasons) that the Gwiz only have two games under their belts, compared to at least four for everyone else.

Standings:

Team W L PCT
==== == == ====
WLM 4 1 .800
CAR 3 2 .600
SVN 2 2 .500
BIR 1 3 .250
GA 0 2 .000


Playoff prediction (http://www.sportsclubstats.com/basketball/USA/CBL.html):

Team PCT
==== ====
WLM 99.9
SVN 98.4
CAR 92.2
GA 55.1
BIR 54.5

[tops804]

It's hard to speculate the playoffs, as most realists feel that at least one team won't see
the finish line or be able to travel.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a best-of-three, top two teams make the playoffs scenario.

Wilmington certainly seems like the class of the league right now.

[LightningMan]

Okay. I have Carolina at 3-2 but the CBL has them at 4-2, so help me out here. From their website:

2 5/1 Carolina 122 Birmingham 118 Final (1W 0L)
5 5/7 Wilmington 96 Carolina 83 Final (1W 1L)
6 5/8 Savannah 94 Carolina 97 Final (2W 1L)
8 5/13 Carolina Georgia 7:45pm (unplayed, theoretically no change. We'll come back to this)
10 5/14 Birmingham 105 Carolina 115 Final (3W 1L)
12 5/16 Carolina 103 Savannah 113 Final (3W 2L)

So the only thing I can think of is that Georgia is considered to have forfeited that game instead of it being postponed. So Fells, if you're reading, would you confirm that?

[turbocamyes]

Both the Carolina and Georgia sites list the game as a Gwizzlies loss and I'm guessing you're probably right about it being a forfeit. I'm also waiting on a reply from Fells.

[LightningMan]

Sea Dawgs 116, Cougarz 108, Gwizzlies 0

There may be some problems in CBL land. The scheduled opponents for tonight, the Georgia Gwizzlies, were a no show. So for the second time this year I watched the Sea Dawgs take on the Cougarz and for the second time this year, the Cougarz had control early and lost it late.

The Cougarz height advantage was exaggerated by the already thin Sea Dawg forward position being missing J.J. Cook tonight. The Cougarz had their way on the boards so much that at one point when the Sea Dawgs were shooting fouls, they had no one but the shooter at the line. The Cougarz picked at the Dawgs most vulnerable spot, the passing lanes, and pushed out at one point to an 11 point lead, in part on the strength of lights-out three point shooting by Carolina's Billy McDade.

The Dawgs were never say die and got themselves back with defense, which was tricky since the refs were calling it really tight on the Dawgs's two remaining big men, Aaron Coombs and Kadiri Richard. After a quarter and a half excruciatingly painful chipping away, the Sea Dawgs took the lead in the fourth, the place erupted, and momentum finally moved the Dawgs way. It was still pulling teeth for the rest of the period, but the Dawgs eventually pulled away for the win.

Kudos to Joseph King for some stellar defensive play and Kadiri Richard for some powerful blocks.

I don't know if mid season acquisitions are possible, but the Dawgs really could use a forward or two if Cook remains unavailable and Williams remains on the DL. But at any rate, the Dawgs were winners. The CBL, if the Gwizz situation doesn't straighten out, could be the loser.

[CHris902]

I don't understand the Gwizzlies at all. They've probably played fewer than 15 games in the last three years. Why do they even bother? Surely they're not making money off of this.

[LightningMan]

Standings:
Team W L PCT
==== == == ====
WLM 5 1 .833
SVN 4 2 .667
CAR 3 4 .429
BIR 2 4 .333
GA 0 3 .000

Playoff Projection: (http://www.sportsclubstats.com/basketball/USA/CBL.html)
Team PCT
==== =====
WLM 99.9%
SVN 99.9%
CAR 85.9%
BIR 73.2%
GA 41.1%

[tops804]

http://www.cblhoopsonline.com/schedule


18 5/28 Savannah Birmingham 8:00pm
19 5/28 Carolina Wilmington 7:05pm
20 5/29 Wilmington Carolina 7:00pm
21 5/29 Georgia Birmingham 8:00pm


I know the Georgia/Birmingham game on the 29th was cancelled. No info
on the others though.

[seadawgfaithful]

http://www.cblhoopsonline.com/schedule




I know the Georgia/Birmingham game on the 29th was cancelled. No info
on the others though.

5/28 - Carolina 109 , Wilmington 107
A tough game that saw Carolina lead most of it and then Wilmington tied it with 3 seconds left. Cougarz then got lucky as Wilmington's defense broke down on the inbound play and Bradford Deshazor (I think) scored the winning lay-up at the buzzer. The game was ridiculously officiated. Carolina got away with some blatant fouls while Wilmington was called for everything. 3rd quarter foul situation was: Wilmington - 9 fouls, Carolina - 1 foul.

5/29 - Wilmington @ Carolina -- unsure of exact score but Wilmington won.
This one is going to serve as the basis for rumors over the next few weeks. A wild crowd that included some unruly folks. The Seadawgs were out in front by at least 20 in the first half. The second half, the Cougarz gave up on basketball and started with dirty play. Tripping, pushing, and possibly kicking. All I know is that Wilmington won the basketball game and needed a police escort to get out of the building.

As for the other games, can't help you. Sorry.

[LightningMan]

The Friday game was a heartbreaker. I'm trying to get scores for any of the rest.

[LightningMan]

Savannah vs. Birmingham:

Wildcats 104, Sabres 127

[LightningMan]

The Gwiz apparently couldn't make it to Birmingham.

[LightningMan]

Standings:
Team W L PCT
==== == == ====
WLM 6 2 .750
SVN 5 3 .625
CAR 4 5 .444
BIR 3 4 .429
GA 0 4 .000

Note that the rest of the league all have at least seven games under their belts and the Gwiz have four.

Playoff Projection: (http://www.sportsclubstats.com/basketball/USA/CBL.html)
Team PCT MLS*
==== ====== ===
WLM 100.0% 1
SVN 99.9% 2
BIR 92.9% 4
CAR 91.1% 4
GA 16.1% 5

* MLS = Most likely seed

Note that percentages are rounded up. When there
is no scenario where the team misses the
playoffs, the site will change the designation
to "IN".

[robster2001]

The Gwizz have been booted.

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4020226

[LightningMan]

The Gwizz have been booted.

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4020226
So I guess they won't get past that four.

[LightningMan]

No report from me on tonight's Sabers / Sea Dawgs tilt (or Saturday's game against the 'Cats) as I will again be out of town. Hopefully Seadawgfaithful will give you some coverage. I don't anticipate missing any of the other games and may take another trip to Fayetteville.

[formerlyknownasfells]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4021671

The above was sent to myself, Paul and the Atlanta media. The "press release" outlines the reasons Embry Malone of the Georgia Gwizzlies believes he was expelled from the CBL. For the record, I would like to state the following:

1) "From January 2010 until March I was begged to participate in this new league called the CBL.My team already was in the new Mountain State Basketball League and had no interested in another league. Especially since the parties who was running the new league still owed Morris Brown College,hotels,players thousands. and did a repeat performance in Augusta,Georgia the same year." The only assumption I can make is that Mr. Malone is talking of the involvment of Lamont Moreno, owner of the Savannah Wildcats. Mr. Malone did not have a financial interest in the Atlanta Krunk of the CBA, he was merely an assistant coach. At least I think this is what he is talking about.

"First was when the Gwizzlies inform the league it had cash to rent a van but no major credit card,the league said and did nothing. So the Gwizzlies attempt both trips to Wilmington and Birmingham in cars. Each time a car broke down on the way to play those two games." It is not the responsibility of the league to provide transportation to away games. Furthermore, it is fairly common knowledge that one needs a major credit card to rent a vehicle. Also, the name on the card and the primary driver must match.

I think it is very ironic that vehicles broke down on the way to the games in not just one, but two occasions. One time maybe, the second time makes me wonder.

"Second incident the public didn't know about but Mr. Mack insist need to be made public is game vs. Carolina.Ref's insist to be paid before the game.Gwizzlies told Ref's,whom one of the Ref's was the son of Gwizzlies board member to paid him after the game.CBL league again did nothing? Carolina had drove 5 hours to play here in Atlanta.Mr Mack said it that was NBA D-League or NBA,those real league front office officials would have stepped in and protected the integrity of the League. Any league suppose to uphold the teams,not vice-vesa said Mr. Mack. "

We were not made aware of this incident until Director of Basketball Operations Gary Perry received a phone call during halftime of the Wilmington game that night. He was told by Wayne Washington, head coach of the Carolina Cougarz that their game was not played because Mr. Malone did not have the money to pay the officials. If we would have known about this at the time of the incident, we would have made arrangements with the officials for the league to pay them. Mr. Malone did not reach out to the league for assistance so we could not attempt to rectify the situation.

"Wilmimington owner even said that the league made bad business decisions with the Gwizzlies games. It's the CBL side,Gwizzlies side,then the truth.Truth just been told.Embry Malone Georgia Gwizzlies"

Actually, this is a false statement. Gary spoke with Wilmington owner Pete Gratale today and was told he never said anything about the decisions made by the league.

Mr. Malone was removed from the CBL because he did not show up for scheduled games. We were even told in regards to the Birmingham game that, "My players witnessed a murder today in Atlanta. The league has to have more compassion for these young men."

Mr. Malone was not responsive to phone calls made to discuss certain situations and was absent from almost all of the league's conference calls.

Now that this is done, I am going back to enjoying my 40th birthday......

[robster2001]

What in the hell is Embry Malone trying to say? Does he understand, on any level, that he's simply displaying his team's ineptitude as a business?

"Truth just been told"?

Stay classy, Embry.

[seadawgfaithful]

Wilmington 109, Birmingham 98

This was all Wilmington. The SeaDawgs built a 20 point lead and then let it dwindle. Kudos to Birmingham for playing tough all night. The SeaDawgs have been working on chemistry and there is a noticable drop-off when substitutions are made. The offense stalls which causes players to make rushed decisions that end up looking bad. Aaron Scott has been coming off the bench for the past two games, perhaps as a way to keep momentum throughout the game, and it doesn't seem to be bothering him. He dropped 22 points tonight. The officials have not been very consistent over the past few games and dragged the game out longer than it should have gone due to calling EVERYTHING in the final 2 minutes. Jeff Collins of the Sabers was hit with a technical. Coach Kuhl actually kept his cool tonight.

It will be interesting to see what Savannah brings on Saturday night.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

[LightningMan]

Good to hear the Dawgs won. As to Embry, I think he's poking at Gary (Augusta Groove and Atlanta Krunk) and not Lamont. Either way, it's not the league's job to protect him from himself and by the quality of the "release" it's apparent the league was doing that for him anyway.

As someone else said about them, why do they even bother?

[seadawgfaithful]

Savannah 99, Wilmington 81.

Ugh. Not a good night for Wilmington. It was tied 21-21 after the first quarter but after that, it was all Savannah. Nothing was falling for Wilmington. Players would drive into the lane and the ball would simply not fall through the hoop. Open looks resulted in misses. Savannah did a good job in transition and defensively cluttered the lane that prevented Aaron Coombs from getting started.

Later in the game, Savannah amassed a 20 point advantage. Wilmington's coach kept his starters in and put on full-court pressure. The 'dawgs were T-I-R-E-D and had no chance at coming back. It's a shame Coach Kuhl pushed them as hard as he did because they have to drive to Savannah tomorrow morning to get ready to play at 5pm.

So, the SeaDawgs fall to 7-3 and Savannah is now 6-3. Tomorrow's game is truly a battle for first place.

All in all, it was not a good night for Wilmington. The crowd was into it, the stands were full but the team was off-kilter. The internet feed was even experiencing technical problems - finally getting fixed at the start of the second quarter. Hopefully the SeaDawgs have better results tomorrow.

[Paul S]

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4021671

The above was sent to myself, Paul and the Atlanta media. The "press release" outlines the reasons Embry Malone of the Georgia Gwizzlies believes he was expelled from the CBL. For the record, I would like to state the following:

1) "From January 2010 until March I was begged to participate in this new league called the CBL.My team already was in the new Mountain State Basketball League and had no interested in another league. Especially since the parties who was running the new league still owed Morris Brown College,hotels,players thousands. and did a repeat performance in Augusta,Georgia the same year." The only assumption I can make is that Mr. Malone is talking of the involvment of Lamont Moreno, owner of the Savannah Wildcats. Mr. Malone did not have a financial interest in the Atlanta Krunk of the CBA, he was merely an assistant coach. At least I think this is what he is talking about.

"First was when the Gwizzlies inform the league it had cash to rent a van but no major credit card,the league said and did nothing. So the Gwizzlies attempt both trips to Wilmington and Birmingham in cars. Each time a car broke down on the way to play those two games." It is not the responsibility of the league to provide transportation to away games. Furthermore, it is fairly common knowledge that one needs a major credit card to rent a vehicle. Also, the name on the card and the primary driver must match.

I think it is very ironic that vehicles broke down on the way to the games in not just one, but two occasions. One time maybe, the second time makes me wonder.

"Second incident the public didn't know about but Mr. Mack insist need to be made public is game vs. Carolina.Ref's insist to be paid before the game.Gwizzlies told Ref's,whom one of the Ref's was the son of Gwizzlies board member to paid him after the game.CBL league again did nothing? Carolina had drove 5 hours to play here in Atlanta.Mr Mack said it that was NBA D-League or NBA,those real league front office officials would have stepped in and protected the integrity of the League. Any league suppose to uphold the teams,not vice-vesa said Mr. Mack. "

We were not made aware of this incident until Director of Basketball Operations Gary Perry received a phone call during halftime of the Wilmington game that night. He was told by Wayne Washington, head coach of the Carolina Cougarz that their game was not played because Mr. Malone did not have the money to pay the officials. If we would have known about this at the time of the incident, we would have made arrangements with the officials for the league to pay them. Mr. Malone did not reach out to the league for assistance so we could not attempt to rectify the situation.

"Wilmimington owner even said that the league made bad business decisions with the Gwizzlies games. It's the CBL side,Gwizzlies side,then the truth.Truth just been told.Embry Malone Georgia Gwizzlies"

Actually, this is a false statement. Gary spoke with Wilmington owner Pete Gratale today and was told he never said anything about the decisions made by the league.

Mr. Malone was removed from the CBL because he did not show up for scheduled games. We were even told in regards to the Birmingham game that, "My players witnessed a murder today in Atlanta. The league has to have more compassion for these young men."

Mr. Malone was not responsive to phone calls made to discuss certain situations and was absent from almost all of the league's conference calls.

Now that this is done, I am going back to enjoying my 40th birthday......



The biggest mistake the CBL did was allow this ABAish team and its ABAish owner to tarnish CBL games.

[CHris902]

Did anyone ever expect this to end differently? Have the Gwizz played more than 20 games total in the last four seasons? Why did the CBL let them in in the first place?

[LightningMan]

The Carolina Cougarz are playing Greenville this weekend. Who is Greenville? Greenville NC? Greenville SC? It's a mystery.

[turbocamyes]

The Carolina Cougarz are playing Greenville this weekend. Who is Greenville? Greenville NC? Greenville SC? It's a mystery.

Wasn't the Carolina Kings out of Greenville, SC? Weren't they first announced in the PBL and then the ABA?

[LightningMan]

Weren't the Carolina Kings out of Greenville, SC? Weren't they first announced in the PBL and then the ABA?
They were supposed to be based in Greenville, SC. They self-announced PBL (and maybe self-announced ABA; I don't recall), but, frankly, I'd be surprised if this is them.

[South Atlantic]

So what is new with this league? Is it as competitive as other leagues? Is it what you consider good hoops?

[tops804]

So what is new with this league? Is it as competitive as other leagues? Is it what you consider good hoops?

Haven't seen much, but a slight sliver of a game online. But from what I've
been reading and hearing; three good, serious teams trying to carve a niche
in Spring/Summer minor league hoops.

The Gwizz were lagging way behind. (*)
Birmingham, is hard to take very seriously.
The league has already regressed into using travel teams (*), and a
few games have already been cancelled (*).

I'm not sure what the post-season tournament could be like. A sophomore
season has to be considered a long shot as well...

(*) -- ABAish.

[seadawgfaithful]

Is it what you consider good hoops?

It honestly depends on who the officials are. If the officials prove to be competent and call the game as it should be called - yes, the basketball is good. However, over the past several games, the refs have let teams get away with entirely too much physical play and the game is trash. I've heard too many stories and have seen too much from the games in Wilmington to take the refs seriously. I will be the first to admit that calling a game is hard. The refs are expected to be looking for certain things, move diligently up and down the court, and then have to deal with attitudes from players and coaches. As a fan, I am surprised there hasn't been an altercation because of the loose style of play. I've heard some frightening recaps of the Wilmington/Carolina game in Fayetteville a few weeks back that stem from poor officiating.

Sorry to jump in on a long rant but as a basketball fan and a coach, I have a real problem with referees that show up, let the clock run, and let players get away with physical abuse.

I honestly felt like the CBL had a good start but things have turned sour over the past few weeks. We'll see how the Wilmington/Carolina game goes on Thursday night.

[LightningMan]

Sea Dawgs 126, Cougarz 94

Apropriate for June, there was something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue at tonight's Sea Dawg game against the Cougarz. The old was the return from last year's team of forward Jermaine Williams. The new was a forward / center named Sean Gerzac (or something like that; I had trouble understanding the PA). The borrowed were jerseys belonging to the Cape Fear Community College Sea Devils, which the Cougarz wore for the first half because their uniforms were late arriving from Fayetteville. And the blue were the few Cougarz fans who came down from Fayetteville to watch the game.

The new additions of Gerzac and Williams eliminated the height advantage Carolina had enjoyed in previous match ups. This allowed Coach Kuhl to play Kardiri Richard and Aaron "Big A" Coombs togther a lot more, which spelled serious trouble for the Cougarz. Stifiling defense led to a ten point first quarter lead and the Dawgs never looked back.

Billy McDade was his usual torrid self from the outside, but even he couldn't keep the Cougarz in this one. By the third quarter, folks were headed home and by the fourth quarter it was Globetrotter time.

More interesting was the news contained in the Sea Dawg program and on the Sea Dawg PA. The playoffs were cut back from four teams to two and the visitors Saturday will be the Wildcats (replacing the Gwizz). This means for all intents and purposes, Saturday's game will be to decide who hosts the championship game.

The season and the standings and all the rest are flawed, but this is probably the best chance in Sea Dawg history for them to claim their first title. Saturday will be pivotal.

[LightningMan]

Sometimes early in a game you get a feel of how it will go. That happened tonight. As the Savannah Wildcats pushed out to a five point lead, I just got the feeling that if the Wilmington Sea Dawgs could just get over the hump, they'd win the game.

The reason they had to get over the hump was due in part to the Sea Dawgs still relearning themselves after this late season line up change. The other part was due to the athleticism and defense of the Wildcats.

It's rare you see someone 6'10" get their shot rejected but that's exactly what happened tonight to "Big A" Aaron Coombs. The Wildcats are jumping machines and they skied to reject him. They also hold position well on defense and get good position on offense.

The first quarter was back and forth with Savannah pushing out to a five point lead, which, try as they might, the Dawgs couldn't close up for the rest of the first half. At the start of the second half, Savannah started to push away. Coach Kuhl hastily called a time out and put in what I will call the hustle or speed unit. They battled back and when the Dawgs retook the lead the place erupted.

The Dawgs pushed out to an almost twenty point lead during the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats were having none of that. They chipped away at the lead of the somewhat complacent Dawgs and got it down to eight points. The Dawgs energized and took back control and while Lamont Moreno coached the last few minutes perfectly, the Dawgs made most of their free throws and the Wildcats missed just enough shots (with help from the Dawg defense) to win 101 - 89.

By the PA announcements, the championship was going to be in Wilmington next Sunday regardless of the outcome, but there's nothing like beating your playoff opponent in the last regular season game.

Unfortunately I will again be out of town and will, thus, miss the championship game. But I am a lot more hopeful I will be celebrating a Sea Dawgs championship than I have been since they began.

[seadawgfaithful]

A tremendous game from the SeaDawgs but I think what was most impressive was the actual coaching that allowed the 'Dawgs to erase an 8 point deficit in the 3rd quarter and go on a 24-12 run.

The first half of the game, Joe Flegler (Savannah's PG) was unstoppable. He had 14 first half points. He was getting by all defenders, knocking down 3 point shots, and dishing out assists as usual. However, in the second half, the Wilmington coaches implemented tremendous strategy and credit to the players for actually doing what a coach asks. The simple task? Deny Flegler the ball. That was easier said than done, but the 'Dawgs did it. They shadowed Flegler with a double team on inbound plays, denied heavily when the ball was in play, and when Flegler did have the ball - they put a longer athletic player on him (Jermaine Williams did a great job in the 2nd half). The stats reveal the success of the strategy - only 5 second half points for Flegler. He finished with 19.

The bench for Wilmington was energetic and really brought them back. JJ Cook finished the game with 20 points but it was his 3rd quarter efforts that started the big run. Aaron Scott finished with 24 points, made 6 3 point baskets (5 in a row during one stretch). Big Aaron Coombs battled for 12 points.

Zach Herrmann constantly gets compared to Steve Nash and tonight was no different. On the first play of the game, he got elbowed underneath the basket. He had to check out because of a cut, went to the locker room, got stitches, and then returned to the game with a welt under his left eye. He went on to score 16 points. Big time heart.

Savannah did not have an answer for the second half defensive effort of Wilmington. Brian Moultrie is a workhorse for the Wildcatz but he was not able to keep them in it.

The championship will be in Wilmington next Sunday and after tonight's performance, it's safe to say that Wilmington is once again favored to win it all.

[LightningMan]

Home court advantage in the league this year (as best I can figure with the messed up schedule and forfeits) is 66.7%.

[LightningMan]

Well, from what I can find posted online the Dawgs lost in overtime to the 'Cats. Congratulations Savannah Wildcats on being the first CBL champion.

[CHris902]

This inaugural season definitely seemed like a dud for the CBL. Hopefully there will be something like a merger between them and the WBA and they trim out the bad teams and put together a strong, fairly regionalized spring league.

[KennyPickles]

Hey guys just happened to find you guys talking about this league. I don't know if this thread is abandoned or if anyone will even see this. I'm from Fayetteville and I know quite a few of the players that were on the Cougarz this past year.

The players I have talked to told me they were not paid at all for the past season. Not one penny, even though I know contracts were signed by them. Another friend of mine, mad that his friends weren't getting treated right, contacted the CBL through e-mail. Gary Perry responded and claimed ignorance, innocence and that it wasn't the league's responsibility to pay players, it was the owners' duty. Finally after a bunch of lawyer speak/jargon and avoiding the question for days, eventually Gary Perry said that he contacted the coach of Cougarz (Wayne Washington) and that Washington told him he had paid his players. So either the coach lied to the league office or Perry isn't being honest to my friend. I don't know what the truth is, but I do know some players on the Cougarz told other players in the league and coaches they were not being paid.

It's impossible the league had no idea this was happening. A google search found this article. Players on "Augusta Groove" in 2009, co-owned by Gary Perry, also complained of not being paid for their work. Seems really similar to this situation. I'm not sure if semi-pro hoops can work in Fayetteville, but with antics like the CBL it makes it that much harder to even start here again. Sad really.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/03/nba_554304.shtml

[LightningMan]

Hey guys just happened to find you guys talking about this league. I don't know if this thread is abandoned or if anyone will even see this. I'm from Fayetteville and I know quite a few of the players that were on the Cougarz this past year.

The players I have talked to told me they were not paid at all for the past season. Not one penny, even though I know contracts were signed by them. Another friend of mine, mad that his friends weren't getting treated right, contacted the CBL through e-mail. Gary Perry responded and claimed ignorance, innocence and that it wasn't the league's responsibility to pay players, it was the owners' duty. Finally after a bunch of lawyer speak/jargon and avoiding the question for days, eventually Gary Perry said that he contacted the coach of Cougarz (Wayne Washington) and that Washington told him he had paid his players. So either the coach lied to the league office or Perry isn't being honest to my friend. I don't know what the truth is, but I do know some players on the Cougarz told other players in the league and coaches they were not being paid.

It's impossible the league had no idea this was happening. A google search found this article. Players on "Augusta Groove" in 2009, co-owned by Gary Perry, also complained of not being paid for their work. Seems really similar to this situation. I'm not sure if semi-pro hoops can work in Fayetteville, but with antics like the CBL it makes it that much harder to even start here again. Sad really.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/03/nba_554304.shtml
I am well aware of Mr. Perry and the Groove through his involvement when the Groove and the Sea Dawgs were in the PBL. I am sorry that the players were not paid (if indeed they weren't). That was a good squad. Perhaps if the Sea Dawgs bolt the CBL some of them might want to play for Wilmington. I have not heard of Sea Dawg players not getting paid.

[formerlyknownasfells]

Hey guys just happened to find you guys talking about this league. I don't know if this thread is abandoned or if anyone will even see this. I'm from Fayetteville and I know quite a few of the players that were on the Cougarz this past year.

The players I have talked to told me they were not paid at all for the past season. Not one penny, even though I know contracts were signed by them. Another friend of mine, mad that his friends weren't getting treated right, contacted the CBL through e-mail. Gary Perry responded and claimed ignorance, innocence and that it wasn't the league's responsibility to pay players, it was the owners' duty. Finally after a bunch of lawyer speak/jargon and avoiding the question for days, eventually Gary Perry said that he contacted the coach of Cougarz (Wayne Washington) and that Washington told him he had paid his players. So either the coach lied to the league office or Perry isn't being honest to my friend. I don't know what the truth is, but I do know some players on the Cougarz told other players in the league and coaches they were not being paid.

It's impossible the league had no idea this was happening. A google search found this article. Players on "Augusta Groove" in 2009, co-owned by Gary Perry, also complained of not being paid for their work. Seems really similar to this situation. I'm not sure if semi-pro hoops can work in Fayetteville, but with antics like the CBL it makes it that much harder to even start here again. Sad really.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/11/03/nba_554304.shtml

In response to the allegations from a previous poster, I have the following response:

As an owner in the CBL, Mr. Washington is responsible for paying his players in a timely fashion. As a league, we can only investigate allegations such as these.

From information we have received from Mr. Washington, he stated that he has paid his players and done so in a timely manner. Having worked with Mr. Washington for the past year, I firmly believe he is a man of his word and has paid his players. Conversely, if we continue to receive reports of Mr. Washington not paying his players, we will launch an investigation and demand receipts, cancelled checks, etc.

Regarding Mr. Perry, he has nothing to do with this situation. The article you referenced from the Augusta paper does not tell anywhere near the full story. Remember, there are two sides to every story and Mr. Byler presented only one side.

Chris Munson
Continental Basketball League
Director of Media and Public Relations

[turbocamyes]

Here’s the regular season round-up for the CBL

40 games scheduled.

11 cancelled (9 by Georgia, which was removed by league)
25 played as scheduled
4 played not on original schedule (3 rescheduled with new date or team, 1 added to schedule)
1 forfeit from original schedule (at least one)

Two games against a non-league team.

Note on standings:

The League's regular season standings show a total of 34 wins and 21 loses for the 4 teams that finished the season. The loses increase to 28 when you add in Georgia (5 including the forfeit) and 2 for the Fuller All-Stars. That leaves 6 games which were probably forfeits, most likely Georgia. However, both Birmingham and Carolina show 1 more loss than what the league schedule lists. They could also be forfeits.

Only Wilmington posted stats.

[LightningMan]

Only Wilmington posted stats.
This right here (along with the Gwizz) puts you in ABA territory. This must cease.

[wellington]

Any word on expansion teams for the CBL in 2011?

[LightningMan]

Any word on expansion teams for the CBL in 2011?
Well, there is a move:

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4059569

Zeke's Florida Flight have a new home.

[wellington]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but there is another Florida team in the CBL... the Palm Beach Titans.

CBL 2011 Teams
Wilmington
Savannah
Fayetteville?
Birmingham?
Florida
Palm Beach

[LightningMan]

Not sure if this has been mentioned, but there is another Florida team in the CBL... the Palm Beach Titans.

CBL 2011 Teams
Wilmington
Savannah
Fayetteville?
Birmingham?
Florida
Palm Beach
Not sure why Fayetteville gets a question mark but Palm Beach (not formally announced by the league as the Flight was) does not.

[wellington]

Sorry LM, I wasn't sure if the Cougarz were returning -- if so, great. I didn't realize that Palm Beach had not been confirmed yet by the league. Ok -- here is my updated unofficial list of teams for 2011:

CBL 2011 Teams
Wilmington Sea Dawgs
Savannah Wildcats
Carolina Cougarz
Florida Flight
Palm Beach Titans?
Birmingham?
Tupelo?
South Florida?
Tampa?

Not sure about the last 3, but I have heard several rumors of possible teams in these cities.

[Evad]

So when is the C.B.L. goning to get its own sub-forum?

[LightningMan]

So when is the C.B.L. goning to get its own sub-forum?
Ask Preeths.

[LightningMan]

Leenco, just for the record I want to point out that the team mentioned in the post you quoted did in fact play in 2010, so I don't think Tops804's suggestion that the Dawgs were ABAish is valid.

[tops804]

And the CBL's site got updated today, but no other teams have been added!

Leenco, just for the record I want to point out that the team mentioned in the post you quoted did in fact play in 2010, so I don't think Tops804's suggestion that the Dawgs were ABAish is valid.


Just a wild guess here based on Leenco's signature line, the fact that my
post he is referring to was from 7 months ago, and the fact that the "updated"
CBL site hasn't been updated since the end of July...He is here to spam the
boards...

[LightningMan]

Just a wild guess here based on Leenco's signature line, the fact that my
post he is referring to was from 7 months ago, and the fact that the "updated"
CBL site hasn't been updated since the end of July...He is here to spam the
boards...
Good point.

[LightningMan]

Just checked the league website and the Palm Beach Titans appear to be official along with a team called the Miami Stars. Has no one learned from the ABA and PBL about putting minor league basketball teams in major league markets?

[LightningMan]

Sorry LM, I wasn't sure if the Cougarz were returning -- if so, great. I didn't realize that Palm Beach had not been confirmed yet by the league. Ok -- here is my updated unofficial list of teams for 2011:

CBL 2011 Teams
Wilmington Sea Dawgs
Savannah Wildcats
Carolina Cougarz
Florida Flight
Palm Beach Titans?
Birmingham?
Tupelo?
South Florida?
Tampa?

Not sure about the last 3, but I have heard several rumors of possible teams in these cities.
Palm Beach and Miami (I am assuming they were the south Florida you heard rumors of) are on the website. Birmingham is still listed.

[zeke41]

Palm Beach announcement - http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4094607

Miami announcement -
http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4094608

Flight release -
http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4093637
(Our releases are still being placed under the WBA section for some reason - hopefully that gets fixed soon)

It's nice to see CBL activity months in advance before the season. Just to affirm, while these teams have just now been announced, they have been actively working for months already. That's three Florida teams for next season and a Savannah team just across the border. This makes the CBL one of the most regionalized minor leagues for next season.

This is the direction minor league systems need to take. This is exciting! It might be time for an exclusive CBL forum.

[LightningMan]

That is a nice cluster for the Flight there and should make road trips make a bit more sense.

[zeke41]

Agreed...one more FL team, and we would have our own division! This is a good direction. Now, so loing as the executive management of the CBL has an execution strategey for the typical issues that tend to arise (which I believe that they do), we should have a great 2011 season.

[LightningMan]

As a means of bumping, I'll make the statements that I would like to know where Miami plans to play and I wonder if there is one more team in the cards to bring the league to eight.

[wellington]

I've heard rumblings of 10-12 teams for 2011. There could be a couple of other WBA teams making the jump. Not sure if that will pan out or not. Who knows?

[wellington]

CBL Update...

1. Birmingham Sabers
2. Carolina Cougarz
3. Florida Flight
4. Miami Stars
5. Palm Beach Titans
6. Savannah Wildcats
7. Wilmington Sea Dawgs

[Love Pro Hoops]

The WBA should merger with the CBL, all the good teams from the WBA should join the league and all the bad should fold,That would make the CBL stronger,The CBL and the WBA both had terrible seasons so just merger 2 put together a solid professional league in the south, The miami stars will fold very fast,who's going to watch a semi pro team in miami in the spring? You have alot of options of things 2 do in miami and the last thing on that list will be going 2 watch a semi pro team in miami,minor league basketball doesnt work in major markets,CBL second season needs 2 be alot better than the first or just fold

[LightningMan]

(As a means of bumping...)

Did you know that the Wilmington Sea Dawgs dance team, the Wilmington Sea Dolls, have their own website?

http://www.seadolls.com/

[zeke41]

minor league basketball doesnt work in major markets

If it's done right, minor league basketball can work anywhere. It's a matter of figuring out your target audience. I'd say that an owner being a resident of that big market is critical, as you'll need an inside network to tap into, but it's an overstatement to suggest that minor league basketball can't work in a major market. It can be done...especially by focusing on community development initiatives!

Looking forward to a great season 2!

[Love Pro Hoops]

Zeke41 you have some great points, I just dont think it will work,especially in miami,pittsburg yea,seattle yea,baltimore yea, not miami in the spring time in a hign school gym, community development is very important

[The Magician]

CBL Update...

1. Birmingham Sabers
2. Carolina Cougarz
3. Florida Flight
4. Miami Stars
5. Palm Beach Titans
6. Savannah Wildcats
7. Wilmington Sea Dawgs

Go Sabers! :mrgreen:

[LightningMan]

...Pittsburgh yea...
I think I'm going to side with recent history, which says a resounding no.

[CHris902]

I think I'm going to side with recent history, which says a resounding no.

oh great. Here we go...

[Love Pro Hoops]

Lightning man I disagree I think professional basketball can work in pittsburgh,with the right management team I think pittsburgh would be a great market.They need 2 stay away from the ABA,the pittsburgh phantoms where terrible,I think they would be a perfect fit in the PBL or ACPBL if they dont fold,The CBL is a southern league, I honestly think it could work,i understand what your saying history can repeat its self if you dont learn from it

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

Lightning man I disagree I think professional basketball can work in pittsburgh,with the right management team I think pittsburgh would be a great market.They need 2 stay away from the ABA,the pittsburgh phantoms where terrible,I think they would be a perfect fit in the PBL or ACPBL if they dont fold,The CBL is a southern league, I honestly think it could work,i understand what your saying history can repeat its self if you dont learn from it

Then you should learn that history has shown that minor league basketball does not work in Pittsburgh. There is a long list of failed franchises, and a number of reasons why minor league sports in general and basketball in particular do not succeed there. This is not a knock on the 'Burgh in any way, just reality.

I'm not going to rehash it - its been posted many times, and any minute now a particular poster will come on here and - as a fan - tell us how it can work with no regard to the history or business side of minor league sports. And he will complain that ONLY someone who lives there can talk about it or know what's going on.

He will be wrong. Again.

[Love Pro Hoops]

do you guys think the cbl will have a better second year? The first one wasnt great to say the least

[LightningMan]

do you guys think the cbl will have a better second year? The first one wasnt great to say the least
I have no prediction, only hope. That's bolstered by the joining of the Flight, which is one more outfit with a year already under its belt.

[zeke41]

The CBL is going to be just fine this year. We're sharing ideas, communicating with each other, and preparing for a strong 2011. We all understand where we are at, we know where we want to go, and we understand it won't happen overnight. We have realistic expectations, we aren't trying to add teams all over the country, and we play at an ideal time of the year.

We're already getting involved in our respective communities. The Flight and the Palm Beach Titans are working together on a Toys for Tots weekend in December (just added a big sponsor for this event yesterday), and, as always, we've been immersed in our community in many other ways. Just today, we were given the reigns of the PE classes at Avalon Middle School to host a Flight clinic for over 400 kids. It should be a good year on many levels. We'll undoubtedly have some failures in some area (it seems inevitable in this business), but I think we've developed a strategy to respond and react accordingly for any of the major challenges that have plagued this business over the last few years!

[Love Pro Hoops]

Having teams in a cluster is very important,i disagree with ideal time of the year,I think its better 2 play in winter months,when the weather warms up people dont want 2 be in doors,I think the florida flight are a class organization,i wish you guys nothing but the best,hopefully the WBA will merge with the CBL put together one solid southern league

[zeke41]

i disagree with ideal time of the year,I think its better 2 play in winter months,when the weather warms up people dont want 2 be in doors

I actually use to think the same. However, what many people do not realize is that we play during a time of the year where players are preparing for their next season. They are just getting home from overseas, and they are looking for a place to stay in shape and continue sharpening their skills.

It's also no secret that most teams outside of the D-League (and perhaps a few selected other teams - VERY few I might add) cannot afford to pay players $1000/week. It makes more sense to get paid to play (even if it is a nominal amount) and participate in a high level competitive basketball system on a strong platform that also provides things that playing in a rec. league can not/does not.

That's the niche of playing during the summer time. We understand our niche, and all of the problems that many minor league teams have created by trying to be something they are not, or pushing to be something they are not prepared to be, both financially, organizationally, and professionally. When teams over promise and under deliver, it crushes the spirit and platform of what we do. We under promise and over deliver. I know what players need from us to propel their careers: game film, stats, exposure, high quality action photos, community involvement to help them better understand the impact a player with professional ability can have, particularly on the youth, etc. If a player can make a little bit of money while garnering all of those other intangibles, you create a nice platform that minor league basketball can build upon.

I think the florida flight are a class organization,i wish you guys nothing but the best,hopefully the WBA will merge with the CBL put together one solid southern league

I'm always grateful when people acknowledge us in a bright light. Thank you! It has not been easy, but it has been an amazing ride thus far. We've got some very exciting things that we'll be sharing over the next few months as we build for season two. I, too, hope and pray that we can add a couple of other teams in our region so we can further establish the relevance and impact the CBL can have here in the United States. Imagine a league with these teams:

Wilmington Sea Dawgs
Fayetteville Cougarz
Savannah Wildcats
Florida Flight
Palm Beach Titans
Miami Stars
Birmingham Sabres
Tupelo Rock & Rollers
Franklin Knights
Gwinnett Magic

Throw in a couple of more teams in NC/SC...and you have what I think would be one of the most stable, cost effective, geographically appropriate systems in minor league basketball, not to mention 5-6 of those teams coming off of a relatively strong 2010 season.

Hopefully...all of these teams see the opportunity before us. We have an opportunity to develop and stabilize minor league basketball in the southeast in a way that is yet to be seen in the US minor league basketball system...via the only model available for this business to actually work the way that it should.

[LightningMan]

I disagree with ideal time of the year. I think its better to play in winter months. When the weather warms up people don't want to be indoors.
That might be true up north, but down here it gets to be so hot outside during the summer that people tend to be inside in the air conditioning.

[LightningMan]

Imagine a league with these teams:


Wilmington Sea Dawgs
Carolina Cougarz (Fayetteville)
Savannah Wildcats
Florida Flight
Palm Beach Titans
Miami Stars
Birmingham Sabres
Tupelo Rock & Rollers
Franklin Knights
Gwinnett Magic

Throw in a couple of more teams in NC/SC...and you have what I think would be one of the most stable, cost effective, geographically appropriate systems in minor league basketball, not to mention 5-6 of those teams coming off of a relatively strong 2010 season.
Those other WBA defections would be nice. Is the CBL making overtures?

[zeke41]

I think our defection from the WBA raised some eyebrows. I've instigated some conversations, but I have no idea what will happen. I respect the teams mentioned, and I'll say that they seem to be content staying in the WBA. Why? I have no idea. I just know that we were left with no alternative, and most people know why. If they join us, I think it will be monumental. If not, it won't change anything that we do, nor will it hinder the CBL. I do wish that they see the impact of all of the southeast teams playing in the same league. A merger was discussed last season, but obviously didn't happen. While a merger would be nice, I'm not sure that's a legitimate option for 2011. I'm not even sure what WBA teams are left that can operate without any issues. Franklin? Gwinnett? Everyone else was suspect last season in some form or fashion.

[Love Pro Hoops]

Im a rookie in minor league ball this year,im from the south I love the south but had 2 go up north because I didnt trust the WBA,ABA,The CBL is still new so I want 2 see how they do if they are solid this year,you are exactly right, we never had one good solid league in the south,I think if the WBA merged with the CBL it would become one really good league with a bright future,I dont umderstand why these 2 leagues dont jump all over that, instead of having 2 medicore leagues,why not have one really good league??your exactly right you open my eyes 2 the point spring is better,you get overseas guys like you said,I dont think no teams in america outside of the d-league could even afford 2 pay guys $100 a week,minor league teams are not sellimg tickets right now,i think they could sell tickets but they are going about,things the wrong way,I wish minor league teams would pay but they dont have the $

[Love Pro Hoops]

Zeke 41 I got a question for you, im a rookie this season and im playing semi pro ball, you say players need Film,stats,exposure I guess that would be playing minor league basketball,action photos,2 propel there careers,After this season what would be my next step 2 reach my dreams of going overseas,you cant trust a lot of agents,and a lot of coaches say they know all these people but when you ask them for help they just say make a highlight tape,what would be your advice for a guy who wants 2 play overseas that can actually play???

[zeke41]

Zeke 41 I got a question for you, im a rookie this season and im playing semi pro ball, you say players need Film,stats,exposure I guess that would be playing minor league basketball,action photos,2 propel there careers,After this season what would be my next step 2 reach my dreams of going overseas,you cant trust a lot of agents,and a lot of coaches say they know all these people but when you ask them for help they just say make a highlight tape,what would be your advice for a guy who wants 2 play overseas that can actually play???

Where are you playing now, and where did you play in college? The biggest hurdle that all players aspiring to play in the NBA and overseas is reputation and college experience. Outside of the D-League and to a small degree the PBL, the US minor league system is not all that respected right now (thanks to a multitude of very poorly ran franchises). You have leagues posting fraudulent stats, issuing press releases (poorly written at that) about things that didn't even happen. I know of one league, whom I will not mention because they are still below most people's radar, that issued a press release about a draft that never even happened. Legitimate teams overseas see right through that. When you have things like that happening, it gets harder and harder for overseas teams to respect and trust what we have going on in the United States.

This is one of the reasons we decided to webcast our games. Teams overseas can see for themselves the level of play without waiting on a highlight film which, more times than not, is exactly that - a "highlight" film. It's always bias, and doesn't show a player's weaknesses (which all players have). A player that has played for a mid-major of higher in the NCAA can squeak by all of those issues because the NCAA system is very well respected. They know the recruiting process of strong college programs are thorough, and know that they actually learn solid fundamentals. Players that don't get that experience can be as strong and athletic as anyone, but lacking those fundamentals isn't favorable for most teams overseas. If you read some of the message boards from overseas, you always read people posting about how boring it is to watch one-on-one play from the US. Factor in the fact that guys rarely get paid, get game film, get stats, or any of the intangibles that could help get them a look overseas, and you create a very challenging system to overcome.

Honestly, although for now we hope to get players overseas, I'm trying to create a place where guys can stay at home and make a decent living without going overseas. I'm assuming a player would rather make $20-$30k/year playing basketball instead of working retail or fast food somewhere. It will take us some time before we get there, but that's our goal. We have been contacted (and even visited) by teams from Ireland, Italy, Israel, Norway, and Puerto Rico, but we haven't quite established a relationships that has teams chasing down our players yet. We'll get there. We just have to keep doing what we are doing, and it will happen.

My suggestion to you (which is probably what you've heard already - no earth-rattling advice here) is to keep training, keep working hard, and keep networking. You are right - there are a lot of wannabe agents out there that say they are well connected but really are not, or they ARE connected, but it's not with anyone deep enough with a team that makes player personnel decisions. Without going too much into my "GOD" rant (people jump on me when I do), if God has created you with an exceptional talent and passion for basketball, there is a reason for that. You simply need to trust that, have faith, and...in a sense...wait your turn. Despite what anyone thinks or says, persistent hard work always prevails in the end. I worked hard and made myself valuable enough to get a couple of shots for myself despite never playing in high school. It can be done...I'm a living example of that. Now - it was extremely challenging, and I believe wholeheartedly that it had more to do with God making an opportunity FOR me than anything else, but I worked hard, remained persistent, and waited my turn.

I hope that helps.

[Love Pro Hoops]

Where are you playing now, and where did you play in college? The biggest hurdle that all players aspiring to play in the NBA and overseas is reputation and college experience. Outside of the D-League and to a small degree the PBL, the US minor league system is not all that respected right now (thanks to a multitude of very poorly ran franchises). You have leagues posting fraudulent stats, issuing press releases (poorly written at that) about things that didn't even happen. I know of one league, whom I will not mention because they are still below most people's radar, that issued a press release about a draft that never even happened. Legitimate teams overseas see right through that. When you have things like that happening, it gets harder and harder for overseas teams to respect and trust what we have going on in the United States.

This is one of the reasons we decided to webcast our games. Teams overseas can see for themselves the level of play without waiting on a highlight film which, more times than not, is exactly that - a "highlight" film. It's always bias, and doesn't show a player's weaknesses (which all players have). A player that has played for a mid-major of higher in the NCAA can squeak by all of those issues because the NCAA system is very well respected. They know the recruiting process of strong college programs are thorough, and know that they actually learn solid fundamentals. Players that don't get that experience can be as strong and athletic as anyone, but lacking those fundamentals isn't favorable for most teams overseas. If you read some of the message boards from overseas, you always read people posting about how boring it is to watch one-on-one play from the US. Factor in the fact that guys rarely get paid, get game film, get stats, or any of the intangibles that could help get them a look overseas, and you create a very challenging system to overcome.

Honestly, although for now we hope to get players overseas, I'm trying to create a place where guys can stay at home and make a decent living without going overseas. I'm assuming a player would rather make $20-$30k/year playing basketball instead of working retail or fast food somewhere. It will take us some time before we get there, but that's our goal. We have been contacted (and even visited) by teams from Ireland, Italy, Israel, Norway, and Puerto Rico, but we haven't quite established a relationships that has teams chasing down our players yet. We'll get there. We just have to keep doing what we are doing, and it will happen.

My suggestion to you (which is probably what you've heard already - no earth-rattling advice here) is to keep training, keep working hard, and keep networking. You are right - there are a lot of wannabe agents out there that say they are well connected but really are not, or they ARE connected, but it's not with anyone deep enough with a team that makes player personnel decisions. Without going too much into my "GOD" rant (people jump on me when I do), if God has created you with an exceptional talent and passion for basketball, there is a reason for that. You simply need to trust that, have faith, and...in a sense...wait your turn. Despite what anyone thinks or says, persistent hard work always prevails in the end. I worked hard and made myself valuable enough to get a couple of shots for myself despite never playing in high school. It can be done...I'm a living example of that. Now - it was extremely challenging, and I believe wholeheartedly that it had more to do with God making an opportunity FOR me than anything else, but I worked hard, remained persistent, and waited my turn.

I hope that helps.

I play in the EBA,I played division 2 basketball at ohio valley university,I wanna play overseas but I don't trust agents,most minor league coaches are clueless,I'm going 2 make a legit profile on eurobasket and go from there,I learned a lot about minor league basketball from your post thanks a lot,I was told you have 2 pay your dues in minor league basketball 2 play overseas,D League and theNBA, I wish the CBA was still around,leagues are operated very bad right now so I can't blame scouts from staying away,You should run a league because you know your stuff, So what leagues are respected by scouts PBL and D League is there any others? A lot guys think you need just a highlight tape 2 get overseas that's not the case, I would love 2 be a player playing in the US making 20k a year,I would also like being a owner in a league where you can afford 2 pay guys 20k a year,you could have really good teams paying that much,That would be very special if you could create a powerful league like that,GOD will make a way like you said if you just pray,work hard,play pro ball,network the best way you can,you have been much help,lets hope minor league basketball will change,I pray I get a chance 2 exprience overseas basketball like you and the D League as well,God Bless

[Love Pro Hoops]

Zeke 41 what are some questions players should ask minor league coaches,A lot of players just jump on teams not knowing how the team operates,A lot of teams are jokes and should be avoided,you want to move up each year not down

[Love Pro Hoops]

Does the CBL play by NBA rules? I think every minor league should play by NBA rules its easy for fans to follow

[zeke41]

Zeke 41 what are some questions players should ask minor league coaches,A lot of players just jump on teams not knowing how the team operates,A lot of teams are jokes and should be avoided,you want to move up each year not down

You have to start with the issue of whether or not you can actually trust the coaches, owners, etc. This varies from team to team, but you can probably put more trust weight into a team within a certain league (D-League would be one example). You can ask all of the right questions, but receive only the answer you want to hear, or the answer that a coach or owner wants to share (regardless of whether or not it is true).

However, here are a couple of things to expect. If you don't get any of these from the team you are playing on, face the facts that you are playing on a glorified recreation team or within an adult AAU team.

1. Game Film - MOST IMPORTANT
2. Accurately recorded statistics - if the program has a poor history of this, no credible team (overseas or in the States) will care about your stat line, as it might or might not be true
3. A professional web presence. A poor website will more times than not give you all the insight you need as to whether or not the team is properly run and organized
4. Opportunity to develop as a player: You need a team that provides you with the knowledge to advance as a professional player, as well as the facilities available to train. More times than not, you'll find this part left up to the players, because a lot of coaches in this system are not well endowed with the knowledge and experience to get players to the next level. Just the reality!
5. Pay: --- In the current landscape of minor league basketball in the US, if you don't have a long term vision (of sacrificing financially now and working hard to get to the NBA), or more reasonably, if you aren't open to playing overseas to make money playing basketball as a professional player, you should probably consider an alternative career. No player will be able to make a professional, comfortable, family-sustaining living in the US minor league system annually (key word is annually), and that includes the NBA D-League.


That's a brief, quick run-down. I have a lot of things to tackle today, like preparations for the Avalon Aglow Parade the Flight will be in, two marketing events to prepare for, and a Toys for Tots exhibition game to finalize for Dec. 11th. Just wanted to show you some courtesy and respond. I'm probably one of the most optimistic guys that you'll find, but I still always stress the challenges and difficulties involved in pursuing a career of this magnitude. I triumphed over my own set of hurdles (or more like mountains), but this isn't for everybody. Be in touch with who you have been designed to be. Don't let anyone change who you are. Ask yourself, every day, what your daily actions say about the pursuit of your dreams. So long as you are moving forward towards those dreams by accomplishing the goals that will help you get there, you'll arrive at some sort of success via your journey.

[Love Pro Hoops]

Thanks I have learned a lot from you, all the things you just named a lot of teams dont have, Thanks for responding