moses
04-22-2004, 11:58 AM
Press Release - To Sports Media Outlets - North and South Carolina
April 21, 2004
From - Office of the Commissioner - Carolinas Basketball League
Contact Info - 704-253-2006
CBL To Suspend Operations for ?04 Season
Draft Camp Cancelled/Statesville still in line for team
Carolinas Basketball Commissioner, John Jordan announced today that after visiting with the league?s ownership the decision had been reached to suspend operations for this coming season. The league was to begin their third season on June 1st with Statesville expected to field an expansion team. ?We have found ourselves in a situation where we had three organizations ready to play (Hickory, Statesville and Wilmington) and did not have a fourth team. We felt we had a commitment from Salisbury ownership last season to run their team this year. For whatever reason that fell through and our calls to those individuals have gone unreturned. The league operated Salisbury last year. With Statesville into the fold we did not feel as though two teams or roughly half the league should or could be league owned. It was the consensus that we did not want to piece a league together this season and risk an in- season shut down. The CBL teams owe no money and have delivered on all of our promises to sponsors, fans and staffs. That in itself is a major accomplishment in minor league sports. Jordan goes on to say that this is not the end of the league. ?The new American Basketball Association (ABA) made a very similar move last season and came back this year with their best season yet. I can foresee a similar scenario for us. I take a good deal of the blame for this situation in that I have not had the time commitment to the pre-season marketing that I have had in the past. The CBL has been operated as a subsidiary of my own company, Jordan Sports Management and was actually based out of South Dakota. Last summer I made the decision to drop that business back to part time, move to North Carolina and take a high school coaching and administration job here in Statesville. The truth of the matter is that my current job has left me little time for anything else. The league has been more of a hobby for me and has cost me a lot more money than I have ever made from it. We are looking at possibly hiring someone to handle the marketing of the league that can be a bit more devoted to it.?
Jordan says he still expects Statesville to be in the loop for a team next summer. This is a prime location for a minor league team. I expect we will be looking at a six to eight team league next summer. We have already began to work toward that end. The league started in the summer of 2002 and was known as the Xtreme Basketball Association (XBA) and featured teams in Charlotte, Columbia SC, Wilmington and Hickory. Last season the league changed the name to the Carolinas Basketball League and featured teams in Hickory, Wilmington, Salisbury and Charleston WVA. The players who played in the league included many former ACC, SEC and NBA players. Over 60% of the players and coaches who participated in the CBL ended up landing more lucrative Fall and Winter jobs overseas or here in the States. ?I hate to see them not play, it has really been a good place for players and coaches to develop their skills.? Says Bryan Gates, Head Coach of the Florence Flyers of the United States Basketball League. The league has cancelled the draft camp that was scheduled for this Saturday. The Hickory Nutz may migrate to the new World Basketball Association that is operated by former NBA player and NBDL coach, Milton Barnes. ?The WBA is a larger organization with bigger budgets and more travel. I contacted Milton for Hickory because I know they want to play this season. They have teams ranging from Raleigh to Mississippi. Hickory is the only CBL organization that could afford the budget costs of that league If that does happen I expect Hickory will play at least one of their games here in Statesville just to give our fans a taste of minor league ball?. Says Jordan.
April 21, 2004
From - Office of the Commissioner - Carolinas Basketball League
Contact Info - 704-253-2006
CBL To Suspend Operations for ?04 Season
Draft Camp Cancelled/Statesville still in line for team
Carolinas Basketball Commissioner, John Jordan announced today that after visiting with the league?s ownership the decision had been reached to suspend operations for this coming season. The league was to begin their third season on June 1st with Statesville expected to field an expansion team. ?We have found ourselves in a situation where we had three organizations ready to play (Hickory, Statesville and Wilmington) and did not have a fourth team. We felt we had a commitment from Salisbury ownership last season to run their team this year. For whatever reason that fell through and our calls to those individuals have gone unreturned. The league operated Salisbury last year. With Statesville into the fold we did not feel as though two teams or roughly half the league should or could be league owned. It was the consensus that we did not want to piece a league together this season and risk an in- season shut down. The CBL teams owe no money and have delivered on all of our promises to sponsors, fans and staffs. That in itself is a major accomplishment in minor league sports. Jordan goes on to say that this is not the end of the league. ?The new American Basketball Association (ABA) made a very similar move last season and came back this year with their best season yet. I can foresee a similar scenario for us. I take a good deal of the blame for this situation in that I have not had the time commitment to the pre-season marketing that I have had in the past. The CBL has been operated as a subsidiary of my own company, Jordan Sports Management and was actually based out of South Dakota. Last summer I made the decision to drop that business back to part time, move to North Carolina and take a high school coaching and administration job here in Statesville. The truth of the matter is that my current job has left me little time for anything else. The league has been more of a hobby for me and has cost me a lot more money than I have ever made from it. We are looking at possibly hiring someone to handle the marketing of the league that can be a bit more devoted to it.?
Jordan says he still expects Statesville to be in the loop for a team next summer. This is a prime location for a minor league team. I expect we will be looking at a six to eight team league next summer. We have already began to work toward that end. The league started in the summer of 2002 and was known as the Xtreme Basketball Association (XBA) and featured teams in Charlotte, Columbia SC, Wilmington and Hickory. Last season the league changed the name to the Carolinas Basketball League and featured teams in Hickory, Wilmington, Salisbury and Charleston WVA. The players who played in the league included many former ACC, SEC and NBA players. Over 60% of the players and coaches who participated in the CBL ended up landing more lucrative Fall and Winter jobs overseas or here in the States. ?I hate to see them not play, it has really been a good place for players and coaches to develop their skills.? Says Bryan Gates, Head Coach of the Florence Flyers of the United States Basketball League. The league has cancelled the draft camp that was scheduled for this Saturday. The Hickory Nutz may migrate to the new World Basketball Association that is operated by former NBA player and NBDL coach, Milton Barnes. ?The WBA is a larger organization with bigger budgets and more travel. I contacted Milton for Hickory because I know they want to play this season. They have teams ranging from Raleigh to Mississippi. Hickory is the only CBL organization that could afford the budget costs of that league If that does happen I expect Hickory will play at least one of their games here in Statesville just to give our fans a taste of minor league ball?. Says Jordan.