The Magician
07-09-2007, 11:07 PM
Notice the part about the ABA's Portland Reign
Commissioner banks on minor league basketball
Mikal Duilio is confident his league, with two teams in the
Portland area, can revolutionize the game
Monday, April 11, 2005
ROB FERNAS
The Oregonian
http://www.iblhoopsonline.com/articles/041105_Oregonian.doc
Mikal Duilio says he wants to revolutionize basketball.
Not exactly a modest goal, but the 36-year-old sports promoter
Is accustomed to taking on challenges.
At 15, he became known in Indianola, Iowa, as the kid who
started his own recreational basketball league, demonstrating a
business acumen beyond his years by scheduling games and petitioning the city to install lights at outdoor courts.
At 22, he moved to Portland to become director of the Midnight Basketball League, helping at-risk youths stay out of trouble by steering them into the gym for late-night games.
And for the past 13 years, Duilio has funneled his considerable energies into running Peaceful & Recreational Athletics Inc., a year-round enterprise that conducts 5,500 adult recreational games a year in the Portland area.
For his next act, Duilio wants to bring a new approach to an old concept.
First, though, he has to do some damage control.
Three months after the Portland Reign (of the ABA) folded in the middle of its first season because of financial problems, leaving a trail of unpaid bills, Duilio is hoping to repair the image of minor league basketball in the Pacific Northwest by starting a professional league that emphasizes front-office frugality and a fast-paced style of play.
The 17-team International Basketball League includes franchises in Portland, Central Oregon, Vancouver and Tacoma. Several teams opened play this past weekend, kicking off a league schedule that runs through June.
Duilio (pronounced DOO-lee-oh) said overcoming skepticism was the biggest hurdle in getting the IBL off the ground. Minor league sports have a failure rate of 75 percent.
The Reign's troubles have made his job even tougher in Portland. The former American Basketball Association team owes more than $60,000 to various sources, Reign owner Mary Liss said.
"It really hurt us because they left a lot of debt," Duilio said. "We have to overcome that."
Commissioner banks on minor league basketball
Mikal Duilio is confident his league, with two teams in the
Portland area, can revolutionize the game
Monday, April 11, 2005
ROB FERNAS
The Oregonian
http://www.iblhoopsonline.com/articles/041105_Oregonian.doc
Mikal Duilio says he wants to revolutionize basketball.
Not exactly a modest goal, but the 36-year-old sports promoter
Is accustomed to taking on challenges.
At 15, he became known in Indianola, Iowa, as the kid who
started his own recreational basketball league, demonstrating a
business acumen beyond his years by scheduling games and petitioning the city to install lights at outdoor courts.
At 22, he moved to Portland to become director of the Midnight Basketball League, helping at-risk youths stay out of trouble by steering them into the gym for late-night games.
And for the past 13 years, Duilio has funneled his considerable energies into running Peaceful & Recreational Athletics Inc., a year-round enterprise that conducts 5,500 adult recreational games a year in the Portland area.
For his next act, Duilio wants to bring a new approach to an old concept.
First, though, he has to do some damage control.
Three months after the Portland Reign (of the ABA) folded in the middle of its first season because of financial problems, leaving a trail of unpaid bills, Duilio is hoping to repair the image of minor league basketball in the Pacific Northwest by starting a professional league that emphasizes front-office frugality and a fast-paced style of play.
The 17-team International Basketball League includes franchises in Portland, Central Oregon, Vancouver and Tacoma. Several teams opened play this past weekend, kicking off a league schedule that runs through June.
Duilio (pronounced DOO-lee-oh) said overcoming skepticism was the biggest hurdle in getting the IBL off the ground. Minor league sports have a failure rate of 75 percent.
The Reign's troubles have made his job even tougher in Portland. The former American Basketball Association team owes more than $60,000 to various sources, Reign owner Mary Liss said.
"It really hurt us because they left a lot of debt," Duilio said. "We have to overcome that."