I was kind of expecting this...

[TEN]

USBL Suspends 2008 season


MILFORD, CT — (December 27, 2007) The United States Basketball League (USBL) has announced the suspension of its 2008 season.



Management has made a decision to increase the number of franchises before it schedules the next season. In addition, the company has retained Colebrooke Capital, a New York investment company, to explore ways to improve the structure of the Company, its sales, growth and shareholder value.



Management will establish goals with Colebrooke and discuss strategies which will enable the Company to improve its capital strategies; identify merger candidates and new acquisition targets; and continue to focus on expansion with the new franchise groups who have expressed interest over the past few months.



“This process should reward shareholders and strengthen the USBL financially,” stated USBL Commissioner Daniel T. Meisenheimer, III.



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They don't have any teams to play in 2008....I would say that this is probably the end of the USBL...

[TheStandard]

by the end of 2008 they will say its over. I will be glad too. Now can the ABA die already?

[Aaronhere]

What teams were still even viable anymore?

[Sam Hill]

That's a shame. Long-running league, did some good things over the years.

As Denis Leary once said, "Stevie Ray Vaughn is dead, and we can't get Jon Bon Jovi into a helicopter? C'mon, folks."

[Paul S]

Wow!!!!!!!!!

This is bad news.

They did this in like 1989 or something when they skipped a year to 're-organize'. It must be said that the ABA and D-League really killed the USBL. The ABA took the investors of a genuine team and they would go with Newmans schtick and the 80 team line of BS. Factor in the ABA's policy of 'slash and burn' a local market the USBL would be left to pick over the remnants of a disaster.

The D-League really would never had been even invented if the USBL or the CBA had their proverbial crud together. Isiah Thomas' awful management of the CBA and the USBL's inability to maintain itself has done it in.

Real shame. THe league has some name value though. Hopefully the Meisenheimers can get it together. At least they took the high road and didn't call Joe Newman under the 'can't beat might as well join them' thinking.

[TEN]

I don't think the D-league contributed to the demise of the USBL....But I do think that the ABA mess didn't help. It polluted the waters of minor league basketball...and it was incompetent management of former ABA teams that jumped to the USBL in NEPA and Delaware that helped put the nail in the coffin the last two years.

League franchises were doing a good job of grabbing D-league assistant coaches and using them as head coaches (Oklahoma, Dodge City) just like they did with CBA coaches a few years ago. We were getting some pretty good D-league talent to play in the league during the summer...not to mention overseas guys and CBA guys...and enough ABA guys that I heard enough horror stories to last me a while.

After seeing the sorry quality of play in the CBA and ABA this year, it's pretty disheartening to see the USBL go under....This was a fun league to be a part of from about 2000 to 2004.

[heavesrock]

The CBA talent is better this year than last year IMO.

I too am sorry to see the USBL go under. I never actually saw a game but enjoying following the league. I think what really did the USBL in was the ABA and NBA summer leagues taking all the best talent.

[TEN]

I disagree heavesrock....ABA players could play in the league because the ABA had always grinded to a halt by March...We didn't count on ABA players because most of them didn't make an impact talentwise. The NBA summer leagues don't start until July (after the USBL season is over).

The caliber of play in the midwest was pretty good at the end (Jamario Moon played in the USBL last summer)...Renaldo Major...Billy Thomas...etc. The crappy organization of the league kept a lot of good players out of the league the last couple of years.

[heavesrock]

Oh OK didn't realize when the summer leagues started. What I meant by the ABA is burning markets, taking owners as previously mentioned.

[Sam Hill]

The D-League really would never had been even invented if the USBL or the CBA had their proverbial crud together.

Actually, the D-League wouldn't have been invented if Isiah had had the business sense to sell the CBA to the NBA Players when they offered to buy it. That little deal cost him a boatload of money, minor league basketball a bunch of credibility and a bunch of people jobs.

[tops804]

....With all of the GBA nonsense going on right now. I will miss this league
and its history, but the last 2 seasons were hardly worth remembering.

With this announcement, I wish they would have just folded and put it out
of its misery. Maybe Joe Newman Jr. can start USBL 2020 in the future and
try to recycle the history.