IBL...Oops! IBA Spring season begins in March

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

I'm debating on attending games. Times have changed. I used to get excited about renting VHS movies from the public library. Now I don't. I used to get excited about DOS operating system. Now I don't. I used to get excited about minor league basketball...well, you know the rest.

Minor league basketball needs an infusion of new ideas--badly!

[tops804]

Originally Posted by Ken, Steelheads fan

I'm debating on attending games. Times have changed. I used to get excited about renting VHS movies from the public library. Now I don't. I used to get excited about DOS operating system. Now I don't.

Wait until you get older....

I used to like snow....Hate it!
I used to like yard work....Hate it!
I used to like driving long distances....Hate it!

The Spring IBA, IBL, etc. may get more interest if they would at least make an effort to be productive and therefore, noticed.

It's been a long time (actually the disaster of a 2007 USBL season) since we actually had spring/summer basketball to look forward to...

Ken, Steelheads fan I used to get excited about minor league basketball...well, you know the rest.

Minor league basketball needs an infusion of new ideas--badly

Exactly...As I used to look forward to mid to late November (It meant the start up of the CBA season, and segue into the holidays)....

Now it means "Will a minor league other than the D-League ever get it's act together?". It seems like a longshot as most of the better indy league markets were snagged up by the D-League.

[wasteland]

I like your little sig note about missing the CBA more and more. When I grew up in the late 80’s early 90’s I lived midway between Rockford and Quad City and attended many games at both locations (Wharton Field House was an awesome place to take in a game). It was a big deal to make the hour trip. Both teams had favorites of mine, but we would locate the rosters of other teams and go when certain favorite players of mine played (usually college stars that didn’t make it to the NBA). A good time for sure. Now Rockford has hockey (which is fun, but not the same) and Quad City doesn’t seem to be the sports town I once thought it was.

[panchess]

Basketball simply doesn't require the kind of feeder system baseball and hockey do. Therefore any "AA" league is extremely unlikely to have a connection to the NBA in basketball the way even the ECHL can occassionally grow prospects to the NHL.

Therefore I don't think ever-cheaper "development" leagues are the path to success. D1 College teams are generally heavily subsidized and absorb most of that footprint in the US. Even now with the affiliated D-League, most of the franchises are in cities that don't have a major D1 team. When the D-League came to the Northeast, they ended up in cities without D1 teams: Erie, Springfield and Portland (ME).

Though Canada is generally not a big basketball country, the lack of substantial college competition makes it possible for a pro league to make it. In the US, I think the only way it works is to try to build something like the Euroleague, below the NBA but not a development league like the D-League.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

My internal debate is over and I guess times haven't changed that much. I'm at the Splash Spring home games just like I was for the Fall/Winter games. Games are more entertaining than I expected. The Spring ticket prices weren't reduced as announced for the Fall/Winter fans (yes, I remember), but I also understand the team needs revenue.