The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) Thread

[MonctonRad]

Abridged from today's T&t

Pro Basketball Moving Closer in Moncton

Training camp will begin in early October

by neil hodge
Times & transcript staff

Moncton will have the fourth overall pick in the 2011 National Basketball League of Canada draft, a three-round event which takes place on Aug. 21 in Toronto.

The first round of the draft is for free agent players only. The second and third rounds are designated strictly for Canadian players age 18 and over.

"Each team must have a minimum of two Canadians on their roster. Only those players who attend the league combine will be eligible for the draft."

The Saint John Mill Rats, Halifax Rainmen and Quebec Kebs left the Premier Basketball League after the 2011 season. The owners of those franchises found new markets and in May announced the creation of the NBL of Canada.

The new league will have seven teams in its inaugural season with new franchises in Moncton, Charlottetown, Oshawa, Ont. and London, Ont.

Oshawa owns the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, followed by Charlottetown at No. 2, London at No. 3, Moncton at No. 4, Saint John at No. 5, Halifax at No. 6 and Quebec at No. 7.

Each team will have 10-12 players and a $150,000 salary cap for the season. Teams will acquire three players in the draft and then round out their roster by landing (non protected players from existing franchises) and free agents from anywhere in the world.

The established franchises in Saint John, Halifax and Quebec are each allowed to protect five players who were on their roster last season in the PBL.

Moncton will play a 36-game regular season, something that features six contests against each opponent. The league expects to announce its regular season schedule this week.

Training camps will begin in early October. The league's regular season will open in late October in some markets and early November in others. The top four clubs will make the playoffs and the champion will be determined by mid March.

Moncton's franchise has a deal in place for use of the Moncton Coliseum. The building now has co major tenants with the professional basketball team and Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

"Things went really well in Moncton with city council unanimously approving the building deal for the team," said Levingston. "The stars are definitely lined up in Moncton and you're going to see professional basketball there this season."

Moncton's owner, team name, jersey colours and logo, head coach, general manager and ticketing details haven't yet been unveiled. The franchise and the city are currently working on a plan to introduce the team and generate exposure in the community.

The head coach will be announced in the next couple of weeks prior to the draft. It could be that most of the other details will be announced in a news conference later this month after the draft.

Halifax has had a professional basketball team the past four years and it averaged 4,000 fans per game in the 2011 season. Saint John is coming off a successful first season with an average of 3,700 fans per game.

Teams in Canada's first professional basketball league will have an annual operating budget of $500,000 to $750,000. Levingston said that teams will need to average approximately 2,000 fans per game combined with other revenue streams such as sponsorship.

Levingston pointed out that he's already received inquiries from other cities that may be interested in joining the league for its second season.

Personal note - let's hope these inquires are serious. The league desperately needs at least 3-4 additional central Canadian franchises to make a go of it. The main priority now is just to survive the first season.....