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National Basketball League Of Canada

  • Thread starter Thread starter canadianhoops882
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canadianhoops882

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Great news for basketball in Canada! I have been waiting a long time for an announcement like this!

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Official Website:
National Basketball League of Canada

Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/nblcanada?sk=info

Twitter Page:
NBL of Canada (NBLCanada) on Twitter
 
Tip Off in Fall

Tip Off in Fall

Canadian basketball league to begin in fall

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Three Canadian basketball teams are banking on the prospects of a new professional league in the country.

The Halifax Rainmen, Saint John Mill Rats and Quebec Kebs have joined forces to form the National Basketball League, set to begin its inaugural season in October.

While numerous basketball franchises and leagues in Canada have failed to survive in the past, Andre Levingston is confident they'll be the ones to buck the trend.

"We thought the time was right," Levingston, the president and CEO of the Rainmen, said in a phone interview from Halifax. "There's definitely a thirst and passion for the game of basketball in the country.

"We thought, if there ever was going to be a time to do it, it was now. The country needs it and wants it and we want to bring it to them."

The Rainmen, Mill Rats and Kebs -- who all left the Premier Basketball League after this past season amid complaints of poor management -- are the league's only three teams thus far.

But Levingston said he's received commitments from Kingston, London and Barrie, Ont., and has had interest from officials in Oshawa, Windsor and Kitchener, Ont., along with Moncton and Fredericton.

A league stipulation would see at least two Canadian players on each team.

The World Basketball League -- which included six Canadian teams -- was founded in 1987 by a group that included NBA Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics great Bob Cousy. That league, which had a height restriction of six-foot-five and under, folded in 1992.

The all-Canadian National Basketball League, which included eight teams, started up the same year but barely got off the ground, folding after less than two seasons.

"I don't know why the other leagues failed," Levingston said. "We feel we have timing on our side, for one, and I don't know if the teams were getting the corporate support that we're getting, and I guarantee you they wouldn't be sitting with these individuals in the '90s that we had today with us."

One of those individuals was Sam Mitchell. The former Toronto Raptors head coach, a longtime friend and business associate of Levingston's, was at Thursday's news conference in Halifax to announce the new league.

The Rainmen, Levingston said, averaged more than 4,000 fans a game last season.
Click to expand...

-Sports.Net-Canada
 
This is fantastic news!! I'm really glad that they've got something going. If they can just make it viable; find some way for it to make money.
 
This great news indeed for Canadian basketball. I love the logo.
 
I hope eventually they get some western teams. Maybe Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, etc.
 
NBL Awaits fee from franchise applicants

NBL Awaits fee from franchise applicants

Moncton and four other Ontario based teams (Oshawa, London, Kingston and Barrie) are expected to pay an initial fee in the form of deposit cheques as a step towards membership of the NBL. Deadline is this coming Friday.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Sports/1244469.html
 
It seems that canada invited a chinese NBL's team to join the league.
 
Chinese media are reporting that the league has invited teams from China, Japan and Puerto Rico while the league is covering all the expenses.

I highly doubt that this is feasible financially.
 
From Japan, I hear names like the Shizuoka Gymrats and Tornadoes Hoops (トルネード) as guest teams.
 
It looks like there will be at least 8 teams this coming season. London, Oshawa, Kingston, Barrie and Charlottetown PEI have submitted applications and deposits before the deadline. Nothing is formalized from Moncton NB and Laval QC, but that could change.
 
It appears now that Barrie is in for this season. So it apparently will be an 8 team league in their inaugural season.

On a side note, I noticed that the only pro team that currently exists in western Canada is the Edmonton Energy, currently playing in the International Basketball League. This new Canadian league might look to get them to join in a couple of years as part of a western expansion.
 
Eight teams is pretty good. I wonder what they are doing that is so effective in recruiting sponsors. Normally, a league in North America opens with four teams and has none at the end of the season.
 
mvblair said:
Eight teams is pretty good. I wonder what they are doing that is so effective in recruiting sponsors. Normally, a league in North America opens with four teams and has none at the end of the season.
Click to expand...
Well ABA ALWAYS has 100+ teams at the beginning but ~20 (nobody knows for sure) at the end (again, the website doesn't even show when).

If you look at the NBL teams here, the Kebs, the Rainmen and Millrats were all once upon a time in the ABA (Millrats were based in Manchester, New Hampshire) but then migrated to the PBL. This is migration #2. If they can survive ABA AND PBL they should be considered stable teams.
 
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