Basketball Ref Pro Basketball Circuit

Across the U.S., each new basketball season brings a bevy of fledgling minor league basketball teams, all looking to establish themselves in the world of semi-pro sports. Unfortunately, almost all of these teams will fold in less than one season. Some estimates place the number of failed basketball teams over the past decade as higher than 200.

For the newly forming Pro Basketball Circuit, the existing model is flawed. Minor league sports in the United States cannot draw enough attendance to support the professional model; even the NBDL, affectionately known as the ‘D-League’, cannot draw enough fan support to be considered successful, despite the fact that the league is a subsidiary of the NBA.

So what makes the PBC think they can succeed where so many have failed? For starters, the league intends to create a system where teams play tournament-style play, with several teams at a single location, eliminating much of the cost of travel that often spells doom for new franchises. The majority of minor league teams barely break even or suffer slight losses on each home game, but take it on the chin when they hit the road.

Additionally, the PBC breaks the level of play into multiple divisions, allowing teams to move up or down in competition. The PBC also will heavily manage and regulate many of the things that wreak havoc in minor leagues: scheduling, referees, transactions and rosters. Many minor league owners complain about the lack of organization among existing teams and leagues.

The league also has options for players who want to gain exposure but cannot afford to leave their current jobs and families to chase a roster spot overseas. The league is going to propose a system for those players that will allow them to band together and play in games which fit around their schedule.

While only in the early stages, it’s unclear if this new model is radically different than what has come before, and only time will tell. Players, coaches, agents and potential team owners can learn more about the PBC by visiting ProBasketballCircuit.com.

By Marcus Shockley

Little Rock Lightning Logo

The Little Rock Lightning, a new ABA franchise based in Arkansas, is beginning the work for their first season. With tryouts already scheduled for July 16-17, 2011, Bernard Brown, one of the team’s owners, is looking forward to the new endeavor. “We’re probably going to have a couple more tryouts,” says Brown, who is also networking in the Arkansas area to ensure that players are aware of the new opportunity.

The Lightning are not associated with the former ABA team that was located in the Arkansas area in 2004, the Rim Rockers. This team is a completely new team, but Brown is hoping to repeat something that the Rim Rockers did, which was bring some former Arkansas Razorbacks to the roster. The team hasn’t designated a coaching staff yet, as the season does not start until December 2011, but they are already working in the community.

Normally the Lightning expect to play between 30-35 games, but the schedule is still being determined. We will be featuring more information and follow ups with the team as they begin tryouts and of course, follow the team as they kick off their inaugural season.

Basketball Elite is proud to be a media partner for the the Little Rock Lightning and wish them much success in the coming year.

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By Marcus Shockley

One of the focuses of BasketballElite that we’ve worked on over the past year is to bring in a lot of the basketball life that people don’t know about, specifically that basketball that is played outside of the NBA. That’s why it was great to feature pro point guard Rashuan Davis a few months ago.

When we last spoke with Rashaun Davis, he was about to head overseas to play professionally in Bosnia, not somewhere that many Americans are familiar with. Over the Holidays, I caught up with Rashaun and was able to get his thoughts now that he’s had a chance to get some court time and try and get acclimated. Here’s his update on his foray playing basketball in Bosnia:

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The Dayton Air Strikers an expansion team in the PBL will be holding tryouts on December 10 thru 12. The tryouts will be held at the Downtown Dayton YMCA, 316 N. Wilkinson Street, Dayton, OH 45402. Please check the Air Strikers website for more information: www.daytonairstrikers.com

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Hey, if you like this kind of basketball coverage, do yourself a favor and sign up for the BasketballElite.com newsletter, which is free for basketball lovers.