The Basketball League
Upcoming season or competition:  2019 TBL season | |
 | |
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| Inaugural season | 2018 |
| CEO | Evelyn Magley |
| President | Dave Magley |
| Commissioner | Paul Mokeski |
| Motto | “Where the spirit of the game lives” |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Countries | United States Canada |
| Continent | FIBA Americas (Americas) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Yakima SunKings (2018) |
| Official website | thebasketballleague.net |
The Basketball League (TBL) is a minor professional basketball league operating in North America that began play in 2018 as North American Premier Basketball (NAPB).
Contents
1 History
2 Teams
2.1 2019 teams
2.2 Future teams
2.3 Former teams
2.4 Team timeline
3 Seasons
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
History
On July 7, 2017, Dr. Sev Hrywnak and Dave Magley announced the formation of a new professional basketball league. Magley previously served as commissioner for the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).[1] Dr. Sev Hrywnak is the owner of the Rochester Razorsharks. Teams are based throughout the United States and Western Canada. Over the course of two years, the league administration located cities that formerly hosted basketball teams in the defunct Continental Basketball Association, the Premier Basketball League, defunct NBA teams and other potential sports markets. The purpose of the league is to provide opportunities for community involvement particularly schools from the elementary to high school levels. Programs include players reading to younger children, hosting basketball camps for teens, and speaking in school-wide assemblies about substance abuse and staying in school.[2]
The league launched its inaugural 2018 season with eight teams: the Albany Patroons, Kansas City Tornadoes, Kentucky Thoroughbreds, Nevada Desert Dogs, Ohio Cardinals, Rochester Razorsharks, Vancouver Knights, and the Yakima SunKings. The Ohio Cardinals were replaced midseason by the Ohio Bootleggers, a team operated by the former ownership of the Vancouver Knights.
On February 25, 2018, Dave Magley stated that there were four more approved franchises in Bellevue, Washington, Raleigh, North Carolina, Tampa, Florida, and San Diego, California, with the goal of 16 total well-funded teams, for a 2019 season.[3]
After the first NAPB season, Magley acquired the league as sole owner, moved the headquarters to Indiana, and named Evelyn Magley as the new CEO. On July 14, the league was rebranded as The Basketball League (TBL).[4]Paul Mokeski, head coach and general manager of the Nevada Desert Dogs during the inaugural season, was then named commissioner of the league for the 2019 season.[5]
Teams
2019 teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Patroons | Albany, New York | Washington Avenue Armory | 3,600–4,300 | 2017 | 2018 | Derrick Rowland |
| Jamestown Jackals | Jamestown, New York | Jamestown Community College | 1,400 | 2015 | 2019 | Mark Anderson |
| Kansas City Tornadoes | Kansas City, Missouri | Hy-Vee Arena | 8,500 | 2017 | 2018 | Eddie Corporal |
| Mesquite Desert Dogs | Mesquite, Nevada | Rising Star Sports Ranch | 600 | 2017 | 2018 | Carlnel Wiley |
| New York Court Kings | Queens, New York | Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens | 200 | 2012 | 2019 | |
| Owensboro Thoroughbreds | Owensboro, Kentucky | Owensboro Sportscenter | 5,000 | 2017 | 2018 | Adam Chrisco |
| Raleigh Firebirds | Raleigh, North Carolina | Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School | 2,000 | 2018 | 2019 | Robert Brickey |
| San Diego Waves | San Diego, California | San Diego Mesa College | 1,500 | 2018 | 2019 | Adrian Hayes |
| Tampa Bay Titans | Tampa, Florida | Memorial Middle School | 1,000 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Yakima SunKings | Yakima, Washington | Yakima SunDome | 6,159 | 2017 | 2018 | Paul Woolpert |
Future teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joining | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas Redbirds | Dallas, Texas | 2018 | 2020 |
Former teams
| Team | City | Arena | Seasons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue | Bellevue, Washington | — | — | Announced 2019 NAPB expansion team; never mentioned after transition to TBL |
| Ohio Bootleggers | Westerville, Ohio | Otterbein University Rike Center | 2018 | Originally the Ohio Cardinals; franchise transferred to the owners of the Vancouver Knights during the 2018 season; not listed by TBL as a 2019 member |
| Rochester Razorsharks | Rochester, New York | Blue Cross Arena | 2018 | Played the 2018 NAPB season and was among the teams listed as members in the TBL; removed as listed members upon 2019 schedule release |
| Vancouver Knights | Richmond, British Columbia | Richmond Olympic Oval | 2018 | Ownership transferred during the 2018 season; not listed by TBL as a 2019 member |
Team timeline
Current teams in tan
Former teams in dark tan
Announced future teams in green
Seasons
| Season | Regular season champion | Regular season MVP | Playoff champion | Playoff runner-up | Playoff MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Yakima SunKings | Edwin Ubiles (Albany) | Yakima SunKings | Albany Patroons | Renaldo Major |
See also
- List of current The Basketball League team rosters
References
^ "KU notebook: Ex-Jayhawk David Magley leaves Canada pro league for new venture in U.S." The Kansas City Star. July 2, 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "The North American Premier Basketball League". NAPB.
^ "State of the NAPB: Magley shares thoughts on first half of season". NAPB. February 25, 2018.
^ "Meet the First Black Female Owner of a Male Professional Basketball League (Not a Team, But a League!)". Black News. July 17, 2018.
^ "Mesquite (Nevada) Desert Dogs coming back for 2019". Mesquite Local News. August 17, 2018.
External links
- TBL website
