BY The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati will join seven other cities in hosting teams in the International Basketball League, scheduled to begin play in November 1999, according to the league's website, www.iblhoops.com
Details on Cincinnati's team will be announced at a news conference today at the Crown, where the team will play the home games on its 64-game schedule.
The league's website said each team will have 12 players, one of who must be an international player. All players will be under contract to the league and be assigned to teams. Sources said players from an area would likely be assigned to the team in that territory to help generate local interest. A release on the website promised players would stay with a team for an entire season to promote fan familiarity.
Besides Cincinnati, IBL teams will be in Albuquerque, N.M., Baltimore, Jacksonville, Fla., Las Vegas, Richmond, Va., San Diego and Tampa Bay. The league wants to expand to 20 teams worldwide in five years.
The Cincinnati Silverbacks soccer team left the Crown last Wednesday after the Crown officials decided the facility didn't have enough weekend dates to offer them.
Cincinnati has not had a professional basketball team since the Cincinnati Slammers played in the Cincinnati Gardens in the late 1980s.
Sarah Dose and Dave Heller contributed to this report.
