BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Doug Kirchhofer announces The Crown's entry into the IBL.
(AP photo)
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Doug Kirchhofer insists he does not view Cincinnati's entry in the coming International Basketball League as competition for the city's two Division I basketball programs.
As part-owner of the Crown, where the team will play its home games, he instead expresses enthusiasm about the possibility of having former Cincinnati Bearcats and Xavier Musketeers on the team's roster as a result of the league's regional draft concept.
"I think it's a matter of taking advantage of extreme high levels of interest," Kirchhofer said. "The level of interest here indicates there's a market for professional basketball."
However, the structure of the IBL, announced Tuesday in teleconference with league CEO Art Cipriani, indicates an intention to compete with colleges for uncommitted talent.
The league was introduced with eight teams: Albuquerque, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Richmond, Va., San Diego and Tampa, but could have as many as 12 by the time competition starts in November 1999.
Cipriani said the league's top players will earn salaries up to six figures. The IBL is pursuing television contracts with the help of former CBS Sports president Neil Pilson. Kirchhofer said a regional cable deal is a possibility.
Cipriani said teams will have to draw between 4,000-5,000 at an average ticket price of $10-12 to break even. The IBL is banking on receiving major corporate sponsorship -- something similar to golf's Nike Tour. The Crown is expected to receive rent payments from the IBL for use of the facility, which will help make it financially viable for the arena.
The league will have its first player draft next June and will accept applications from college players who wish to forego the remainder of their eligibility. All teams must include one non-U.S. player.
Cipriani said the IBL also would welcome players who fail to achieve NCAA eligibility as freshmen and are not interested in sitting out a year to join college teams.
The "life readiness program" the league developed -- which stresses health, finance and personal developement -- is designed for players who forego all or part of college.
However, players who fit that description in recent years, such as guard Ronnie Fields of Chicago and forward Stephen Jackson of Texas, struggled when they entered the Continental Basketball Association without college experience.
"We're not going to actively recruit those players," Cipriani said. "There's an extensive talent pool and demand for basketball that is untapped. Our objective is to provide affordable sports entertainment for families."
Cipriani said all IBL players will be employees of the league and that marketing and management also will be coordinated at that level.
The structure is similar to that of the CBA, whose teams are owned by separate entities but whose players are employees of the association.
But unlike the CBA, whose players are available to join NBA teams during the season, the IBL will have a no call-up rule, forcing players to sign one-year contracts so they won't leave for a better opporunity. That may limit the talent pool.
"The reason . . . is to provide continuity for the team," Cipriani said. "At the end of the year, if there's still interest to move on, that player will be able to."
