Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Purcell summer league saved
New sponsor allows play to begin tonight
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The 14th summer of basketball at Purcell Marian High School begins tonight with a sigh of relief.
League director Dennis Bettis said there was a chance the league would be canceled this year after he found out two weeks ago he lost the sponsor, GTE Wireless.
But Keith McCluskey saved the day.
AutoNation USA at Fields Ertel, owned by McCluskey, will sponsor the summer league at least through the 2000 season.
“We really believe Dennis does a great job,” McCluskey Chevrolet General Manager Mike Kelsey said. “It just seems to be great basketball, and we're involved in a lot of different things in the community. We thought we'd step in and help them for a couple of years.”
GTE Wireless sponsored the summer league for two years, but declined to extend its sponsorship.
That meant Bettis had to find someone else. And fast.
“I was getting pretty frustrated,” he said. “I started making calls. At that late date ... corporations usually allocate money the year before. I needed to talk to someone who could make a decision right away.”
Bettis called everyone he could think of. One of his calls was to Kelsey, a former Xavier player, as is his son Pat, who graduated in 1998. McCluskey is also a team sponsor.
“He knows the importance of the league to the community,” Bettis said. “He saved the day.”
On Monday, Bettis was still scurrying to get shirts printed and ready for the teams. Tonight, it's time to once again open the doors to those who crave basketball in the offseason.
One guy who's glad the league will continue is Joby Wright, coach of the new Cincinnati Stuff International Basketball League team.
Wright, who has been scouring the city for talent, plans to be a regular at Purcell Marian, scouting players to join his team, which starts play in November.
“I'm going to be there as much as I can,” he said. “This is a big, big deal. I want to make sure I give every young man in this area a look and see every player who has the potential to help us win.
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