Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Stuff: Familiar faces, familiar problems
Team hopes local talent improves area's interest
BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
They're a minor league basketball team in a good college basketball town, which means the Cincinnati Stuff have a stiff fight ahead for the local sports dollar.
But the backers of the Stuff, Cincinnati's entrant in the inaugural International Basketball League, believe the caliber of talent and entertainment will be enough to lure local basketball fans beginning with the season-opener at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Firstar Center.
The players may not be good enough for the NBA but many on the Stuff roster — such as former Kentucky guard Wayne Turner and former Miami guard Damon Frierson — were good college players.
“People say, "What's with that league?'” Stuff coach and General Manager Joby Wright said. “People on the outside look at it as a question mark. People on the inside are saying, "This is great. We've got a chance to see something special happen here.'
“This ain't no joke. We're not the Boston Celtics, but I'm totally convinced this is going to be the highest level of basketball outside the NBA.”
The IBL is Cincinnati's third try at professional basketball. The Royals of the NBA had Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas and were often in the playoffs, but didn't draw well and moved to Kansas City-Omaha in 1972. The Slammers of the minor league CBA tried it in 1985, but folded after two seasons.
The Stuff's owners, including Cyclones owners Doug and John Kirchhofer and NBA Hall of Famer Robertson, are banking on the idea fans will show up because they love basketball and want something to do — and because the team has stocked the roster with players of local interest.
“Oscar wouldn't put his name on something with basketball if he thought it was a joke,” Wright said. “He's a proud man. We had an open scrimmage. He was sitting in the front row and he said to me, "Let's go, man.' That speaks for itself.”
But selling tickets could be tough. The University of Cincinnati is ranked No. 1 in the nation. Xavier remains one of the Atlantic 10's better teams and has hopes of making it back to the NCAA Tournament. Both often sell out, with UC drawing about 13,000 to the Shoemaker Center and Xavier 10,000 to the Gardens.
Miami is down this year, but the RedHawks gained new fans last year in the midst of Wally Szczerbiak-mania.
Kentucky, about two hours away, has a loyal, strong following in the Cincinnati area. Ohio State, also about two hours away, is ranked 12th nationally.
“There's obviously a tremendous interest in college basketball in this area,” Doug Kirchhofer said. “That means fans have put a lot of time and energy into following their careers. This league is an opportunity for those players to play in large markets and not have to go overseas to continue a professional career.”
What the Stuff have is guys who used to play for college teams but weren't good enough to make an NBA roster, including ex-UC guard Damon Flint and former Xavier guard Lenny Brown.
Ex-Fresno State forward Tremain Fowlkes, a former McDonald's All-American in high school, and ex-Louisville forward Alex Sanders also played well in college. NBA scouts are already looking at Sanders for next year's draft.
“We have young players who have the potential to play in the NBA, but they're not there because they need to develop their game to a higher level,” Wright said. “When we signed Wayne Turner (who had a brief run with the Boston Celtics), people were wondering what we've done to attract so many top players to Cincinnati.”
League organizers say each team, which operates under a $522,000 salary cap, must average about 4,000 fans to break even. Stuff officials hope to average around 4,000.
To attend, floor seats are $25, followed by $16, $13 and $10. That's about the same range as Reds tickets.
The IBL's financial backers believe in the league's profitability and it has several heavyweight names besides Robertson.
Baltimore Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken is a minority owner in the Baltimore Bayrunners. Former NBA coach and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff is the coach, GM and part-owner of the St. Louis Swarm. Former University of Virginia and Houston Rockets star Ralph Sampson is executive vice president and general manager of the Richmond (Va.) Rhythm, coached by former Charlotte Hornets coach Allan Bristow.
“It's a strong message, someone like (Ripken) making that move,” George Blaney, the league's vice president for basketball operations, told the Associated Press. “The fact that he's willing to attach his name to it, as well as his energy, tells you that he sees this as a good thing.”
But will it work in Cincinnati?
“That's where we have to go out and do a good job of connecting with the community,” Wright said. “Any opportunity we get, we have to go out and prove we're worthy of a look. When someone takes a look, they're going to say, "That's good basketball.'”
Wright likes Stuff's 'impressive' talent
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