Thursday, January 17, 2002
Louisville officials discuss possible NBA team
By CHRIS DUNCAN
AP Sports Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Louisville officials say they will continue exploring the possibility of sharing a downtown arena with an NBA team, despite the Charlotte Hornets' intention to move to New Orleans.
The university's arena feasibility committee met Wednesday morning about the same time Hornets' co-owner George Shinn was meeting with his players at the team's practice facility in Fort Mill, S.C.
Shinn was expected to fly to Baton Rouge, La., later in the day and sign a relocation agreement with Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster.
Louisville Mayor Dave Armstrong has been pursuing the Hornets for months, and UofL emerged in recent weeks as a vital partner. Armstrong wanted UofL to share a proposed downtown arena with the NBA team, but UofL made several demands, many of which school president John Shumaker said weren't met.
Shumaker said Wednesday he and the mayor would continue working on a deal, regardless of what the Hornets did.
“It's probable there will be some other discussions about pro franchises here in the future,” said Shumaker. “This process really has to continue. We're committed to keeping the process going.”
UofL athletics director Tom Jurich listed the school's concerns about Armstrong's arena proposal at Wednesday's meeting.
Among them:
—whether UofL would be able to market courtside seats in the new arena like the ones it has started offering at Freedom Hall.
—whether the UofL women's basketball team would have the same access to the arena and face the same costs as the men's team would. Under Armstrong's proposal, UofL would pay about $30,000 for game-day expenses at the new arena.
“We would not expect to pay $30,000 a game for women's sports,” Jurich said.
—whether UofL sponsors would be able to provide services in the arena and whether UofL sponsors would have permanent arena signage.
Jurich specifically mentioned the Papa John's pizza chain, a direct competitor to Pizza Hut, which is owned by Tricon Global Inc., which is putting up millions for naming rights for the new arena.
Papa John's contributed millions to the construction of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, the home of Louisville football.
“We want to make sure we honor our agreements with Papa John's,” Jurich said. “They've been there for us when nobody else was, and they've built us to where we are today.”
Armstrong was scheduled to make a presentation before the arena committee but backed out to attend a funeral Wednesday.
Vicki Glass, a spokesman for Armstrong, said the mayor wouldn't comment on the Hornets' decision until he had spoken with Shinn or Hornets' co-owner Ray Wooldridge.
The Hornets would be the third NBA franchise to snub Louisville since 1999. The city also made unsuccessful bids to lure the Houston Rockets and Vancouver Grizzlies.
The latest push split the city's Board of Aldermen and divided state lawmakers, some of whom opposed a 5 percent surcharge on tickets to arena events that was part of the plan to finance the $313 million project.
Another chunk of the cost would be financed by a 30-year bond issue, and some aldermen said the city shouldn't incur a massive debt just before the city will merge with Jefferson County's government.
But Denise Bentley, the president of Louisville's Board of Aldermen, said the city should not give up on pursuing an NBA franchise.
“We need to stay prepared in case there's an opportunity for a future team,” Bentley said. “It's unfortunate we moved so slowly on the Hornets, and that's probably why they've landed in New Orleans.”
Jurich said the next time, city leaders will have to win over fans of the Cardinals.
“Louisville fans are biased, like their athletic director,” Jurich said. “They don't want change, they fear change, and that's understandable. The one thing we do is listen, and that they understand that with the change, we will always keep their best interests at heart.”
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Louisville officials discuss possible NBA team
