Canadian Basketball League (CBL)?

National Basketball League of Canada

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IceManLikeGervin
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The Basketball Hour (Dec 6)

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:17 pm

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IceManLikeGervin
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Joined:Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:42 pm

In The News

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Fri Dec 11, 2015 2:53 am

Click link for Ottawa Citizen site: http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/basketb ... n-february
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The start of the season got pushed back and the lineup of participating teams got changed, but the Canadian Basketball League will tip off in early February and it will include an Ottawa-based club, Butch Carter says.

Carter, the former NBA player and Toronto Raptors coach who is the driving force behind the new CBL, reaffirmed Thursday that the Ottawa club would play out of the Ravens’ Nest at Carleton University, with as many as 10 home games in its initial season.

Other teams will be based in Scarborough, Hamilton and Durham, which has taken the place of a planned Waterloo club that was put off recently.

“The only way to get the Canadian Basketball League started is go all-out,” Carter said in a telephone interview. “You have to appreciate all the people that come to help you along the way and, the ones that won’t, you have to learn to stay away from them.”

Carter had previously talked about starting CBL play in mid-December, but venue-availability issues dashed that plan. He preferred not to start the league with three teams, so the long-time Toronto resident — even though he was dismissed as Raptors coach in 2000 — said he went back to the drawing board.

According to Carter, the National Lacrosse League has performed well with its short-season model, while Major League Soccer, which started out with a centralized business structure, has been the most successful pro sports league launch in North America in recent times.

He maintains that the four CBL teams would be able to find enough players even though February-April is near the end of the traditional North American basketball season.

“There’s an unbelievable inventory of players,” Carter responded, adding he was well aware that the game product wouldn’t be in Year 1 what it would be in subsequent seasons. “So the thing is, moving forward in the future, as the new (international basketball) rules come into effect, hopefully we deliver and get bigger sponsors involved so we play at a higher level and have a nice product.”

There will be no CBL player draft, Carter added. Each team is responsible for recruiting and signing players. There will be a cap on overall expenses, so, for example, any team saving money on rent could transfer those funds to player salaries.

While Carter said Thursday it was likely the Ottawa franchise would be CBL-owned, he wouldn’t reveal a team name or potential staff members. “We’ll have to wait for that announcement,” he said with a laugh, pointing to an expected release on Jan. 4.

The Ottawa SkyHawks played in the National Basketball League of Canada in 2013-14, but, after drawing small crowds to Canadian Tire Centre, shifted games to Collège de l’Outaouais and La Cité Collégiale. The franchise was voted out by other CBL owners for failing to “adhere to league standards as set out in the operating agreement and deadlines set forth to prepare for the (2014-15) season,” which in part involved failure to repay funds that had been loaned in mid-season.

The NBL is scheduled to start its fifth season with one team each in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, two in New Brunswick and four in Ontario: London, Niagara, Brampton and Windsor.

IceManLikeGervin
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Joined:Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:42 pm

Uniform Jersey?

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:31 am

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Last edited by IceManLikeGervin on Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

IceManLikeGervin
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Joined:Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:42 pm

On Hold Until Dec 2016?

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Tue Mar 01, 2016 5:03 pm

Click link for The Record site: http://www.therecord.com/sports-story/6 ... is-season/
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Plans for this month's launch of an upstart professional basketball league, fronted by a former Toronto Raptors head coach, have been shelved until December.

"We could not start with three teams and deliver the vision the (Canadian Basketball League) has for a FIBA rules basketball league," league founder Butch Carter said in a statement.

Back in November, Carter postponed the rollout of a community-owned Waterloo-based club in the proposed four-team Ontario loop until next season.

Other franchises were set to hit the floor in Scarborough, Ottawa and Hamilton this month.

But the CBL was unable to secure a venue for the Hamilton team, the Ohio-born, Indiana University-educated Carter said, and a January start was scrubbed.

"I will take full responsibility for this issue. We will do a better job to secure facility co-operation in the future," he added.

The CBL, Canada's first pro league to play under FIBA rules, is intended to provide a home for some of the 250 Canadians currently playing basketball south of the border or overseas, he said.

The still-unnamed Waterloo franchise, the only league team to play in a hockey arena, was stalled by a more complicated launch at the Waterloo Memorial Rec Complex, Carter said in November.

The increased changeover costs to a basketball arena and nine home dates that conflicted with the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers' schedule provided big obstacles, he said.

Last year, Carter wrote an in-depth 111-page business plan for his league based on formulas used by the Canadian Hockey League, Euroleague Basketball and Major League Soccer.

Carter has said he won't join forces with an existing Canadian pro basketball league, the nine-team National Basketball League of Canada, because he said its business model is not sustainable.

In September, Waterloo city councillors voted to support the local CBL franchise with nearly $50,000 in upgrades to the Rec Complex and other costs to be paid back with three per cent interest.

City officials said they expected a profit of about $381,000 from the new team after six seasons.

"We are sitting and watching," said the Waterloo team's chief executive John Thompson. "And then we will look at our options.

"All of a sudden we have some time on our hands."
Last edited by IceManLikeGervin on Thu Jun 23, 2016 5:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

IceManLikeGervin
Posts:36744
Joined:Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:42 pm

In The News

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Thu Jun 16, 2016 12:40 am

Click link for WC site: http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/sports- ... -staffers/
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The Canadian Basketball League has been ordered to pay an undisclosed amount of money to two former employees based in Waterloo Region.

The CBL, headed by former Toronto Raptors coach Butch Carter, attempted to have a Waterloo franchise in the upstart league starting last fall, but plans fell through late in the process.

Two employees were hired by the league to carry out startup duties. Both employees were terminated, but not all owed wages were paid, according to the claim. The two claims made against the CBL covered unpaid wages, deductions, vacation with pay, public holiday, wage statements, overtime pay, termination pay and severance pay.

The order to pay was issued by the Ministry of Labour on May 30 after a hearing, according to a Government of Ontario spokesperson. The government would not release the names of the complainants, nor would it release the dollar amount of the claims.

According to Carter, though, the complaint was more of a misunderstanding than an attempt to withhold wages.

“I thought I hired someone as a consultant. Basically, the way the labour laws read is when you hire someone, after 90 days, it’s like hiring them for a year. And I did not understand that,” said Carter when reached for an interview last week.

He insists he did not intentionally withhold money from the two employees.

“I’m not going to run from my obligations. The issue at the end of the day was we asked for a hearing because I had the wrong interpretation.”

Carter added that through his years of business ownership, he has had approximately 500 employees and has never had a situation like this.

Carter and the CBL were trying to establish Waterloo as its cornerstone franchise, with other teams across Ontario to follow. The team even got as far as hiring a head coach and naming a CEO, John Thompson, but plans fell through.

Thompson, now part of an effort to establish a National Basketball League team, is aware of the situation, but declined to comment.

In May, National Basketball League of Canada commissioner David Magley told the Chronicle there will be a Waterloo franchise for the 2016-2017 or 2017-2018 season. The league, which is just finishing its fifth season, is looking for investors to pay the franchise fee. A decision on that team is expected by the end of the month.

IceManLikeGervin
Posts:36744
Joined:Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:42 pm

In The News

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Thu Jun 23, 2016 5:56 pm

Click link for CanHoops site: https://canhoopsca.wordpress.com/2016/0 ... ue-update/
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As most have heard over the past several months/years, ex-Toronto Raptor Head Coach (and former Indiana University/NBA star) Butch Carter has been pounding the pavement to establish a second Canadian professional basketball league. Plans have been in the works for going on almost two years now and given today’s announcement, it appears that the league is getting set to kick off shortly.

With today’s press release/launch which we received by e-mail, Carter is announcing a four-team inaugural season – start date not immediately announced – and a partnership with Yes TV to broadcast the games (see more below).

More important in my opinion is the league’s affiliation with FIBA, also announced. By partnering with the global professional governing body for basketball, the league gains some measure of credibility although it is not clear whether there are now commercial advantages that CBL will enjoy as a result. Interestingly, there are no references that we can find on the FIBA web site or other that confirm CBL’s FIBA affiliation.

While the press release cites 4 teams in the first season, the league’s slick CBL web site refers to 5 teams as follows: Scarborough B.C., Ottawa, Wellington, Hamilton United and Durham United (all 5 teams have logos however no other information).

Yes TV (excerpted from Wikipedia) is owned by Crossroads Christian Communications and consists of three stations located in the Greater Toronto Area, Calgary, and Edmonton, and two partial affiliates in Newfoundland and Victoria, British Columbia. Formerly known as theCrossroads Television System (CTS), the three stations air a lineup consisting predominantly of Christian faith-based programming, such as televangelists and Crossroads’ flagship program 100 Huntley Street.

During the late-afternoon and evening hours, Yes TV broadcasts secular, family-oriented sitcoms, game shows, and reality series; the system’s September 2014 re-launch as Yes TV emphasized its newly acquired Canadian rights to a number of major U.S. reality series, such as American Idol and The Biggest Loser. Outside of the three Yes TV stations, the system has also syndicated its acquired programming to other Canadian independent stations. It is operated out of Crossroads’ headquarters in Burlington, Ontario. The channel can be streamed free of charge in Canada via the Yes TV tvOS app on the Apple TV. The Crossroads Television System originally consisted of a single television station, CITS-TV in Hamilton, Ontario (also serving Toronto), with rebroadcast transmitters in London and Ottawa. CITS, launched in 1998, was the second religious terrestrial television station launched in Canada, after CJIL-TV in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Yes TV’s web site http://www.yestv.com/ has features Carter’s league on their home page:

Canadian Basketball League Exclusive: Launches October 2016

Former Toronto Raptors head coach Butch Carter has developed a domestic professional basketball league that would help groom Canadian talent while also attracting quality players from abroad. The Canadian Basketball League will start with — 10 Ontario-based teams, followed by six in western Canada — it will thrive by providing affordable entertainment in mid-sized markets while allowing hopeful pros on modest salaries to nurture NBA dreams. YES TV has a long term agreement as the exclusive broadcaster of the LIVE game of the week produced by Dome Productions. CBL will also provide YES TV with a weekly game recap in 30 minutes tentatively title “CBL in 30”. Our partnership with CBL includes co-operative participation in local charitable community events focused on family and youth.

Here is the entire press release:

Canadian Basketball League Update (Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016)

Toronto, ON – With the Canadian Basketball League’s inaugural season right around the corner, the CBL is set to launch in December with four teams. The CBL is excited to announce the partnership with YesTV as of June 4th, 2016. YesTV currently has coverage in 93% of Ontario homes and 84% of Alberta homes which ultimately replicates the footprint for the CBL. Furthermore, the CBL is also proud to announce the partnership with a large media company in the Greater Toronto Area for the upcoming season.

With the growth rate of basketball in Canada rising higher than the growth rate of hockey, this presents a unique problem. “The problem is that historically some basketball supporters have requested money in the past years but have failed to accurately report how the money was being used. This issue created an atmosphere of distrust with corporate sponsors.” – Butch Carter, CBL founder and former NBA head coach.

Corporate Sponsorship in Canada is in the 1.3 to 1.7 billion-dollar per year range. With that in mind, less than 1% of that money goes to basketball outside of the Toronto Raptors. In the near future, the CBL will file with Canada Basketball for FIBA Certification. This FIBAapplication process is not complicated and was thoroughly explained to the Canadian Basketball League in a meeting in May. This step is critical in the growth of basketball in Canada. Canada is still the largest country in the world that does not have a professional basketball league fully FIBA and WADA compliant.

The CBL would finally like to wish Canada Basketball the best of luck in their qualifying campaign in the Philippines. Canada is set to tip off against Turkey on Tuesday, July 5th at 6:30am (EST) and Wednesday, July 6th at 6:30am (EST) against Senegal. Join us in giving Canada Basketball our best wishes in their qualifying campaign for Rio 2016.

For more information, please contact the Canadian Basketball League Head Office at info@canadianbasketball.com or (416) 203 0442.

IceManLikeGervin
Posts:36744
Joined:Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:42 pm

In The News

Post by IceManLikeGervin » Wed Sep 07, 2016 5:39 pm

Click link for GT site: https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/ ... lph-381923
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The former head coach of the Toronto Raptors is planning to bring his dream of a professional basketball league to Guelph.

League sources confirm that Guelph is one of the locations planned for the Canadian Basketball League that is planning to begin play this winter.

Butch Carter fronts the league and they have reserved gym space at the new Mitchell Athletics Centre at the University of Guelph.

Accommodations have also apparently been tentatively arranged for players.

The other three teams in the league are based in Hamilton, Durham and Scarborough, all playing out of mid-sized university or college gymnasiums.

Carter has been trying to get the league going for a couple of years.

He had a booth set up at Guelph Ribfest recently promoting the as-yet-unnamed Guelph franchise and made a $1,000 donation to the Rotary Club. A name-the-team contest is planned.

Carter would not comment on the record, nor would local contacts identified as being connected to the Guelph team.

But a league source confirmed that a Guelph team would be one of four teams in the Canadian Basketball League that would start play in either mid-December or January.

Lease agreements for two of the teams were still in the works.

Teams would play a 30-game schedule under FIBA rules and be required to carry four Canadian players on their 12-man roster.

The season would conclude in March with a weekend playoff tournament.

The league source said teams will have to average 1,200 fans per game to break even.

A deal to have a game of the week shown on YES TV has also been arranged.

Carter tried to get the Canadian Basketball League going last winter but ran into difficulties when he couldn't secure proper facility agreements.

A proposed team for Waterloo fell through.

There have been various attempts to start professional basketball leagues in Canada, including the current National Basketball League of Canada, which has had mixed success over its five years. That league just added a team in Kitchener.

Guelph's previous foray into semi-professional basketball did not go, or end, well.

The Ontario Professional Basketball Association was started in 2004 by a group of Guelph entrepreneurs.

While the product on the court was of high quality, the league suffered and financially folded before the end of its first season.

The Guelph team in that league drew around 500 fans to games at the Mitchell Athletics Centre.

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