IBL Announces New- Department of Marketing Communications
March 24, 2010 - International Basketball League (IBL) News Release
This spring the International Basketball League is taking its media and marketing strategy to the next level by creating a Department of Marketing Communications, which will oversee all public relations and media activities for the business units of the IBL including television, film, Internet, marketing, merchandising, marketing partnerships, media sales, and social networking. The department is also responsible for communications strategy and outreach supporting an IBL Community and a Player Programs department, which integrates all of the league's existing programs that promote player social and community responsibility and support player growth and development. As an example, the department will coordinate the league-wide volunteer program, where IBL players donate time to support local programs and causes. IBL teams and players have already been heavily involved in their local communities and the commissioner Mikal Duilio sees this as a win-win where the players learn about service and cooperation while also using their talents and experience to reach out to local youth. The new Director of Marketing & Communications will be Dr. Ernest Morrell, a professor of media and cultural studies at UCLA. Morrell, who also owns and runs an independent record label, has worked in the past with upstart community and professional organizations to use social networking and virtual marketing techniques to reach wide audiences, particularly young people, who access much of their information via social media. Morrell also plans to recruit regional marketing interns from local colleges and universities to help with generating content for the traditional and social media outlets. Says Morrell- "What better way to learn about the business of sports than to be involved in an up and coming professional basketball league? The interns will bring a level of excitement and energy to the league's marketing activities while gaining valuable skills that they can use to further their careers in sports or whatever they decide to pursue." Morrell and Duilio plan to hire interns immediately so all interested students should contact Dr. Morrell at ernest@iblhoopsonline.com. Internships are available immediately and in fact, an internship job description can be emailed upon request. # # #
The following two pages-are a detailed description of the International Basketball League
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
The International Basketball League (www.IBLhoopsonline.com) is a sixth year professional level basketball league with teams from America, Canada, China and Japan. The following bullet points illustrate some of the important features of the IBL.
The IBL is international: Shanxi China and Edmonton Canada competed in the IBL 2008 season and in the 2009 IBL season, a team from Japan (the Nippon Tornadoes) and a second Canadian team-the Titans from British Columbia (Canada) competed in the IBL. In addition to teams from Asia and Canada playing in the IBL, various IBL teams including the Central Oregon Hotshots have played games in China.
An entertaining game-by allowing only one timeout per quarter, and reducing dead time with an immediate inbounds, International Basketball League games are always fast and entertaining and the contest only lasts 2 hours.
Dates of play: the IBL season occurs after the NBDL season is over; the IBL season occurs after overseas leagues have been completed. The IBL season finishes about one week prior to the NBA summer leagues, NBA summer camps and various overseas tryouts occur. The IBL season occurs from late April through the last day of June with playoffs on July 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The timing of the IBL season has led to great players wanting to play in the league-players who need to continue their development or maintain their development. These players go on to overseas jobs after the IBL season. The IBL has become a development league due to the timing of the IBL season; it all started with the 2007 IBL season-as that season ended-102 IBL players went on to play overseas basketball-and so-this 2007 IBL season was the year that established the IBL as the league to play in-to get or maintain an overseas basketball job.
Former NBA players that have played in the IBL: 23 former NBA players have appeared in the IBL including former NBA All Stars Tim Hardaway, Dennis Rodman and Shawn Kemp. Two former NBA all stars have coached in the IBL-Terry Mills (a full season) and Slick Watts (an All Star game). A team in Los Angeles features six ex-NBA players.
Highest attendance: An impressive attendance was garnered at an IBL game played in 2006 in Portland Oregon at the Rose Garden where 4,400 fans watched the Portland Chinooks beat the Vancouver Volcanoes (video available on the IBL web site, click on Vancouver Volcanoes); a year later, that attendance record was eclipsed when 6,000 fans saw the Elkhart Express (IN) beat the Grand Rapids Flight (video found on IBL web site, main page video player).
Key feature of the IBL for an owner: the IBL was designed around the concept of creating extremely low travel costs for the owners- organizing teams in regional clusters has enabled the IBL to offer owners an unprecedented one flight guarantee'. The one flight guarantee' has led to team and league stability (stability relative to the minor league basketball industry). International Basketball League teams can play a variety of opponents from all over the country, indeed, from all over the world, but the owners only have to budget for one flight per year. This efficiency is not only for the North American teams but this one flight guarantee also applies to international teams, who can play a complete twenty game schedule with just their single flight to the United States (Asian teams are based out of either Seattle or the USBA camp in Oregon).
An arena league: IBL teams are upgrading playing venues for the 2010 season and beyond. In fact, any expansion team past the 2010 season will be required to have an arena deal in place. This arena movement reflects the progression of the league, including high level talent that has recently landed several prominent positions overseas and received workouts with NBA franchises. The Central Oregon Hotshots will be playing games at the Redmond Events Center. The Battle Creek Knights return to the IBL in 2010 and will play at Kellogg Arena. The Albany New York Legends will play in the legendary Washington Avenue Armory. The Los Angeles Lightning is expected to play one or more games at the LA Sports Arena in 2011. Yakima will be entering the league in 2011 and will be playing at the Yakima Sun Dome. Idaho will be entering the league in 2011 or 2012 and will be playing in a brand new arena. Several other IBL teams are already playing in Arenas or at Colleges, including: Edmonton Energy, British Columbia Titans, Bellingham Slam, Kankakee County Soldiers, Vancouver (USA) Volcanoes, and the Holland Blast. Central Oregon Hotshots' owner Mikal Duilio-"we are already efficient and well branded but now it is time to put our talent and the IBL game in a professional level venue...and where game night is a night out/an event".
IBL players secure tryouts with NBA teams: Tyler Amaya of the Bellingham Slam was invited for a work out with the Houston Rockets. Bryson McKenzie, who averaged 17.8 points and 14.6 rebounds in the 2009 IBL season for the Vancouver Volcanoes played with Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat in the summer league. Many other players in the past and present have and will have attempts to make an NBA roster. One team in the International Basketball League-has a lot of NBA experience in their past- the L.A. Lightning-
Defending champion's roster features six ex-NBA players: the Los Angeles Lightning struck gold in their second IBL season as a 6 pack of former NBA players led the L.A. Lightning to the IBL 2009 Championship-a championship series heralded as one of the best in minor league history. The Lightning beat the Oregon Waves 2 games to 1, capped by a 111-94 triumph on July 28th at Cal Lutheran University. For the first time, there were six former NBA players on one IBL team - Lamond Murray (Clippers) a 12-year NBA veteran who averaged 26.3 points in the finals and was named MVP, Fred Vinson (Seattle Supersonics), Toby Bailey (Suns), Bryon Russell (Jazz), Darrick Martin (Clippers) and Juaquin Hawkins (Rockets). Other greats for the Lightning were Trayvon Lathan, a slashing 6' 7" guard who plays above the rim, ex-UCLA star Billy Knight, 6' 11" Chris Ayer, and Adam Parada, a 7' 0" foot center who shot 69% for the season. The Lightning off season has seen multiple offers to play internationally. Says owner Mark Harwell: "This means a lot for the community and building for the future".
Overseas relationships: Terrance Dickens, who coached the Oregon Waves during the 2009 IBL season, placed five players overseas after the 2009 season-and has received multiple offers for former all Pac-10 forward David Lucas. Dickens himself was a candidate for two coaching jobs in China and one other in Japan. One of the players Dickens helped place in Japan, Michael Parker, is considered one of the best players in the league, and another, Richard Ford, is an explosive player who averaged 25.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game during the 2009 IBL season. Recently in Japan, Dickens, who also serves as IBL Deputy Commissioner had the pleasure of meeting with league Commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi. Another IBL coach, Theo Evans of the Vancouver Volcanoes, was highly successful for a professional team in Romania as their head coach during the 2008-2009 season and, upon completion of the 2009 Volcanoes season, was invited back to coach for the same Romanian team for 2009/2010; Theo brought multiple IBL players with him, including Volcano point guard Kevin Tyner. Most every Vancouver Volcano player is an overseas player. Theo, himself was a coach in the recent/2010 All Star game in Romania.
About IBL founder Mikal Duilio: Mikal Duilio has operated sports leagues and events for 25 years. As a teenager from 1985 to 1992-Duilio founded and directed the Indianola Jamball League (Iowa). In 1992, Duilio obtained a Masters Degree from Iowa State University and moved to Portland, Oregon where he founded and directed PortlandBasketball.Com in 1993-for sixteen years and running-PortlandBasketball.Com has been and is- the world's largest basketball league with 6,500 amateur basketball games per year. Duilio founded PugetSoundBasketball.Com in Seattle in 2004, but sold the business within a year. In November of 2003, Mikal Duilio founded the International Basketball League concept with test games in the Pacific NW; the first official International Basketball League game occurred in April of 2005-on that opening night-former NBA All Star Tim Hardaway scored 45 points (for a team in Waterloo, Iowa) in a 129 to 131 overtime loss. The International Basketball League is heading into its sixth year-with opening night in Holland Michigan Friday March 26th (2010).
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