ENID, OK - Owners of the Enid Outlaws held a press conference on Monday, September 14 to announce the return of professional basketball to Enid, Oklahoma. Kevin Boryczki, Stride Bank Center General Manager, welcomed everyone and talked about the return of professional basketball after 13 years. He described the Stride Bank arena as actually being built for a professional basketball team.
David Magley, President of The Basketball League, described his league as community based. They plan on taking the celebrity of the players and using that to engage kids and get to know them by name. The team wants to bring entertainment to Enid but more importantly they want the players to leave an impact on the local youth which is their most important goal.
Magley said, "We're going to score more than in the NBA because we can't afford the big guys." He continued by saying, "We're going to have athletes get up and down the court and play very fast paced basketball. We'll have games, we'll have mascots, we'll have everything professional basketball is supposed to be."
The Team Market Owner, Jonathan Reed, has been a part of the semi-professional league at a level that was set pretty high. He talked about being able to step it up a notch by giving Enid a better product, more stability, more consistency, and do something that Enid will be proud of.
Reed is no stranger to professional basketball, a player himself, he has guided the Outlaws’ teams to numerous championships in the teams 12 year history. Jonathan, also played professionally 10 years, brings great knowledge of the game with a proven model of player development as well as the ability to manage and develop a successful basketball organization.
Brian Jamison, General Manager of the Outlaws, said, "We want to make sure that we are community driven. It's a great time for us." He also stressed, "We want to embrace the kids and provide an impact."
City of Enid Manager, Jerald Gilbert said, "The City is one thousand percent behind this basketball league. This town is always looking for things to do."
Reed said the team would be recruiting players worldwide but wanted to focus on Oklahoma first. They're going to spot fill. They want to get Oklahoma guys that are tied to our state.
The season should begin the last week in February 2021 and end the first week in June. The league will include about 32 teams and will play a 24 game schedule, 12 at home and 12 away. The schedule should be out by November.
All games in the league will be streamed on a platform called Sportscaster. Anybody can be the broadcaster of the game using their app and have their own followers. A green screen comes up and shows the game behind the fan broadcaster. It grew their livestream by ten fold during the last season.
There are three teams in Texas, one in Little Rock and one or two that look promising in Kansas and one in Nebraska. After that the teams are spread out all over the country including New York, Florida and California.
Ticket prices will be around $7 - $8 for student tickets, general admission at $10 - $12 and court side being closer to $25.
Salary prices for players will range from $1500 a month to $5,000 depending on the market, crowds and ticket sales. The team break even point will be about 500 tickets sold. A team selling 1,000 tickets will be doing very well.
The Basketball League uses almost all NBA rules but they use the European rule for offensive and defensive goaltending. Once the ball hits the rim it's live. It makes the game more exciting.
Reed said no players have been signed yet but there tryouts are getting ready to begin. The team will first be looking for local talent and the players that are the right fit.
Magley wants there to be more than just basketball. He said dancers will be a big part of the entertainment. They want families to have fun.
Enid was once home to the Oklahoma Storm basketball team from 1999 to 2007. The Oklahoma Storm was a United States Basketball League team. Founded by sports agent and attorney James Sears Bryant, the Storm successfully captured the USBL championship under head coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2002, defeating Kansas with a final score of 122–109.
For more info contact Enid Outlaws:
enidoutlaws@onpointhoops.com
FB, IG, Twitter @enidoutlaws
For more info on TBL:
Info@thebasketballleague.net
941.685.5965
FB @thebasketballleague.net
IG @tbasketballeague
Twitter @TBLproleague
