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*** ALL AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE ***
 | Here comes the MPPBL. Or not ? | |
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| |  | After folding in summer of 2005 without playing any official game, the All American Professional Basketball League could be replaced in 2006-07 by a new professional league based in North-West USA. Its name could be the Mountain Plains Professional Basketball League (MPPBL). Last month, some members of the management team of the San Jose (Calif.) Sky Rockets visited Great Falls, Montana, on a fact-finding mission. They were interested in medium-size markets like Butte, Great Falls and Lethbridge, Alberta, to start a low-cost league, to serve as developmental league for young players. Joe Clark, general manager of the San Jose team, said his ownership group wanted to "cultivate strong local relationships," including selling up to 20 percent of the club to local investors. "We're trying to be conservative with our estimates," stated Clark, who said the team payroll can't exceed $120,000 for a 10-man roster. Players get free housing for the four-month season, which would begind Dec. 1 and end in early April with the playoffs. Just after the trip to North, however, the San Jose Skyrockets group joined the CBA, and announced the opening of three other CBA franchses located in Western USA. Let's wait and see.... |
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| Incredible !! The AAPBL folds !! | |
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| | | After running two different players drafts and compiling lots of allocation lists, after completing a two weeks Summer League and after that the league boss had declared that the best players in the league would have made $40,000 (a pretty good salary for a startup league), the All-American Professional Basketball League announced on Monday, August 1 it was ceasing operations effective immediately..... The league president and CEO Worth Christie announced in a prepared statement that the league is "immediately cutting all outgoing financial obligations. Therefore we have to terminate all employees immediately. Right now our immediate concern is to stop all expenses from continuing to mount." Strange to hear that the AAPBL has no money, however, because the two-week AAPBL Summer League - Tryout camp drew 128 players who paid $1,000 each for the right to take part in the camp..... |
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| Summer League Draft results | |
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| | | Over the past weekend, the All American Professional Basketball League coaches conducted a draft of summer league players to protect for invitation to their respective team training camps. Each of AAPBL's 10 teams will invite 15 potential players to their respective training camps to be held in late-October. From these 15, 10 players will be selected to fill each of the 10 rosters. Following is a list of the draft protection picks:
BILLINGS RIMS
Will Moore (Texas Tech)
Cedric Moodie (Ball State)
Demarcus Hense (Southeast Missouri State)
Luke Kunkel (Rocky Mountain College)
BUTTE BANDITS
Eric Walton (San Jose State)
Steve Horne (University of Montana)
Tai Tuisamoa (University of Regina)
Joseph Britto (Univeristy of Mass, Darthmouth)
Rashad Powell (University of Idaho)
Derrick Lemuel (Mesa State College)
GREAT FALLS COWBOYS
Joe Buck (University of Southern California)
Anton Lyons (University of Idaho)
Matt Ludtke (University Of Montana Western)
Drieke Bouldin (Fresno State)
HUTCHINSON BALLHOGS
Ryan Lohfink (Bethel College)
Davin White (Cal State Northridge)
Derrick Grant (College of New Jersey)
Gerald Johnson (Fayetteville State University)
Malik Edwards (Cascade College)
Brian Zirkle (St Francis College)
LINCOLN GENERALS
Kameron Gray (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)
Terris Sifford (Winston Salem State)
David Johnson (Bluefield College)
David Finklea (Creighton University)
MANKATO MALLARDS
Nate Miller (St Cloud State)
Quincy Hinton (Mars Hill College)
Carlton Dean (Hiram College)
Kellen Fernetti (Hannibal LaGrange)
MINOT MINUTEMEN
Peron Austin (Colorado St Pueblo)
Justin Murray (Washington State)
Jason Smith (University of Mississippi)
Darius Pope (Colorado St Pueblo)
Booker Nabors (Boise State University)
Troy Gwynn (Lemoyne-Owen)
TOPEKA TORNADO
Majestic Mapp (University of Virginia)
Marvin Johnson (Missouri Valley College)
Michael Dyson (Olivet College)
Travis Canby (Kansas State University)
Adrick Hills (Bethel College)
WICHITA BOMBERS
Tony Qorri (Mesa State College)
WYOMING GOLDEN EAGLES
Glenn Jones (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)
Mike Scott (Eastern Kentucky)
Leroy Hickerson (Cumberland University)
Paul O'Liney (Missouri State)
Greg Hendricks (Moorhead State) |
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| Dispersal Draft for the AAPBL | |
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| | | Some days ago, the All American Professional Basketball League conducted a dispersal draft of players from the CBA and NBDL leagues. 2004-05 All-CBA Player of the Year Sam Clancy (201-F-80, college: USC) of the Idaho Stampede was first draft pick by the AAPBL's Mankato Mallards. Second pick was Britton Johnsen (208-F-79, agency: Priority Sports, college: Utah) to the Hutchinson BallHogs. Mike Moten, coach of the Butte Bandits, chose Bobby Lazor (205-F-76, college: Arizona St.) as number 3. The top 3 draft picks all hail from the CBA. The coaches of each of the 10 AAPBL teams will follow up with their draft picks by phone or by letter and will retain right of first refusal through the 2005-2006 season. Following is a list of the dispersal draft picks:
BILLINGS RIMS: Jackie Butler (CBA) Toshiro Germany (CBA) Randy Livingston (CBA) Kasib Powell (CBA) Chad Prewitt (CBA) Alhaji Mohammed (CBA) DeSean Hadley (CBA) Doug Overton (CBA)
BUTTE BANDITS: Bobby Lazor (CBA) Donald Williams (CBA) Patrick Okafor (CBA) Brian Lubeck (CBA) Darrin Hancock (CBA) LeRoy Hurd (NBDL) George Williams (NBDL) Byron Mouton (NBDL)
GREAT FALLS COWBOYS: Carlos Daniel (CBA) Maurice Spillers (CBA) Kevin Sweetwyne (CBA) David Jackson (NBDL) Ronald Blacksheer (NBDL) Gary Hill-Thomas (NBDL) Miah Davis (NBDL)
HUTCHINSON BALLHOGS: Britton Johnsen (CBA) Adam Parada (NBDL) Casey Sanders (CBA) Melvin Sanders (CBA) Lazarus Sims (CBA) Reggie Jordan (CBA) Cordell Henry (CBA) Derrick Zimmerman (NBDL)
LINCOLN GENERALS: Stais Boseman (CBA) Jermaine Walker (CBA) Reed Rawlings (NBDL) Keith Closs (CBA) Marshall Phillips (CBA) DeeAndre Hulett (CBA) Livan Pyfrom (CBA) Omar Cook (NBDL)
MANKATO MALLARDS: Sam Clancy (CBA) Ramel Curry (NBDL) Andre McCullough Shawn Daniels (CBA) Sam Cook
MINOT MINUTEMEN: Charles Gaines (CBA) Alpha Bangura (CBA) Brad Buddenborg (CBA) Jerome Beasley (NBDL) Austin Nichols (NBDL) Seth Doliboa (NBDL) Kitwana Rhymer (NBDL) Sam Mack (CBA)
TOPEKA TORNADO: Billy Thomas (CBA) Lawrence Nelson (CBA) Wayne Turner (CBA) Derek Grimm (CBA) Lonnie Jones (CBA) Juaquin Hawkins (NBDL) Louis White (CBA)
WICHITA BOMBERS: Jarrod Gee (CBA) Bryant Notree (CBA) Julius Page (CBA) Romeo Augustine (NBDL) David Young (NBDL) Maurice Baker (CBA) Jeff Brandt (CBA) Alex Sanders (CBA)
WYOMING GOLDEN EAGLES: Darius Rice (NBDL) Nick Sheppard (CBA) Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (NBDL) Sung-Yoon (NBDL) John Smith (NBDL) Carl English (NBDL) Marcus Moore (NBDL)
The AAPBL will also run a draft of its summer league players at the end of the same league, on Friday, July 22. |
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| Moten will coach Butte | |
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| | | Mike Moten (203-C-71, agency: Agency No 10, college: Rhode Island), one of the most popular players on the IBA Billings Rimrockers (1998-2000), is ready to embark on the next phase of his professional basketball career - coaching. In fact, Moten is coaching the Butte Bandits during the All-American Professional Basketball League's summer tryout camp, which is under way at MetraPark Arena. AAPBL president Worth Christie confirmed to media that Moten will be the Bandits' coach when the league's inaugural season begins in November. For further news, rosters and stats of the AAPBL Summer League, check www.aapblsummerleague.com |
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| Change of teams line-up | |
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| | | The AAPBL announced that Pueblo, Colorado, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are out of the All-American Professional Basketball League. These teams will be replaced by two new franchises located in Minot, North Dakota, and Hutchinson, Kansas. The reasons why Pueblo and Cedar Rapids won' t be part of the AAPBL are some concerns with arena agreements and in a few other areas. Minot will join Billings, Great Falls, Butte and Casper in the AAPBL's Mountain Division. Hutchinson will join Wichita, Topeka, Lincoln and Mankato in the Plains Division. Of course, both Minot and Hutchinson will be part of the AAPBL Summer League, which begins Monday 11 and runs through July 22 at MetraPark Arena. |
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| Levingston joins Billings | |
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| | | The AAPBL League announced that ex NBA player Cliff Levingston has been hired as Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Billings Rims. |
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| Last transactions | |
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| | | The Wichita Bombers hired Rob Spon as coach and vice president of basketball operations. Spon, 42, minor league, college and prep coaching experience. The Bombers have also hired Wichitan Richard Pina as their vice president of sales and marketing. Former pro player Adonis Jordan (180-G-70, agency: China-Hoop, college: Kansas) agreed to coach the Topeka Tornado franchise. |
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| Berokoff will coach Lincoln | |
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| | | The Lincoln Generals of the All American Professional Basketball League announced Mark Berokoff as their Head Coach and Vice President of Basketball Operations. Berokoff comes to the Generals after a brief stint as the Assistant Coach to Hernando Planells, Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Wyoming Golden Eagles. |
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| Summer league website released | |
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| | | The AAPBL released over the past weekend the official Summer League website, in which it is possible to register for the tournment, scheduled for July 10-23, 2005 in Billings, Montana. Anyone interested can check www.aapblsummerleague.com |
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| Klucas will coach the Ball Hogs | |
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| | | The Cedar Rapids AAPBL team has chosen one of the most successful coaches in minor league basketball, Bill Klucas, to serve as their Vice President of Basketball Operations / Head Coach for the upcoming season. Klucas brings nearly 30 years of collegiate, international and professional coaching experience to his post with the Ball Hogs. |
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| Even the college players allocated to AAPBL teams | |
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| | | The league announced the next phase in the AAPBL's player allocation process. As was the case with the NBA player allocation the AAPBL will put into place a system with three NCAA Division One universities assigned to each AAPBL team. Each AAPBL team will have an exclusive rights period to offer players from their assigned schools a contract. If they do offer a contract the player will become a free agent and will be eligible to sign with another AAPBL team. In addition to the three schools assigned, any school within the same county of an AAPBL team will be included on that AAPBL teams list of protected schools. The assignments are as follows:
Butte Bandits: Oregon, Oregon State, Montana State
Billings Rims: Washington, Nevada-Reno, Gonzaga
Great Falls Cowboys: Montana, Washington State, Fresno State
Wyoming Golden Eagles: Wyoming, BYU, Utah
Pueblo Aztecs: Colorado, Colorado State, New Mexico
Lincoln Generals: Nebraska, Creighton, Drake
Wichita Bombers: Wichita State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Topeka Tornado: Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri
Cedar Rapids Ball Hogs: Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa
Mankato Mallards: Minnesota, Wisconsin, University Wisconsin – Milwaukee |
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