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LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
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RandomFan Offline
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LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
Quote:LaVar Ball said Wednesday that he's launching a basketball league for nationally ranked players who have graduated from high school but don't want to go to college.

Ball's Junior Basketball Association, which he says is fully funded by his Big Baller Brand, plans to pay the lowest ranked player a salary of $3,000 a month and the best player $10,000 a month, Ball said. Ball is looking for 80 players to fill 10 teams that will seek to play at NBA arenas in Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn and Atlanta.

"Getting these players is going to be easy," Ball told ESPN. "This is giving guys a chance to get a jumpstart on their career, to be seen by pro scouts, and we're going to pay them because someone has to pay these kids."

Ball said the rules of his league will follow those of the NBA instead of college -- 12 minute quarters and a pro 3-point line.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...-graduates
12-20-2017 02:24 PM
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Bogg Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.
12-20-2017 04:23 PM
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tcufrog86 Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 04:23 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.

Especially trying to play in NBA arenas....plus don't these kids already get 10k per month at places like Louisville 05-stirthepot
12-20-2017 04:26 PM
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johnbragg Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 04:23 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.

Ahem. G League (Formerly D League)
12-20-2017 04:26 PM
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johnbragg Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 04:26 PM)tcufrog86 Wrote:  
(12-20-2017 04:23 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.

Especially trying to play in NBA arenas....plus don't these kids already get 10k per month at places like Louisville 05-stirthepot

Right. And you're living the undergraduate college life, as campus royalty without really worrying about classes anyway.

I'm still wondering when the SEC office will realize that between quality-of-life and SEC Network TV exposure, they could really challenge the baseball minor leagues for talent.

"Hmmm, I could spend three years in Gainesville and then go back in the draft, or I could go now and probably spend a year in Lakewood or Clearwater, FLA, then a year in Reading or LEhigh Valley, maybe make the Phillies in year 3."
12-20-2017 04:31 PM
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Bogg Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 04:26 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  
(12-20-2017 04:23 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.

Ahem. G League (Formerly D League)

Those teams are all functionally backed financially by the NBA (in almost all cases a single NBA team has control and/or outright ownership). They don't have to make money to be financially viable, they just have to be seen as useful enough by a parent club to justify a relatively small annual subsidy. They don't pay anywhere near the top-end salaries that LaVarr is proposing to pay either. What's being proposed is a truly independent national circuit playing in major cities (with major city rent). I support the idea behind it, but I don't see it working.

(12-20-2017 04:31 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  
(12-20-2017 04:26 PM)tcufrog86 Wrote:  
(12-20-2017 04:23 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.

Especially trying to play in NBA arenas....plus don't these kids already get 10k per month at places like Louisville 05-stirthepot

Right. And you're living the undergraduate college life, as campus royalty without really worrying about classes anyway.

Eh 100k a year in cash, plus being eligible to sign endorsement deals right away, goes a long way too (insert Louisville joke here). If the minor leagues ever start paying a worthwhile wage you'll see lots of kids decide to skip out on offers from Duke and Kentucky to jump into the top tax bracket a year or two early.
12-20-2017 04:46 PM
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tcufrog86 Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 04:31 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  
(12-20-2017 04:26 PM)tcufrog86 Wrote:  
(12-20-2017 04:23 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I mean, something like this probably does need to exist, but I just don't see how it'll wind up financially viable.

Especially trying to play in NBA arenas....plus don't these kids already get 10k per month at places like Louisville 05-stirthepot

Right. And you're living the undergraduate college life, as campus royalty without really worrying about classes anyway.

I'm still wondering when the SEC office will realize that between quality-of-life and SEC Network TV exposure, they could really challenge the baseball minor leagues for talent.

"Hmmm, I could spend three years in Gainesville and then go back in the draft, or I could go now and probably spend a year in Lakewood or Clearwater, FLA, then a year in Reading or LEhigh Valley, maybe make the Phillies in year 3."

College baseball has already made massive strides in the last 10 years or so in getting talent in college baseball vs. the minor leagues. Making college baseball more pitcher friendly by putting much stronger regulations around bats has resulted in more pitchers heading to college ball.

The very high picks still certainly lean pro because of the huge signing bonus, but TCU has had two 1st round MLB picks end up on campus in recent years (Matt Purke and Nick Lodolo).

There are other kids every year who basically tell MLB teams not to draft them because they are going the college route...i.e. Luken Baker for TCU.
12-20-2017 05:01 PM
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TexanMark Offline
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Post: #8
RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
This could be a good thing...but CBB needs rules like baseball.

Ofcourse, I don't see folks swarming to see these games...I expect crowds of 1-5k.
12-20-2017 05:11 PM
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gulfcoastgal Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
Interesting, I wonder how long he is prepared to back it. Will be quite the money loser, as are most start ups, in the beginning. Could be attractive to the $3,000 players from talent rich urban areas if local teams stay local...meaning players can live at home and help out. Otherwise, they'll need more subsidies to live in LA. OTOH, they'll be plenty of 23+ yr olds who haven't given up the dream willing to ball out and take on roommates.

I actually like the idea, just not sure how the application addresses the claimed need - 18 yr olds not wanting to go to college. The kids I volunteer with see getting away from their situation (albeit briefly) as appealing, and I have had many convos about the guilty feelings this brings up. Delayed gratification isn't a bad thing.
12-20-2017 06:20 PM
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ken d Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 02:24 PM)RandomFan Wrote:  
Quote:LaVar Ball said Wednesday that he's launching a basketball league for nationally ranked players who have graduated from high school but don't want to go to college.

Ball's Junior Basketball Association, which he says is fully funded by his Big Baller Brand, plans to pay the lowest ranked player a salary of $3,000 a month and the best player $10,000 a month, Ball said. Ball is looking for 80 players to fill 10 teams that will seek to play at NBA arenas in Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn and Atlanta.

"Getting these players is going to be easy," Ball told ESPN. "This is giving guys a chance to get a jumpstart on their career, to be seen by pro scouts, and we're going to pay them because someone has to pay these kids."

Ball said the rules of his league will follow those of the NBA instead of college -- 12 minute quarters and a pro 3-point line.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...-graduates

Well, nobody ever accused LaVar Ball of being smart. Then again, if 80 high school players sign on for this, no one will accuse them of being smart either.

I wonder how much money his Big Baller Brand is actually making, since it would require profits to pay these salaries. I also wonder, if he is quoting a monthly salary, not a yearly one, exactly how many months he proposes to pay these kids. The G-League salaries are for a six month season. If his would be the same, the lesser players would get $18K a year compared with a minimum of $26K in the G-League.

As for giving these kids exposure, does he assume pro scouts aren't watching NCAA games?

Color me skeptical.
12-20-2017 06:55 PM
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Mister Consistency Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
He basically wants to launch the basketball equivalent of major junior hockey, though it doesn't sound like he'll be giving them any sort of college fallback plan like the Canadian Hockey League, or like what Pacific Pro Football is proposing.

I like the idea, and I do think it will work eventually, but not in LaVar Ball's hands.
12-20-2017 07:22 PM
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
He's looking at $5 million per year in player salaries. Probably that much again in overhead. That's a lot of shoes to sell.

I don't think he has a lot of friends in the NBA. Seems like an expensive undertaking to develop players for European leagues.
12-20-2017 07:25 PM
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
LaVar might be the last person on Earth I would want running any kind of league. He is a toxic parasite that feeds off attention. He needs to just stick to ruining the lives of his children and away from anyone else.
(This post was last modified: 12-20-2017 07:41 PM by NDBison.)
12-20-2017 07:39 PM
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Love and Honor Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
The thread title makes me wish that he was naming this "The LaVar Ball basketball league for players who can't read good and don't want to learn how to do other stuff good too."
12-20-2017 07:57 PM
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
While G League has a number of teams in the metro of the team they are affiliated with (just as the USL does with the MLS teams they are affiliated with), playing in the big arena isn't common.

Take Memphis for example. The Memphis Hustle plays in an 8300 seat arena in the far southern suburbs instead of FedEx Forum.

The Grizz control booking of FedEx Forum and they did not want to put their G League team there because it means missing dates for concerts and special events which produce more income per event than a basketball game. Alltel (now Verizon) Arena in North Little Rock made no effort to keep Arkansas-Little Rock basketball because the arena's profit per date was less than concerts and other events. The arena actually became more profitable with the loss of basketball and minor league hockey.

I don't expect to see NBA arenas offering Ball the sort of pricing that will make it viable. A small town or suburban arena that doesn't have a permanent tenant might just for the cash flow but if you already have that locked in why give up the premium pricing you charge for concerts, ice shows, and other events?
12-21-2017 10:50 AM
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YNot Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
Good luck using a name or logo that bears any similarity to the NBA...
12-21-2017 10:53 AM
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
Is a league like this a good idea?

Probably.

My worry wouldn't be the message but the messenger.

I don't know if I'd trust this guy as far as I could throw him, let alone allow my teenage son to sign a contract with him.....
(This post was last modified: 12-21-2017 03:03 PM by BadgerMJ.)
12-21-2017 02:12 PM
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
Fundraising to launch this idiocy is not an issue. There are idiots willing to fund nearly anything, at least initially. The big issue is organization.

The NBA G-League is more a money drain than money maker, subsidized by the NBA, and still not paying enough to keep many borderline NBA players staying in the states, as they can make more in Europe (counting Israel, Turkey and Russia also as Europe for the sake of argument) or China. The two-way contracts have helped. But all this is just the money. The organization includes practice and game facilities community buy-in, even sometimes construction. In addition there is the staffing, the training, ticket sales and all other administrative overhead. Most of all over a decade of hard work to build up the league to what it is now.

Can LaVar Ball actually organize anything more than a weekend AAU tournament? Probably not. Or if so not well. My own guess is it would resemble something like the Drew League, a sort of pro-am summer league, with minimal if any coaching, played in LA Area High School and Junior College Gyms. This would eliminate the travel aspect. But it would bring up the problem of competing with all sorts of local organizations to get gym time during the regular Basketball season. January to early march would be especially problematic. Funding would not come from gate, bit rather some media deals with somebody like Facebook or some local sports networks. Like AAU games, gate maybe pays for refs and scorekeepers, and little else. Basically it will look like 13th grade High School AAU, and probably not very many prospects of any kind, and no quality coaching.

Not terribly appealing.
12-21-2017 02:46 PM
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johnbragg Offline
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-21-2017 02:12 PM)BadgerMJ Wrote:  Is a league like this a good idea?

Doesn't a league like this already exist? How is this that different from the D-League/G-League?
12-21-2017 03:14 PM
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RE: LaVar Ball to start league for HS Grads that don't want to go to College
(12-20-2017 07:57 PM)Love and Honor Wrote:  The thread title makes me wish that he was naming this "The LaVar Ball basketball league for players who can't read good and don't want to learn how to do other stuff good too."

Lavar reminds me of Derek Zoolander in a lot of ways, even down to somehow managing to marry a pretty blond woman who is relatively normal.
12-21-2017 03:15 PM
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