International Basketball League

Last updated
International Basketball League (IBL)
International Basketball League logo.png
International Basketball League logo
Sport Basketball
FoundedAugust 2004;19 years ago (2004-08)
Inaugural season 2005
Ceased2014
No. of teams13
CountriesFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Continent FIBA Americas (Americas)
Last
champion(s)
Bellingham Slam (2014)
Most titles Bellingham Slam (4)
Official website www.ibl.com

The International Basketball League (IBL) was a semi-professional men's basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States. In 2010 the Albany Legends became the first team in the Northeastern United States to join. The IBL also sometimes featured teams from China and Japan which temporarily relocated to the United States for the IBL season. The IBL season typically ran from the end of March through July.

Contents

History

Founded by Portland area sports promoter Mikal Duilio, [1] the league featured rules designed to create a fast-paced, high-scoring brand of basketball. Duilio first began planning for the league with a series of test games in Portland and Seattle in November 2003. These games featured a mixture of traditional college and NBA rules, plus two rules created specifically for the league:

The test games proved popular and resulted in the founding of the IBL in August 2004. Founded with eight teams, the league expanded to 17 by the start of the season in April 2005. Each team played approximately 20 regular season games, most of them centered on their home region, with the teams with the two best records playing in a championship game at the end of the season. The Battle Creek Knights won the inaugural title by going undefeated in the regular season and beating the Dayton Jets in the finals.

In the league's first year, the up-tempo rules resulted in the average team scoring 126.9 points per game, nearly 30 points more than the NBA team average in 2004–05, and slightly higher than the NBA record for points per game by a team in a single season, set by the Denver Nuggets in 1981–82.

In 2010, the league launched a winter season which saw nine different teams compete. Four teams played an entire schedule and thus made them eligible for the playoffs. [2]

In July 2011, Duilio sold the league to Vancouver, Washington, businessman Bryan Hunter. [3] Sharleen Graf was appointed as the league's new commissioner. [4]

In March 2014 the IBL ceased operation as an independent entity and combined with the West Coast Basketball League (WCBL). [5] Teams were split into an 'International Conference' and 'Continental Conference' based on geography. The owner of the NBA over the past decade has actively been internationalizing the game by recruiting potential international players and expanding overseas markets. [6]

Teams

International Conference TeamCity, StateArenaFoundedJoined
Bellingham Slam Bellingham, WA Whatcom Pavilion 20052007
Lone Star Strikers Conroe, TX Oak Ridge High School2013
Olympia Reign Olympia, WA Little Creek Casino2008
Portland Chinooks Beaverton, OR Eastmoreland Courts2009
Salem Sabres Salem, OR Chemeketa Community College 2013
Seattle Flight Seattle, WA North Seattle Community College Wellness Center2013
Vancouver Volcanoes Vancouver, WA O'Connell Sports Center 2005
Continental Conference TeamCity, StateArenaFoundedJoined
Hollywood Shooting Stars Hollywood, California 20122014
Los Angeles Team Macleem Los Angeles, California Mt. Carmel Recreation Center20142014
Malibu BeachdogsMailibu, California20142014
Santa Barbara Breakers Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara City College 20062014
Santa Monica Jump Santa Monica, California 20122014
Venice Beach Warriors Venice Beach, California 20132014

Joined other leagues

Teams history

Champions

YearChampionScoreRunner-up
2005 Battle Creek Knights 124-121 Dayton Jets
2006 Elkhart Express 119-108 (OT) Columbus Cyclones
2007 Elkhart Express 113-109 Portland Chinooks
2008 Bellingham Slam 118-111 Elkhart Express
2009 Los Angeles Lightning 2-1 (best-of 3) Oregon Waves
2010 Summer Albany Legends 126-111 Bellingham Slam
2010 Winter Kankakee County Soldiers 88-87Gary Splash
2011 Vancouver Volcanoes 124-116 Edmonton Energy
2012 Bellingham Slam 142-109 Portland Chinooks
2013 Bellingham Slam 117-114 Vancouver Volcanoes
2014 Bellingham Slam 143-126 Vancouver Volcanoes

Wins by club

TeamChampionshipsSummer SeasonsWinter Seasons
Bellingham Slam 42008, 2012, 2013, 2014
Elkhart Express 22006, 2007
Battle Creek Knights 12005
Los Angeles Lightning 12009
Albany Legends 12010
Kankakee County Soldiers 12010
Vancouver Volcanoes 12011

Notable people

Commissioners

Players

Coaches

Final regular season standings

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References

  1. "Portlanders start pro hoops league". Portland Business Journal. 17 August 2004.
  2. IBL 2010/11 Winter Division Championship Tournament
  3. IBL ownership fills void for driven Hunter
  4. "International Basketball League Names New Commissioner". Our Sports Central. 23 July 2011.
  5. "WCBL joins IBL in vision for minor leagues". Our Sports Central. 28 March 2014.
  6. Kawashiri, Kyle (2020-09-02). "The Societal Influence of the NBA". Pop Culture Intersections.
  7. Weekly Sports and Franchise Report
  8. Weekly Sports and Franchise Report
  9. Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
  10. Titans Decline to Participate on 2011 IBL Season Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
  12. Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report
  13. "Vander Velden takes the helm in Battle Creek", IBLHoopsOnline.com, 24 October 2006, International Basketball League, retrieved 27 December 2007