New hoops league tips off in Sarasota – Sports – Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The Gulf Coast Lions of The Basketball League start play Saturday at Booker Excessive

He wasn’t about to lie. Martin Benders was fairly shaken up, as could be any normal supervisor of a nascent sports activities group desirous to announce, “We’re right here!”

Downside was there wasn’t a set of ears to listen to it.

The GM of the Gulf Coast Lions of The Basketball League did what he thought was enough. Benders despatched out press releases and invited Sarasota’s movers and shakers to attend in August the group’s introductory press convention.

Nobody budged. Martin Benders might have interviewed Martin Benders. Not a pocket book or tv digital camera within the room.

“That was positively very scary,” he mentioned. “It was very tough. However that’s OK as a result of I do know it takes time.”

The time of the Lions is almost upon them. Saturday night time they open their inaugural season on the Booker Excessive health club towards the visiting Tampa Bay Titans.

Final season, Benders served because the Titans’ coach. However on Thursday he was a GM a couple of months on the job, nonetheless making his approach round his new residence, handing out enterprise playing cards and attempting to get a metropolis to care.

He secured college students from Booker Center College to be ball girls and boys for Saturday’s opener. Benders reached out to the Protected Kids Coalition, Suncoast Charities for Kids, Group Tony Most cancers Basis and the Boys & Ladies Golf equipment of Sarasota County.

“We’re searching for any alternatives to work with youth,” he mentioned. “We’ve informed the neighborhood facilities that we’re keen to host a free camp or clinic to assist educate the sport to the children.”

Gamers in The Basketball League don’t dream of spending their careers there. It’s a developmental league to earn a fats contract abroad or a shot within the G League, the official minor league of the NBA.

However whereas they’re in TBL, gamers will adhere to the league’s mission assertion of creating a distinction within the lives of youths.

“They’re actually good within the faculties,” mentioned Dave Magley, president of TBL and the previous boys coach at Bradenton Christian. “They’re nice within the faculties and in the neighborhood.

“We’re attempting to show these guys tips on how to leverage their movie star for extra than simply getting with women or making a couple of dollars.”

Apart from teaching basketball at Oldsmar Christian College, Benders was founder and CEO of the Tampa Athletic Achievement Program.

At TBL homeowners’ assembly in July, Benders went as a consultant of the Titans. There he realized what it will take to begin a franchise from the bottom up.

When he returned he mentioned it with Mario Lovett, a starter for 3 years on the College of Central Florida basketball group and CEO of Tampa’s Legacy Athletics.

With Lovett serving as one of many majority homeowners and Benders proudly owning a minority share, the Gulf Coast Lions had been born.

For Benders, being concerned with basketball gamers attempting to achieve the subsequent degree isn’t far faraway from the assistance he supplied children in Tampa.

“It suits excellent for what makes us really feel good,” Benders mentioned. “Altering lives. To each of us this was a no brainer. Mario mentioned he was going to fall in love with the chance and concept to assist these guys pursue professional careers.

“It’s what we’re good at. Working with younger folks.”

The method hasn’t been with out hiccups. The Lions scheduled their Media Day for Thursday morning however needed to scrub it when their new uniforms weren’t delivered by the league in time.

And Benders was requested concerning the $15 value for an grownup ticket. A tad steep?

“If we don’t cost no less than $15 then we are able to’t pay the gamers and we are able to’t offer you knowledgeable product. Actually we’re proper there, scraping the tip. We’re not attempting to get wealthy off it.”

As a substitute, Benders prefers to concentrate on the advertising alternatives. TBL video games are streamed to 143 nations and all through all 50 states. A Sarasota/Bradenton enterprise that advertises with the Lions might have it seen around the globe.

“VIP suites with 4 seats on the sideline of the court docket with their promotional stuff up there,” Benders mentioned. “It’s seen on cameras and commentators are speaking about it.”

Benders hopes of us speak about his Lions. Two of their gamers, ahead Tavares Sledge (23.three ppg, 13.7 rebounds) and level guard Charlton Jones (24.6 ppg, 7.eight assists), had been among the many finest gamers within the league final season.

Victories are essential in any sports activities league. However Magley thinks his league is completely different.

“I believe it’s extra essential that they’re entertaining video games,” he mentioned. “I believe in the event you’ve obtained good dancers, DJ . . . it’s leisure. If it’s entertaining and the video games are good, the followers are going to come back again as a result of they actually take pleasure in what they see.”

For Benders and the Lions, all of it ideas off Saturday night time. And the various days that comply with.

“We didn’t suppose it was going to be straightforward,” he mentioned. “However we wish to make this into the most effective groups in TBL. TBL goes to be round for a very long time, we wish to be one of many leaders in that league and it’s going to be proper right here in Sarasota County.

“That is the place we’re and we don’t plan to go anyplace.”