Atlantic Canada gets second local basketball team in 'league of hope'

Dave Magley began to examine pro basketball trends around the world years ago and thought he saw room to grow.

“In Germany, there are nine leagues,” said Magley.” There is the top league, then A-B-C-D leagues, all the way down. So why can’t we have multiple leagues in North America?”

That was thinking behind Magley’s strategy, who eight years ago helped to launch The Basketball League, or TBL. Magley is president of the league, which boasts 40 teams in North America.

And now, there are two in the Maritimes: The Port City Power in Saint John and the newest franchise, the Halifax Hoopers.

Magley said teams pay modest salaries and keep costs low, and they only travel within regional divisions during the regular season.

TBL teams also play their games in smaller venues. Instead of playing in the 10,000 seat Halifax Scotiabank Centre, the Hoopers plan to play at a smaller, local university facility.

“Eventually our goal is to be in the Scotiabank Centre, but we want to be able to fill a smaller venue first,” said Halifax Hoopers owner Geoffrey Clyke.

TBL teams will play close to 30 games, including playoffs. Many of them recruit home-grown talent to do it.

“We are looking to only have local players. We want to win with local players,” said Clyke.

Former Canadian National Basketball Team player Dwight Walton is the General Manager of the TBL’s Los Angeles Ignite.Walton said this league allows players to keep their careers going after graduating post-secondary school.

“It’s a league of hope and it’s a league of second chances,” said Walton, who added it is also another example of a new, professional league that has given more young athletes a place to play. “Why can’t we be like the PWHL, where those athletes say, 'you know what, I want to one day play in the Professional Women’s Hockey League?’”

Dalhousie University Basketball Men’s Head Coach Rick Plato is cautiously optimistic. If a professional team were to sign players graduating from the local universities, Plato said it might just work.

“It just makes young people aware that their career is not going to be finished once university is done,” said Plato.

Jayden Parker is already considering a professional career once he graduates.

“When I’m done university after my five years, I’m not just going to lose my love for basketball and I think having an option like this is a big deal,” said Parker, who plays for the Dalhousie University Tigers.

The newest TBL teams in Halifax and Saint John will begin play in March 2025.