The Latest from the League

As of today, June 18th, here is the latest from the Director of Operations office in Jacksonville, Florida. It is a hot and humid day here with the heat index hitting 105.......Oh wait, you don't want to hear about that, so let's get to some basketball.

Things are moving forward with interest coming most recently from Jacksonville, FL; Indianapolis, Akron, OH; Augusta, GA and Northern Virginia. We will be speaking with these prospective owners more this week and next in hopes of getting them secured as members of the Global Professional Basketball League.

We are hoping to gain more teams in the southern part of the US as we are in need of teams to create a division around our club in Baton Rouge, LA. Jacksonville and Augusta would be fantastic additions to the Southern Division, but of course we want to have more teams in that part of the country. We are always looking for prospective owners and we feel we have a business plan that will ensure success in any market. For more information, give me a call at 888-412-4725x503.

One thing that is very encouraging is the number of inquiries we have received from prospective players. To date, we have received about 30 calls and e-mails from players who would like to play in the GPBL. We are telling players to go to our website at www.thegpbl.com where in the next couple of days there will be more and more information on our Free Agent Camp and Combine that will be taking place August 14th and 15th in Canton, OH. All of our teams will be in attendance with the draft to follow on Sunday afternoon. There will be discounted rooms available at the Best Western in Canton for players who will be coming from out of town. As a side note, we also will be welcoming scouts from other leagues as well. If you are a scout from another league, please contact us before the camp so we can have more detailed information available for you at the door.

Until next week, that is about it from Jacksonville. For those fans out there who are reading on Blogger or through our newsletter, we thank you for your support of the GPBL. We are working hard to ensure the league and all of our teams are a success not only on the court, but off the court as well. Keep the questions and comments coming and I will make sure I get to each and every one of them.

Chris Munson
Director of Basketball Operations
Global Professional Basketball League
chris@thegpbl.com
888-412-4725x503

Jacksonville, Florida—From the home office, well at least my home office in Jacksonville, Florida, here is the latest from the office of the Director of Basketball Operations.

We had a very strong week last week with two teams added to our roster. We have added teams in Pittsburgh, PA and in Louisiana. The two ownership groups are very strong with some very aggressive plans for marketing and development of their markets. In coming weeks we would like to surround these markets with investors in other cities and towns. The south is a basketball hotbed and we have significant interest in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Up north, we have strong interest from other markets in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Ontario. These areas would fit in perfectly with our existing cities of Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Canton and Barberton, OH. Interest has also been expressed in Washington, Oregon and California. We will have all teams finalized by August 1st with no more expansion teams being accepted after that date.

During our owners conference call on Saturday, there were quite a few things that we discussed, mainly the rules we will be using for next season. What we have decided to do is to institute FIBA rules and tabled the discussion of utilizing a 22 second shot clock. The reason we are using FIBA rules is simple; we would like to prepare our players for international competition. The rest of the world goes by FIBA rules and if we want our players to advance in the world of basketball, we believe we should use the rules that the rest of the world goes by. When it comes to the 22 second clock, we are of the belief this is something that will speed up the game, force quicker decisions and of course increase scoring. This is an issue that was divided so we will make a final decision before our free agent camp in August.

One of the other things we discussed was our free agent camp and draft. The free agent camp and draft will be taking place in Canton, Ohio on the weekend of August 14th. This will be a league wide event with all teams participating. We are hoping to attract over 100 prospective players from around the country. These players will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of all of the coaches and general managers from the GPBL in a two day camp. Immediately following the camp, our first ever player draft will be held. This is an event we are excited about and are looking forward to. We will not only be showcasing our players and staff, but vendors from the world of basketball will be there to showcase their merchandise.

As the season approaches, we know there is quite a bit of work that needs to be done. We have teams to recruit, players and coaches to sign, venues to secure and so many other details to finalize. Keep the suggestions coming and know we are reading all of the comments our new fans are sending along to us. We value your input as it is your entertainment dollar that will be giving us a venue to showcase the talents of our ballplayers. For more information on the league, go to www.thegpbl.com.

Sincerely,
Chris Munson
Director of Basketball Operations
Global Professional Basketball League

The Latest on the League

Howdy folks,

Things are moving right along in the planning for our inaugural season in the world of minor league basketball. Here is the latest:

We are expecting to sign two more teams this week giving us a total of six. These teams will be based in Pittsburgh, PA and in Baton Rouge, LA. The ownership groups are solid and we expect good things out of them.

We held a very productive set of owner's meetings over the weekend. We discussed the upcoming season and went over our Operations Manual. All of our owners are very excited about the season and the chance to be involved in minor league basketball.

One thing I would like to run by the fans is the shot clock for this season. We are toying with the idea of a 22 second shot clock to bring that added level of excitement to the game. Personally, I think it will lead to more offense, more scoring and then in turn, more excitement for you the fans.

We would also like to know what the fans would like to see at the arenas this season. What sort of promotions are you looking for? How much is too much for a ticket to a GPBL game? We are devoted to our fans and to the cities in which we play. We want to know what YOU want and what will get you coming back for many seasons to come.

Any suggestions or comments can come through my e-mail address at chris@thegpbl.com or please pick up the phone and give me a call at 888-412-4725x503.

We look forward to seeing you all at the games in January and we will keep you all posted on the latest team signings.

Chris Munson
Global Professional Basketball League
Director of Basketball Operations

GPBL ANNOUNCES FOURTH TEAM

CANTON OH - The Global Professional Basketball League has added a fourth team to the league for the upcoming inaugural season. Lynn Mickles, Executive Director of the GPBL announced that Barberton Ohio will be home to the GPBL's newest team and will be owned by a group of local businessmen led by Bryan Smith and Scott Gresser.

"We are extremely happy to welcome Brian and Scott to the GPBL" said Mickles. "This group is deeply embedded in the Barberton area and will bring a stable ownership group along with a competitive and entertaining basketball team to the community."

Bryan Smith is a graduate of Barberton High School and a veteran of the U.S. Army. Following his tour of duty Bryan began pursuing a career in Medicine at Akron University. "I still have many roots in Barberton and I hope that I will be able to do as much for the community as it has done for me" said Smith.

Scott Gresser is a graduate of Northwest High School and a lifelong sports fanatic. Scott began his career in minor league sports in 2005 with the Canton Legends Indoor Football team. In 2006 he was promoted to GM of the Legends and was instrumental in putting together the team that won the AIFL Championship that year. Scott was also on the staff of the Wooster Warriors professional hockey team and has now turned his focus to basketball.

Presently Smith and Gresser are focused on building a staff as well as choosing a name for the Barberton team. "We are taking a hard look at what we name this team" said Gresser. "After all, it's going to be our Identity and the identity of our fans for hopefully a long time."

The Barberton team joins the Lancaster Liberty, North Jersey Runnin' Regulators and the Canton Conquest in preparing for the 2010 season which will tip off in early January.

For more information on the Global Professional Basketball League visit our web site at www.thegpbl.com.

Don Seroka
Director of Media and Public Relations
Global Professional Basketball League
don@thegpbl.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
Andrew Haines
CEO
Haines Consulting Group
Andrew@hainesconsulting.com

MICKLES DISCUSSES PROGRESS OF THE GPBL

CANTON OH - Developing and implementing a new professional basketball league is no easy task. Perhaps one of the hardest things to do is to establish and build a fan base for a product that will not bee seen for another nine months.

With that in mind, the Global Professional Basketball League will provide periodic updates on the progress and state of the league and will post this information not only on the leagues web site, but on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks in order to provide our growing fan base with as much information about the league as possible.

Executive Director Lynn Mickles expects to start announcing teams over the next month, the first of which will be the league’s Inaugural team out of Lancaster PA.

Andrew Haines, Chief Consultant for the GPBL added; "We received 73 applications from prospective owners across the country and that gives us an opportunity to sort through and find the strongest candidates possible and that will only make us strong from top to bottom."

The GPBL has built a strong foundation with a solid front office featuring former Harlem Globetrotter James "Twiggy" Sanders as Commissioner, Chris Munson as Director of Basketball Operations, Leah Haines as Director of Compliance, Don Seroka as Director of Media and Public Relations and Lawrence M. Bocci as Legal Counsel to work side by side with Andrew Haines and Lynn Mickles.

A solid team to move forward with yet there are still a few front office positions that Mickles is looking to fill; "We are still looking to hire a Director of Officiating." Interested parties should go to the GPBL web site to apply.

What this team has managed to do in just a few short weeks is establish partnerships with a couple of major sponsors. 1st job in sports has come on board to provide expertise and assistance in filling the new teams with qualified interns and entry level workers. "This will be a tremendous help to the new owners, some of which have never operated a professional sports team" said Don Seroka.

Ego Sports Inc. has joined the GPBL team as the official provider of uniforms and apparel. An aggressive and talented ownership group led by Ego Ferguson has taken this one time home business and propelled it into the teeth of the sports industry using unique custom designs and competitive pricing. The GPBL is thrilled to have them as a key partner for the upcoming season.

Another sponsor that recently came on board is Seat Advisor Inc., an up and coming ticket management and printing system that provides box office software and ticketing systems which combine with integrated Internet sales. "This will be a very useful tool league wide and take some pressure off of teams that will play in a venue with out an existing ticketing system" said Andrew Haines.

FS Design has signed on to be the exclusive designer of logos and graphics for the GPBL. Founded by Francis Santaquilani in 1995, the Chattanooga Tennessee based design company has developed Logo's and team graphics for REEBOK, the NBA, WNBA, NBDL, NCAA and numerous minor league sports including the Arena Football League and the Continental Basketball Association.

As far as expansion development goes, the Lancaster Liberty has become the leagues keystone team and will be owned by Jim and Vicki Haines. Following close on their heels, Max Green will own the GPBL's second team, the North Jersey Runnin Regulators. The Canton Conquest will be the leagues 3rd franchise and will host the leagues first Free Agent camp on August 15th and 16th in Canton OH. We expect to have as many as a dozen teams or more on board for our first league meeting at the end of May.

Overall the league is progressing as planned. To keep in touch with the happenings of the GPBL, visit our web site at www.thegpbl.com.
Don Seroka
Director of Media and Public Relations
Global Professional Basketball League
don@thegpbl.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
Andrew Haines
CEO
Haines Consulting Group
Andrew@hainesconsulting.com

Global Basketball to partner with Logo Design Company

CANTON OH - Executive Director of the Global Professional Basketball League, Lynn Mickles, has announced that FS Design will become the leagues official and exclusive Logo Design Company.

Founded by Francis Santaquilani in 1995, the Chattanooga Tennessee based design company has developed Logo's and team graphics for REEBOK, the NBA, WNBA, NBDL, NCAA and numerous minor league sports including the Arena Football League and the Continental Basketball Association.

Andrew Haines, Chief Consultant for the GPBL joined Mickles in making the announcement today adding; "We are very proud and fortunate to have FS Design on board as we build this league from the ground up. They will provide our teams with the foundation with which they will build their identity within each community."

Francis Santaquilani received his BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and has over 25 years of experience in Graphic design. Under his direction, FS Design has developed a policy of providing the highest level of service for each and every client with the intent of providing a design of the highest quality that meets the specific requirements of the customer.

The Global Professional Basketball League will begin play in January, 2010. For more information about FS Design, visit their web site at www.fsdesignimpact.com and learn more about the Global Professional Basketball League at www.thegpbl.com.

It is time to introduce myself

To the world of minor league basketball, and hopefully soon to be fans of the GPBL, I would like to introduce myself and the league.

First off, my name is Chris Munson and I am the Director of Basketball Operations for the GPBL. As you can see in the previous press release, I am the former Sports Director for ESPN Radio Vermont and have been a freelance writer for quite some time. I am now making the jaunt into the world of basketball administration.

I have a few goals, goals I know we can achieve as a league. Through my time with ESPN Radio and writing about minor league basketball, I know there have been some challenges. There have been the challenges of missed games, teams that fold in mid-season and even the arrests of league and team personnel. These are things that simply will not be tolerated in the GPBL. It will be a point of emphasis that teams leave in enough time to make a game. Our ownership groups will be stable and thoroughly vetted. We will strive to bring fan friendly and affordable entertainment to the cities and towns in which we have franchises.

We know that in these economic times entertainment takes a back seat. We are hoping that with the cost to attend a game and the entertainment that we provide will make it worth taking your family to a GPBL game. Our players will be professional, our staff will be well trained and well versed in this magic word we all seem to forget about while in a recession. The word "fun" is that word. You will have fun; you will smile and you will see some of the best basketball the minors have to offer.

Our players are guys who want to make it to the next level. They want to win, they want to play hard and they want to show those who have said they can't succeed that they are wrong.

I will be blogging more as the season approaches but wanted to throw out my goals and aspirations for the league. The staff of the GPBL all love basketball and we love the minor leagues. When we announce our roster of teams, we hope you will travel to a game and see just how strong we are.

Questions and comments are more than welcomed. Please e-mail me at chris@thegpbl.com.

Until next time,

Chris

Chris Munson
Global Professional Basketball League
Director of Basketball Operations

GPBL SIGNS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

CANTON OH – Lynn Mickles, Executive Director of the Global Professional Basketball League has announced that Chris Munson will assume the role of Director of Basketball Operations for the Premier Developmental Basketball League.

A native of Minneapolis, Chris brings to the GPBL a thorough knowledge of sports as well as well as a bit of media savvy. Chris Munson has previously worked as the Sports Director for ESPN Radio Vermont and currently is the Director of Communications for the United States Basketball Association. Chris is also a freelance writer having written for Our Sports Central, US Basketball, The Vermont Times, The Vermont Guardian, Varsity Magazine and d3football.com.

This past season Chris performed play by play duties for University of North Florida’s coverage of men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball for the Atlantic Sun Conference. Chris also performed play by play and color duties for UNF’s coverage of women’s basketball. Over the years, Chris has broadcast over 400 games on television and radio, including play by play duties for Fox College Sports for the inaugural College Insider.com title game in Peoria, IL.

“Being able to bring a talented person like Chris Munson to the GPBL is a tremendous coup for us” said Mickles. “His versatility and extended network in the sports industry will only make our league stronger from the top on down.”

“I look forward to working with him” added Don Seroka, Director of Media and Public Relations for the GPBL. “I feel as though with our combined experience, we will complement each other which will only benefit the league.”

The Global Professional Basketball League will start play in January, 2010. For more information visit our web site at www.thegpbl.com or contact:

Don Seroka
Director of Media and Public Relations
Global Professional Basketball League
don@thegpbl.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
Andrew Haines
CEO
Haines Consulting Group
Andrew@hainesconsulting.com

GPBL ANNOUNCES LEAGUE MEETINGS

CANTON OH - The Global Professional Basketball league has set May 30th and May 31st to hold the leagues initial owners meetings in Canto Ohio. The emphasis at these meetings will be training for team owners and their staff as well as distribution of league materials to all the teams.

Lynn Mickles, Executive Director of the GPBL said; "Our first meeting is to get the owners together with league staff in order to establish protocol and procedure for meetings to come." Additionally, "We want to provide training and guidance to the team owners, some of whom will own a team for the first time."

"This will also be the first opportunity for team owners to meet with league sponsors" added Andrew Haines, Chief Consultant for the GPBL. "It is crucial that the teams develop a working relationship with our sponsors as soon as possible."

For more information about the Global Professional Basketball League, visit our web page at www.thegpbl.com or check us out on Facebook.

Don Seroka
Director of Media and Public Relations
Global Professional Basketball League
don@thegpbl.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
Andrew Haines
CEO
Haines Consulting Group
Andrew@hainesconsulting.com

GPBL Announcement

CANTON OH - Andrew Haines, Chief Consultant for the Global Professional basketball League has announced today that the league will use all forms of mass media to reach out and stay in touch with fans.

"Technology is an asset that must be recognized and used if you want to compete in any sports market" said Haines. "There is only is much expendable income that the fans have and you have to reach out to them if you want them to spend it on your product."

In an effort to open up lines of communication with fans, the GPBL has started a Facebook page and group to present a forum for fans to become friends with the league front office staff. Visit us on Facebook by clicking here.

"This is a great way to meet the fan base and answer questions about the league and teams" said Don Seroka, Director of Media and Public Relations. "We want our fans to feel as though they are an integral part of the league by making ourselves accessible to them 24/7."

"We are still in the early stages of development but we have already received numerous hits on our site" add Lynn Mickles, Executive Director of the League. "It's pretty exciting when you think about it."

The GPBL expects to announce the signing of several new franchises in the coming weeks and are in the process of formulating a 32 game schedule which will feature an early January season tip-off.

For more information about the Global Professional Basketball League, visit our web site at www.thegpbl.com

Don Seroka
Director of Media and Public Relations
Global Professional Basketball League
don@thegpbl.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
Andrew Haines
CEO
Haines Consulting Group
Andrew@hainesconsulting.com