Ex-BCS coach Magley launches new pro basketball league

Former Bradenton Christian boys basketball coach Dave Magley saw his family, at most, a few days each month.

Magley’s role as commissioner of the National Basketball League of Canada produced a heavy workload.

With his two-year agreement to run the NBLC coming to an end this year, Magley was looking for something new — something that would allow him more family time.

That new venture is the North American Premier Basketball League. The new pro basketball league, which was announced late last week in Chicago, is set to begin play Jan. 1, 2018. Magley is its president and chief operating officer.

The idea for the league was created when Magley began talking with Dr. Sev Hrywnak, who ran the Premier Basketball League — which was founded in 2007 — about a collaborative effort between Hrywnak’s league and Magley’s NBLC. That led to a dinner meeting, and Hrywnak asked Magley what his ultimate league would look like.

So Magley listed several unused markets, such as Seattle, Albany, Las Vegas and Kansas City.

“He said, ‘OK, let’s do it,’” Magley said. “’I’ll fund it; you’ll be an equal owner with me and let’s go do this.’ I’m like, ‘Great.’ That’s all I needed. With that, I can go.”

Magley said he remembered playing for Phil Jackson with the Albany Patroons in the old Continental Basketball Association. Winning the CBA title after his collegiate career at the University of Kansas and two-year NBA career finished, Magley saw how good the atmosphere was in Albany.

“That venue is begging for a team to come back to it,” Magley said. “It is just ready. It’s a 120-year-old building that’s just sitting there with a gym ready to play basketball in it, and there’s no one doing it.”

Along with Hawaii, Rochester (N.Y.) and one or two Western Canadian franchises — markets such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg are options — Albany, Seattle, Las Vegas and Kansas City are markets the new NAPBL is expected to launch in the first year.

Magley said they plan to start with 8-12 teams in Year One, look to expand in subsequent years and reach 30 or 40 teams in four or five years. Among those expansion markets, Magley said he’d like to see a team in Sarasota, Tampa/St. Pete and Naples/Fort Myers.

But prior to that, there is much work to do.

“I’m working 18-20 hours a day,” said Magley, who gets to see his family while working at home in Indiana compared to working in Canada. “... I’m doing it seven days a week. I love it, because I just believe in the vision and the model so much. If I have to, I’m going to will this thing into existence.”

Combines are scheduled for 15 cities. Sarasota will have one in early September at the Impact Basketball Academy, Magley said.

Teams are scheduled to play 32 games with players making anywhere from $1,500-$5,000 per month with housing included.

“What separates us from any other league that’s tried it is our standards,” Magley said. “We’re going to make certain our ownership is strong. They’ve got to be strong financially as well as our venues, the way we treat our players (and) the community stuff. That all fits into the model that I think separates us from anybody else that’s tried it.”

Magley said the league will be heavily involved in the community with players going to schools to deliver anti-bullying and anti-cyber bullying messages.

“Business owners that really want to impact their community should be drawn to this opportunity moreso than just basketball,” Magley said.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Ex-BCS coach Magley launches new pro basketball league."