I dig March Madness as much as the next guy. What’s not to like about a month chock full of buzzer beaters?
Watching the last seconds of those college basketball games on television, however, can be an outright drag. Isn’t time supposed to fly when you’re having fun?
:11 — Turnover. Layup. Timeout. A half-dozen commercials.
:07 — Inbound. Dribble to midcourt. Timeout. Another half-dozen commercials.
:05 — Inbound. Foul. Timeout. Yet another half-dozen commercials.
Looks more like March Adness.
For a less halting brand of basketball, check out the debut for two Colorado-based teams in the fledgling International Basketball League.
The and (Lakewood) meet tonight in the season opener for both teams in a minor league designed to keep the ball rolling. In its second year, the IBL reduces “dead time” with two extraordinary rules. One, teams are awarded only one timeout per quarter. And two, the inbound can be delivered without delay, much like a throw-in in soccer.
In addition to keeping the ball rolling, the rules also seem to keep in the ball in the hoop. In the Cavalry’s final tune-up for tonight’s game, the team prevailed 156-83 in an exhibition game against the Buckley Air Force Base Panthers. Eleven Cavalry players scored in double figures, and the team drained 18 3-pointers.
A sign of things to come out of this league?
“This game showed not only the level of talent on this team, but the type of basketball that we will see in Aurora this year — fast and furious,” said Cavalry assistant coach A.B. Maxey.
Tipoff for tonight’s Crossover-Cavalry game is set for 7:15 p.m. at Gateway High School in Aurora. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children 17-and-under (4-and-under free). A “Family Pack” — including four tickets, four hot dogs and (you guessed it) four sodas — is also available for $25.
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INTERN’L BASKETBALL LEAGUE
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“I don’t think you’ll find a better bargain for your entertainment dollar out there,” said Cavalry director of operations Joel Jose. “For less than it would cost you to take your family to a movie, you can watch an exciting and fast-paced professional basketball game in a very family-friendly environment. You’ll also be treated to an excellent halftime show,
affordable concessions and an evening filled with music, fun and interactive events for the entire family.”
Both rosters are littered with players who have played pro ball either in the United States (Continental Basketball Association or the American Basketball Association) or overseas. Also, fans of basketball in the region might recognize a familiar face. Each roster features players who not only have played in high school in the state, but also in the college ranks.
Does this name ring a bell: Nick Mohr? Find the former Columbine standout, Denver Post player of the year (1998) and CU player on the Crossover roster among the players reaching to realize their hoop dreams.
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
“When it comes to controversy in outdoor sports, nothing ever can match the quest for a world-record largemouth bass. Which is why a March 20 catch of a fish that weighed in excess of 25 pounds — nearly 3 pounds more than a hallowed 74-year-old record — has stirred such debate.”
From the mailbags
“Sakic’s ‘Quoteless Joe’ nickname doesn’t really fit. It’s just something that we in the media came up with to kid him a little. He’s actually very good with the media and likes to joke around a lot. He just doesn’t like controversy at all, so some of his answers can be very politically correct.”
From the message boards
“So Budaj has a halfway decent Olympics and he’s ready to position the Avs for a Stanley Cup run??? This isn’t 1993 folks! And Jose is still in street clothes!” — corn29
From the online exclusives
Opening day is a mere three days away, and our partners at the Sports Forecaster are offering a special Fantasy Baseball edition — free — for the 2006 season. This online edition (available using Adobe Acrobat 6.0 PDF) contains nearly 200 pages of all the features fans find handy on draft day: player projections, over 500 player reports, 30 team reports, a printer-friendly kit and more.
A look back
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| Post / Karl Gehring |
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“. My kids and I have been going there for years. They all learned to ski at 3 and have become experts largely at Loveland. I’ve skied all but a couple places in Colorado, and Loveland is my favorite. Just be quiet about it; let all the idiots go through the tunnel and leave the best place in Colorado to us! (Only kidding.)” — Michael Pavsek, Fort Collins |
