2007 NBA Mock Draft

Mark Harwell and The International Basketball League Launch The Los Angeles Lightning April 18th 2008

Los Angeles/Westlake Village, CA (PRWEB) March 5, 2008 -- Producer/Entrepreneur, Mark Harwell is the owner and General Manager of the Los Angeles Lightning, the latest franchise in the International Basketball League. The league, now in its forth year, includes teams from China, Canada, and sixteen teams across the United States.

"I'm excited about bringing this team here to the Westlake Village/ Thousand Oaks community," said Harwell. "It's a great opportunity to see a high level of pro ball, including some players they've seen on TV for years. My hope is that we will sign four or five NBA veterans. We want to provide an environment similar to Staples Center with the courtside seats, celebrities, a VIP lounge, and the fireworks of a great event that a family can experience without having to commute to downtown and back."

Already generating "buzz" is the teams search for a spokes model to represent the team entitled, Miss LA Lightning 2008. After holding successful interviews in Los Angeles, the team added a second round of interviews targeting the West Valley, Conejo Valley, and Simi Valley, coming up March 14th at the Bob and Dolores Hope Conference Center in Burbank. Miss LA Lightning will assist the team in publicity and promotion while being involved with the community.

The International Basketball League is a fourth year professional basketball league with eighteen teams. The IBL's innovative rule changes have resulted in athletic, up-tempo, high scoring games. In the first three seasons, IBL teams have averaged 126 points per game--in games that last only two hours. An International Basketball League game is truly a family-friendly event. Affordable tickets, player

interaction with fans and performances by community groups are all hallmarks of the IBL experience.

In an IBL game, there is very little dead time. It is this absence of dead time that leads to a faster and more entertaining game. The IBL follows NBA rules with a few exceptions: there is a 22 second shot clock; IBL teams are allowed only one timeout per quarter; and the IBL employs an immediate inbounds rule to get the ball in play as soon as possible.

The Los Angeles Lightning is also proud to announce that it is partnering with select community organizations to give back by donating fifty percent of the proceeds from the general admission season ticket packages that are sold by the non profits as a fundraiser. The Ticket Split Program could potentially raise more than 150, 000 for our community.

The Lightning will play their home games at the 1,500 seat Gilbert Sports Arena in Thousand Oaks, and will make their debut on Friday, April 18 with a home game against the Battle Creek Knights of Michigan. The Lightning will also host the Chinese team for a double header on Memorial Day weekend. Tickets for the Lightning's inaugural season are currently on sale. For more information, visit the team's web site at www.LosAngelesLightning.net. General Admission tickets range from $6-$25 and courtside seats range from $100-$250 per game per seat.

About The International Basketball League

The International Basketball League is a fourth year basketball league featuring two rules that reduce dead time: 1) one timeout per quarter 2) an immediate inbound. The result is an athletic game that is very fun to watch. The IBL scoring average per team in its first three seasons was over 126 pts per game.

About Mark Harwell

Mark first made history in his athletic career in the eighties as the first white player in history to play basketball at Prairie View A&M University, a historic black college in a historic all black conference. Mark kept a diary of his experiences at Prairie View and plans to develop them into a book and movie deal. Harwell was featured on multiple sport segments including ABC's Wide World of Sports and Howard Cosells Sportbeat, where he was appropriately nicknamed "White Lightning". After playing a few years on the court, Mark shifted his focus from being on the court to involving himself with Sports Marketing and Franchise Development. Harwell has been involved in marketing and franchise development for teams in the World Basketball League, The Continental Basketball Association, The United States Basketball League and his latest venture, The International Basketball League.

###

NBA Team Gear and More!
Great Gear at Great Prices!!

MORE ARTICLES:

Basketball Tips: How To Learn Basketball Skills Faster
If you want to be good at basketball, you need to develop several skills, and developing these skills takes time If you?re like most people, you want to make good use of your time

Sporting Advantage Inc. Announces Improved Version of Their Basketball Shooting Practice Product - the shootAndstar Rebounder
Sporting Advantage Inc., based in Mackinaw IL, manufactures and markets a patent pending basketball training device that enables basketball players to practice basketball shooting by themselves. They can practice shooting from anywhere on the basketball court and this device quickly returns both made and missed basketball shots.

Major Basketball Action With Minnesota Timberwolves Tickets
Minnesota Timberwolves tickets were hardly on any basketball enthusiast's most-wanted list a few years ago. Despite being a new team, the Timberwolves didn't seem to be able to find their footing and many thought the team would not last for long. Today, they are one of the strongest contending teams in the NBA.

Basketball Fundamental Play ? Cut Through
Fundamental plays are the most basic moves that coaches use to build up their play book A coach will take a fundamental play and add his or her own twist, or slightly change the play, to make it his own

How To Improve Your Basketball Game
Practice, Practice, Practice! Yep, that?s all you need to do. If you?re trying to improve your game, you have to actually get out there and play. If you?re new to the sport, you?ve got a lot to learn, it?s true, but there?s no other way. You can read all the books you can get your hands on, you can watch the stars on televised games or on DVDs, but you can never get better unless you get out there on the court or on your driveway and shoot some hoops!

Aussie Joins NBA Ranks Alongside 12-Time All Star, Rick Barry, On Sirius
Australian performance-enhancement expert talks with NBA legend Rick Barry about getting some "Sirius" air time.

Jacked.Com Now Supports NBA Games Giving Fans the Power to Personalize Their Gamecast
Tune into Jacked this weekend for NBA coverage

Connor Sport Court is Front and Center at NBA Jam Session in New Orleans
200,000 will run, shoot, slam, dribble and mix with basketball stars and legends on game courts provided for this event by Connor Sport Court's association with the NBA.

2007 MEAC Basketball Tournament Unveils This Year’s Theme to Jam On and Off Court
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced today the theme of this year’s 2007 basketball tournament at the Tip-Off Basketball luncheon held at the RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.

Stop Debating it -- LeBron James is the Best Basketball Player on the Planet!
Sports fans love to debate. This is part of the excitement of sports, arguing about what players are best at their respective game or position.

Can You Really Develop An Outstanding Basketball Shot?
Struggling with your basketball shooting? We're going to begin fixing that right now!First, let's look at some general tips as you're striving to reach your full basketball shooting potential:1) Focus: This is absolutely necessary to have any real success in basketball. Focus on delivering your best.

Hoops Fan Reveals Keys to Fixing Basketball's Shooting Woes
Passionate basketball fan announces a new website providing the best in information available about shooting. Through articles, reviews, interviews, and a daily "Hot Shot" tips news letter coaches, parents, and players can be exposed to quality shooting coaches, their programs, and their camps.

Top 10 All-Time Greatest Moments of 'The Phat 5' of College Basketball Kentucky, N. Carolina, UCLA, Kansas and Duke at 500
Kentucky vs. N. Carolina the Top 2 "Phat 5" programs of All-Time will square off in historical match-up Saturday on CBS. Texas Western vs. Kentucky and Kentucky vs. Duke head the All-Time list.

College Basketball Analysis
College basketball is fun, but betting on college basketball is even better. However, you need to be good at analyzing games to win on a consistent basis. It?s easy to simply pick a side?flip a coin. It?s much more difficult, thanks to the abundant amount of information out there, to accurately forecast the game.