Rochester RazorSharks Win PBL Title; League Discusses Initiatives for 2012 Season

CHICAGO, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Rochester RazorSharks won their third PBL title two nights ago following game three of the finals at Great Plains Coliseum against the formidable Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry of Oklahoma.  The RazorSharks rallied in the final minutes to win a nail-biting 87-84 victory in the deciding game. This year the first game of the finals was broadcast to millions of homes across America and included additional coverage in the People's Republic of China.

PBL Commissioner Dr. Sev Hrywnak plans to address franchise owners' ideas for the upcoming 2012 season. Hrywnak has tapped Chicago based communication and development strategist Chris Foltz to head league development and initiate positive additions and policy changes for next season.

"Chris is a no nonsense brand builder who finds the success of the league firmly planted in the success of our individual franchises. He is dedicated to the fans, players, and franchise owners alike, and is focused on bringing the positive change our team owners have asked for," said Hrywnak.

Foltz has an aggressive agenda for the PBL and franchise development planned over the next few seasons. One of Foltz's first moves in his new role is to create a larger divide between PBL franchise owners serving in administrative capacities at the league level. "This is a league for the fans and families of our communities and this is rooted into successful franchise operations," continued Foltz.

Some of the other changes the PBL is working on for the coming seasons are:

• Regionalization of the PBL to make it easier for teams to travel
• Partial travel grants for franchise owners while regional development is underway
• Reorganization of the PBL officiating structure which would include a review board comprised of a representative member of each franchise.

The PBL is also excited about the partnership with @Sports Television Network and the expansion of coverage going into next season.  Foltz added, "We are going to work with franchise leaders to develop a model to assist in team sponsorships through our network partner. The increased exposure of PBL games both domestically and internationally also means increased exposure for our league and team sponsors."

"We are excited about the RazorSharks victory here in Rochester, and we are even more excited about raising the level of play and league unity going into next season. We do this for fans and communities and I am happy the league is addressing some changes requested by the teams in the league," said Rochester RazorSharks President and Co-Owner Orest Hrywnak.

The RazorSharks have been recognized for their aggressive play this season. "We have received calls from our new franchise owners this morning passing on congratulations to the RazorSharks organization. Two of the new franchise owners were at the finals game Friday evening," said PBL Director of Operations Carrie May. "We are excited for the RazorSharks franchise just like we were excited for the Lawton Cavs' championship victory last season."

The league has interest from new markets as well as pre-existing teams in other leagues ready to make the jump over to the PBL. "New teams, team transfers, and all of that is great, but I would like to address the goals of our existing franchises starting today," continued Foltz.

Officiating, and the coaches and franchise reaction to it, was also brought to light in Tuesday's USA Today sports cover story. (http://tinyurl.com/usatodaysports)The NBA handed out hefty fines for public complaining by coaches pertaining to officiating in the playoffs. "It is obvious that the issue is much bigger than the PBL, and we want to deal with it head on and create the best atmosphere for the players, fans, and franchises before we ever get to this level," ended Foltz.

SOURCE Premier Basketball League (PBL)

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED