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| Reasons to play in the International Basketball League |
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| Players in the IBL make between $0 and $500 per game depending on the team, the market and/or the owner. The primary reason for you to play in the IBL is because you love of the game--especially this type of game (an NBA 48-minute game but without the constant breaks in play). Another reason to play in the IBL is your desire to compete for your city and to play in front of a crowd. For many players, the biggest reason to play in the IBL is exposure- a chance to build stats and video to get overseas, not to mention- you will get in great shape (our game really moves fast) for July NBA and overseas tryouts. A great side benefit to being in the IBL is that you can still maintain your commitment to a job and your family since IBL teams have such efficient schedules (the total amount of times you will not sleep in your own bed per year- is one long travel weekend- as IBL teams only take one flight out of town, per year). |
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| After you have played a season in the IBL |
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IBL Agency Questions and Answers:
Question: Can playing in the IBL help my career?
Answer: Yes; the IBL is a great place to start or maintain an overseas career. After the 2007 season, 102 players went from the IBL to an overseas basketball job (ranging from $1,500 per month to $30,000 per month). Further, the IBL is the league where overseas players return to (in May & June), to maintain their shape for another year overseas. The IBL game is extremely fast so it keeps players in shape. The IBL travel schedule is extremely easy as well (IBL teams only fly one time per year) so players can hold a regular job and not miss work other than that one flight trip where you are gone four days. Then, after the IBL season ends, the IBL can serve as one of your multiple agents |
After the IBL 2007 season with the Portland Chinooks, David Jackson went on to play in various overseas leagues. This video is Jackson’s MVP performance in the Korean Basketball League 2007 championship game. |
Question: How does the IBL Agency work?
Answer: The IBL Agency was created to provide players an opportunity to expand their career by playing overseas. The IBL Agency will work to develop relationships with overseas teams, especially in Asia, South America and to a smaller extent Europe. The IBL will market your profile to overseas teams (email blasts to thousands of contacts) The IBL Agency charges the team or you, 10% as a finder's fee if we find you a job; we are not your agent unless we bring you a job. We encourage you to keep other agents with a similar arrangement- whoever brings you the job is the agent for that 10%. Multiple agents: you can keep your existing agent and work with us at the same time, doubling your chances of getting an overseas job. If you have an existing agent, you will need to verify that your agent is willing to be non-exclusive. We believe that players should have multiple agents working on their behalf; that being said, if your agent has invested money & effort in trying to place you overseas, then you should talk to your agent about how you will repay those costs if a different agent (any, perhaps the IBL agency), gets you a job overseas. Restated: the IBL is a non-exclusive agency. Players can register for our service while keeping their existing agent. If you have any questions, contact us.
Question: What type of player will the IBL represent to try to get that player overseas?
Answer: The IBL has decided that it will represent only players that meet the criteria below. If you meet any of these 3 criteria, contact us at info@iblhoopsonline.com or phone (ph) 503-805-3311 so we can begin marketing your abilities.
1) if you are a power forward or if you are a center and you are 6' 9" & taller, the criteria is that if you 6' 9" or taller and good enough to make an IBL team's roster (in their playing rotation), then you are good enough to get a job overseas; therefore, the IBL will market and push your profile, statistics and video in an effort to get you an overseas job. The IBL does well marketing and selling power forwards and centers. If you are 6' 9" & taller but you did not play in the IBL, email us at info@iblhoopsonline.com to discuss a few options
2) for if you are a point guard or if you are a small forward, the criteria to get represented by the IBL is that you are good enough to be a starter on your team. This point is worth restating: if you are a point guard or a small forward and you are good enough to start on your .500 percentage team, then you are good enough to play overseas; the IBL will then- market and push your profile, stats & video in an effort to get you an overseas job.
3) if you are a two guard, the criteria to get represented by the IBL is that you are not only a starter but that you are an IBL All Star. There are a lot of 2's in this world and you have to understand that overseas teams are not short of great shooters, so to get overseas with the two guard position- you need to be more than an IBL starter. You have to be 6' 3" minimum, you need to be extremely fast and as well- you need to be a complete scorer- you need to be able to hit the 20 to 23 foot jumpers, you need to be able to drive to the hole and as well, you need to hit your floaters. You have to be able to create your own shot; you need to able to separate from your defender, on your own. You need to be the equivalent of a division 1 college starter to play the 2 overseas and even then you have to be a big time shooter (not all division 1 two's are pure shooters). To give you some help in furthering (or killing) your dream, here is a drill that you can test yourself with; you need to be able to shoot 80% in the following drill. Drill: this drill is for 2 guards to test their skill with 100 game speed shots. 1) Start by running from under the hoop to the high school three point line (baseline) to catch a basketball and immediately shoot the ball with a high & fast release; do this 20 times going to the same side over and over for 20 shots. 2) Take a 60 second break and then do another 20 shots in the same manner on the other side. 3) Take a 120 second break and do the same drill for 20 more shots on the other side (first side you started on). 4) Take a 150 second break and do the same drill for 20 more shots, on the other side (at this point, you will have taken 40 shots from both baseline three point spots). 5) Take a 3-minute break and do the same drill for your final 20 shots, on the other side. You have now shot 100 game speed shots; you should be at 80% if you are a two guard trying to play overseas. Trainers have indicated that an NBA player would be at between 80% and 90% in such a drill. If you are a well-rounded two that shoots below 70% in this drill, you probably are not qualified for overseas play.
Question: What type of player will the IBL agency NOT represent?
Answer: if you do not fit into any 1 of the 3 categories described above, we will not represent you and further, the IBL feels that you should consider moving on to a job/ career and build your life in that direction. Restated: College was (past tense) your chance to make it into professional basketball and the American minor league is a lucky second chance, so, if you are in the minor leagues now and you do not fit into any of the categories above, you can get a job overseas (we have seen it) but the IBL does not feel it is a responsible thing to pursue, especially if you are the head of a family/household. |
During the IBL season, you will refine your game, gather video, build a full season of stats and hope that you impress coaches & agents enough that they will shop you to overseas teams to the best of their ability.
Question: What type of players will get overseas?
1) if you are a power forward or a center and you are 6' 9" & taller and if you are good enough to make an IBL team roster (in their playing rotation of, say 9 players), then you are good enough to get a job overseas. The IBL will market and push your profile, statistics and video in an effort to get you an overseas job. The IBL does well marketing and selling power forwards and centers. If you are 6' 9" & taller but you did not play in the IBL, email to discuss a few options.
2) if you are a point guard or if you are a small forward, the criteria to get represented by the IBL is that you need to be good enough to be a starter on an IBL team; restated: if you are a starting point guard or a starting small forward on your IBL team, then in almost all cases, you are good enough to play overseas.
3) if you are a two guard (shooting guard), the criteria to get represented by the IBL is that you are not only a starter but that you are an IBL All Star. Reason- there are a ton of great shooting guards in this world and you have to understand that overseas teams are not short of great shooters, so to get overseas with the two guard position- you need to be more than an IBL starter, you really should be an IBL All Star or the equivalent (some players do not make the All Stars that join a team late but play at an all star level). Ideally, you should be at least 6' 3" for a two guard, extremely fast and you need to be a complete scorer- you need to be able to hit the 20 to 23 foot jumpers but as well, you need to be able to drive to the hole and in fact, further—you need to hit your floaters. You have to be able to create your own shot (you need to able to separate from your defender)—see David Jackson video at the top of this page. You need to be the equivalent of a division 1 college starter to play the 2 overseas.
shooters test
To give you some help in furthering (or killing) your dream, here is a drill that you can test yourself with; you need to be able to shoot 80% in the following drill. Drill: this drill is for 2 guards to test their skill with 100 game speed shots. 1) Start by running from under the hoop to the high school three point line (baseline) to catch a basketball and immediately shoot the ball with a high & fast release; do this 20 times going to the same side over and over for 20 shots. 2) Take a 60 second break and then do another 20 shots in the same manner on the other side. 3) Take a 120 second break and do the same drill for 20 more shots on the other side (first side you started on). 4) Take a 3-minute break and do the same drill for 20 more shots, on the other side (at this point, you will have taken 40 shots from both baseline three point spots). 5) Take another 3-minute break and do the same drill for your final 20 shots, on the other side. You have now shot 100 game speed shots; you should be at 80% if you are a two guard trying to play overseas. Trainers have indicated that an NBA player would be at between 80% and 90% in such a drill.
Question: What type of player will the IBL agency NOT represent?
Answer: if you do not fit into any of the categories described above, we can try to represent you but the IBL feels that you should consider moving on to a job/career and build your life in that direction. Restated: College was (past tense) your chance to make it into professional basketball and the American minor league is a lucky second chance, so, if you are in the American minor leagues now but you do not fit into any of the categories above, you can get a job overseas (we have seen it) but the IBL does not feel it is a responsible thing to pursue, especially if you are the head of a family/household.
Here are a few people/connections that you will meet in the IBL that can help you get overseas:
Theo Evans
Theo Evans is the head coach of the Vancouver Volcanoes and CS Energia Rovinari Targu Jiu- a professional basketball team in Romania (Division A). Most IBL coaches and IBL team owners have connections to overseas jobs. Theo Evans Vancouver team went 18-7 in the 2008 IBL season; after the 2008 IBL season, 8 of the 10 Vancouver Volcanoes players went on to play overseas. |  |
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Terrance Dickens
Pictured (center) is head coach of the Portland Chinooks Terrance Dickens. Nine of the eleven players pictured here for the Portland Chinook landed overseas jobs after the 2007 season, eight of the nine players were in the $8K per month and above range.
Video to the right: Terrance Dickens team interview on a local news channel. |  |
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Schedule for players who will play on an IBL team in 2009
American minor league teams are a chance to achieve ‘your dream’ and really ‘your second chance’ at playing overseas professional basketball (college was your first chance), but as a player, you really need to note that American minor league teams are not funded by tax dollars (like colleges would be) nor TV revenue (like the NBA would be); there simply is not a lot of money floating around to support players in their dream… so with most teams (not all) you will have to fund your own move to that city and then support your own living expenses during that season (sometimes even your own shelter, depending on the team). This being said, you can see how a December tryout is a more healthy tryout to attend- as it gives you more notice in case you make a team (to then transfer your job to that new city and/or get a new job so you can live in a financially reasonable manner)
December tryout: Try to attend the early bird tryout in December so that if you make a team you will have a few months to figure out how to get your job transferred or get a new job in that city. It should be stated that a few IBL teams are non-profit association teams that do not pay players a penny (other than the ‘opportunity’, videotape, etc.).
April tryout: If you could not attend the December tryout and you had to attend the April tryout, you need to have saved money before this tryout… Why? Because if you make a team at the April tryout, you will be moving to that city within days of the tryout… not a lot of notice, so you need to be prepared financially. In 2008, these same exact two tryouts got 16 guys on IBL teams but all 16 players had very little to no notice on their move to that city so they barely scraped by; that is why making a team in December is a healthier situation. Here are the dates of play for the IBL 2009 teams you might make: If you make a Midwest team, they play their first game as early as April 11th. If you make a West Coast team including Vancouver BC, they will play their first game as early as April 18th. If you make the Edmonton team- they will play their first game as early as April 24th.
The season- April, May & June 2009: The IBL season starts off fairly slow in April through the end of May (one game per week typically) so most teams have relationships for April & May- with fitness clubs and/or trainers to supplement the players’ practice time. June 2009: the IBL season picks up heavily starting June 12th as teams play 3 to 4 games per week through and including the final IBL regular season games played on Tuesday night June 30th (practices are limited in June since there are so many games per week during the last 3 weeks of the season).
July 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2009: The IBL playoffs and All Star games occur on these dates which completes your IBL season (last possible game is Friday night July 3rd).
July 4th, 2009: Your season is over and you are flying (or driving) home on July 4th. Your play resulted in you being evaluated as either: 1) not good enough to pursue overseas professional basketball, 2) in the $1,500 to $3,000 range (overseas pay per month), 3) in the $3,000 to $4,999 range or 4) in the $5,000 and up range. The IBL encourages players in #2 to sell themselves directly to overseas teams and not rely on an agent because it is hard for an agent to sell players in this category. The IBL encourages players in #3 to use multiple agents; in fact, the IBL is one agent you can use but do not count on us (the IBL believes you should work with many agents until one finds you a job; ‘first one to find you a job is your agent’ for that job). If you are in category #4, it might be worth committing to one agent but the IBL supports a multiple agent approach in category #4 as well. Restated: starting with July 4th, you and your multiple agents will use your video footage, statistics and your in-shape body to move aggressively on an overseas basketball job.
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Players Who Made It
102 players go overseas after the 2007 IBL season
The fast paced play of the IBL produces great players who then leave the IBL to go overseas after the season expires. In fact, after the 2007 IBL season, 102 IBL players went on to play overseas; that 2007 season established the IBL as the league to participate in—for players to get an overseas job and/or for players to maintain an overseas job.
Minor league success story
6' 5" guard/forward Dajuan Tate averaged over 35 points per game in the 2007 IBL season for the, then- first year program- Las Vegas Stars- owned by Alexis Levi Scott. Dajuan Tate drew attention from scouts as an extremely explosive player on both ends of the floor. The phrase 'you never know who is in the gym' was never more true than in the IBL Tournament and All Star Game; Dajuan Tate impressed scouts with his first round performance in the IBL 2007 Tournament but even more so he impressed scouts at the All Star game (yes, the All Star game)-- so much so that he was invited to the prestigious Chinese Basketball Association 2007/2008 draft camp held in Hawaii by USBA executive Bruce O'Neill. Tate stood out in the CBA Hawaii draft camp in the same manner as he stood out in the IBL 2007 season- Tate was the first non-big man chosen in the draft--selected #6 overall. Tate subsequently received a substantial contract for the entire CBA season. Tate had a game in China where he scored 68 points and was described as one of the best players not currently in the NBA. Tate ended his regular season in China averaging 26.3 points per game and is now one of the most sought after players in the CBA (China Basketball Association) for the upcoming 2009 season.
Another destination for players- the NBDL
Not every player chooses to play overseas; those with NBA potential will often get selected or choose to play in the NBDL- the NBA's development league. Some players to note that have played in the NBDL are as follows:
| Year |
Name |
IBL Team |
NDBL Team |
| 2005-06 |
Jamar Brown |
Aurora Cavalry |
Colorado 14'ers |
| 2007 |
Abdoule N'dyie |
Vancouver Volcanoes |
Drafted first round, LA Defenders |
| 2007-08 |
Darren Cooper |
Vancouver Volcanoes |
LA Defenders |
| 2006-09 |
Bryson McKenzie |
Vancouver Volcanoes |
Anaheim Arsenal |
| 2005 |
Javon Harris |
San Jose Ballers |
Drafted 6th round, NDBL- Bakersfield "Jam" |
| 2006 |
Rashid Byrd |
Tacoma Thunder, Seattle Mountaineers |
Drafted 4th round, NDBL-Tulsa '66ers |
| 2007 |
Lemar Gayle |
Seattle Mountaineers |
Drafted 9th round, NDBL-Bakersfield "Jam" |
| 2008 |
Tony Champion |
Seattle Mountaineers |
Drafted 9th round,NDBL- Colorado 14ers |
| 2008-09 |
Ryan Diggs |
Bellingham Slam |
Free Agent, NDBL-Utah "Flash" |
| 2009 |
Ed McCants |
Grand Rapids Flight |
Arkansas Rimrockers |
| 2009 |
Anthony Kyle |
Windy City Soldiers |
Ft. Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2009 |
DeAnthony Bowden |
Elgin Racers |
Iowa Energy |
| 2009 |
Keith Gayden |
Elgin Racers |
Iowa Energy |
| 2009 |
Donald Watts |
Snohomish |
Arkansas Rimrockers |
| 2009 |
Jamar Brown |
Aurora Cavalry |
Colorado 14-ers |
102 players go overseas after the 2007 IBL season
The fast paced play of the IBL produces great players who then leave the IBL to go overseas after the season expires. 13 of the 18 players that were with the Dayton Jets in 2005- went on to play in the CBA or Overseas. In fact, after the 2007 IBL season, 102 IBL players went on to play overseas; that 2007 season established the IBL as the league to participate in—for players to get an overseas job and/or for players to maintain an overseas job.
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