Letter from A ‘British Basketball’ Legend

I played for Team Ovaltine out of Hemel Hempstead. I was fortunate to play with one of the most prolific players in Great Britain history, Larry Dassie (PICTURED LEFT) from Kansas State University.

I believe that some of the best basketball in the EBL history was in the early eighties.

You had teams like Crystal Palace (London) with the great Alton Byrd (PICTURED LOWER LEFT ), Pete Jeremich, Mark Saiers and Team Fiat (Birmingham) with Greg White (who was a total man child) and Steve Asindor.

Vince Brookins of Manchester (PICTURED BELOW), Marvin Johnson, Team Solent, Jimmy Brandon (PICTURED LOWER RIGHT) and Art Ware of Sunderland, and Bob Martin (one of the greatest shooters in EBL history) to name a few.

It puzzles me that at the games pike in the early eighties, how the game never reached the heights that it could have so deservingly realized.

In the late eighties and early nineties, Kevin Cadle (my roommate at Penn State University and coach at Team Solripe in Falkirk, Scotland) tried to put British Basketball on the European League map.

He had superb teams with Dan Davis, Steve Bontrager, Steve “Buck” Bucknell, Martin Henlen, Butch Hayes, Joel Moore, and Alan Cunningham (former Globetrotter).

It is a shame, but I know what it comes down too, MONEY! Which is mostly generated through television revenues. Other European countries got it straight but it seems that the EBL could never get it right.

I don’t know if it was because to many people wanted to have a hand in the pie or it was the Ole’ Guard versus the New Guard. Or could it have been when the EBL put a monetary cap on the teams, which was so low that the teams could only attract low level players.

Whatever the case, the people are the ones who have been cheated out of one of the most exciting and entertaining games to ever be invented.

I know that football always is number one in England but there is still a place for a high performance professional basketball league.

It is my hope that the sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears made by the forefathers of the EBL game do not go in vain! I look forward to the return of top-notch professional basketball in Britain someday.

In Joy Divine,
Bobby “Special K” Kinzer
Mitchellville, Maryland USA

Mike Shaft reply

Hi there Mr Bobby KINZER

You won’t know what a pleasure it is to hear from you.

It is a delight that guys like you are finding my website interesting.

I agree with everything you say. We have been on the edge of something big on a number of ocassions but we have failed everytime.

The crazy thing is that the sport is massive at school levels and we are finally getting it together with development programmes.

Some of the names you mention, teams and players, are truly awesome.

This was one of the reasons for setting up the website because it was so difficult to find out stuff about teams and players from the past.

Because the BBL was founded in 1987 they behave as if there was no basketball in the UK before that.

You and I know different.

I need two favours from you please.

1 – Can I please have your permission to use your e-mail on my website? I think people will find it interesting.

2 – Can I please have a photograph of you either back then or now so I can include you on my joythatitis page?

Something I find crazy is that no Americans can see the potential of the game in this country.

They would invest 300 million £s in football but can’t see what 10 million pounds could achieve in basketball over here.

People in this country can’t see it but you would think that one of your guys or teams would get it.

There is real money to be made in basketball and real enjoyment to be had.

Thank you for all that you have done to promote the game in the UK.

I hope it is not in vain.

I will soon let you have a copy of a letter I have circulated in the past to potential investors.

I very much look forward to hearing from you again.

Best wishes

Mike S