Scott Adamson, Author at Adamsonmedia.com

NBA, European-style

As someone who firmly believes there’s no such thing as too much basketball, I embrace the sport wherever and whenever it’s played.

Domestically, the NBA, WNBA, G League and men’s and women’s college basketball get most of my attention, but I also follow the EuroLeague (Alba Berlin is my favored club) and the Basketball Africa League (I cheer for the Rivers Hoopers out of Nigeria).

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So, when the NBA and FIBA held a joint news conference late last month about the plan for a new pro hoops league in Europe, it quickly got my attention.

“The European basketball community is proud of its seven-decade history of international club competitions and the elite talent it develops,” said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis. “Yet, given the sport’s popularity and the success of national team competitions, there is untapped potential in European club basketball. A new league in Europe would combine the NBA’s business acumen with the international expertise of FIBA to attract new basketball fans and investors alike, maximize club benefits, and establish synergies for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

Added NBA commissioner Adam Silver, “The NBA and FIBA are uniquely positioned to build on the rich tradition of European basketball. We look forward to collaborating with FIBA to explore the creation of a new league for fans across the continent.”

Nothing is set in stone, of course, and plans sometimes never get beyond the drawing board. But the fact that Silver and Zagklis have gone public with their attentions means they’re quite serious.

According to an NBA news release, potential investors and teams were contacted more than a year ago to gauge the feasibility of the NBA Europe League (or whatever it might be called).

The new organization would be “ … integrated into the current European basketball landscape, with teams also participating in their respective national leagues. In addition to permanent teams, the league would offer clubs a merit-based pathway to qualification through the European basketball ecosystem.”

BasketNews reports that Real Madrid is the top target among EuroLeague franchises, while England wants to join the party with a new club based in Manchester.

I alluded to being a supporter of Alba Berlin, and it appears they’ll be locked in to EuroLeague. BasketNews hinted that the proposed league covets a Berlin club, but would likely introduce a fresh one.

“It’s preliminary, maybe 12 permanent spots and four that would be in a position to play on yearly basis, but that’s subject to change,” Silver said during the presser – without ever mentioning EuroLeague. “We have ongoing discussion with existing clubs, some of them are huge global brands and we recognize that there’s a tremendous depth of interest.”

EuroLeague’s 13 shareholders are meeting on Monday in Barcelona to discuss the league’s future and how an NBA-sponsored competitor might impact it. Currently it features 18 clubs with an eye on expanding to 20 as early as next season.

As you might expect, EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas thinks Europe is best represented by his operation.

“We have a strong league. We have a great plan. We have a vision as to where we want to go and what we want to do,” Motiejūnas said to Spanish broadcaster Movistar+. “Of course, we don’t need another league. We don’t need a savior. We keep saying that we have the best league in Europe. I think we have the best fanbase on which the league is built. We have great franchises like Real Madrid. We have new names like Paris coming in as a new market. Clearly, we feel strong.”

In a perfect world, I’d love to see EuroLeague and the new venture come to some sort of arrangement where they can peacefully coexist. As exciting as it is to see the NBA expand its footprint further, EuroLeague’s roots date back to 1957 and as Motiejūnas says, it’s already strong.

But a perfect world this most certainly is not. Chances are there will be some major upheaval in European hoops if Silver and Zagklis partner up. take on the old guard and filch some of its biggest names.

Thus, I find myself hoping EuroLeague can hold the line while, at the same time, feeling excited about more big-time professional roundball.

Stay tuned …

UFL back for Year 2

For fans yearning to watch professional outdoor tackle football again, the 47-day wait is over.

The United Football League begins its second season today when the St. Louis Battlehawks take on the Houston Roughnecks at TDECU Stadium. Kickoff is 8 p.m. E.T.

The lone Saturday game pits the San Antonio Brahmas at the Arlington Renegades (4 p.m.).

And on Sunday, the Michigan Panthers travel to Tennessee to battle the Memphis Showboats (noon) followed by the defending UFL champion and three-time spring football king Birmingham Stallions squaring off with the DC Defenders in Washington (3 p.m.).

To say the leadup to Game Week has been smooth sailing, however, would be a lie.

Last Sunday, Defenders coach Reggie Barlow stepped down to become the head coach at Tennessee State University, and on Monday Ken Whisenhunt took a leave of absence from his gig as Showboats coach after accepting the job in September.

Thus, Shannon Harris will serve as interim head coach for DC, while Memphis will be led by Jim Turner.

Barlow decided to return to his college coaching roots (he previously served as HC at Alabama State and Virginia State), and Whisenhunt departed for personal reasons.

“If and when Ken Whisenhunt is ready to return to the UFL family,” a league statement read, “we will welcome him with open arms.”

Perhaps the most serious issue is labor: as of this writing, players still don’t have a contract. The United Football Players Association (UFPA) filed a claim of unfair labor charges with the National Labor Relations Board on March 14, alleging – among other things – that the league had threatened to cut players who participated in “protected union activities.”

The good news, though, is that high-level, pay-for-play minor league spring football is back for a fourth year. The original USFL made it just three seasons, and the World League of American Football exited North America after two years, took two years off, and reformed with an all-European lineup of franchises.

(The 2009-12 United Football League lasted four seasons, but it played in the fall).

Although minor league ball is transient in nature, fans who’ve followed the spring game since its reboot in 2022 will see plenty of familiar faces. Chief among them is Arlington QB Luis Perez, who has been there – and there and there – done that – and that and that – and got enough T-shirts (and game jerseys) to fill a closet.

He’s even written a book titled The Spring King: A Champion’s Journey of Passion, Persistence and Unlimited Possibility.

Now 30 and a veteran of the Alliance of American Football, XFL 2.0, The Spring League, modern USFL, XFL 3.0 and now UFL, his shot at a full-time NFL roster spot is fading. Still, he’s been outstanding in spring competition.

Last year he led the UFL in passing with 2,310 yards and 18 touchdowns.

“To me, these leagues are super important, especially for the quarterback position,” said Perez, who has been on the practice squads of four different NFL clubs. “Because if you’re stuck on a practice squad where you can’t really get hit, can’t simulate the rush, can’t get live bullets besides the preseason, it’s a phenomenal way for quarterbacks to develop and I think me playing in these leagues and starting most of the games I played in, it’s helped me develop.”

A story I’m keeping a close eye on is the return of Alex McGough to the Stallions.

After being a key cog in Birmingham’s first two championships (he was USFL MVP in 2023), McGough was signed by the Green Bay Packers’ in July of ’23 where he spent most of his time on the practice squad. He ended up trying out as wide receiver in an effort to stick on the roster, but was ultimately released.

Now he’s back behind center and will compete with Matt Corral for playing time as Skip Holtz’s club seeks to continue their spring dominance.

“Just getting back to playing quarterback again kinda feels like, not really an adjustment, but a homecoming,” McGough said. “It felt good to sit in the room with Skip again and hearing him talk. We have a mutual respect for each other. I respect his coaching career and coaching style and the way he calls games, and I respect the way he teaches players.

“He’s not a big yeller/screamer, he just wants to help people. He always says he’s a teacher first, then a coach.”

Other returning spring ball standouts include DC QB Jordan Ta’amu, Michigan safety Kai Nacua and St. Louis wideout Hakeem Butler.

Yet. while the league is full of good players – some just a break away from trading up to the NFL – the main lure for me is the experimental nature of the game.

If you’re playing in the offseason, you need to be offbeat.

The biggest rule change for the UFL in 2025 is kickoffs, and it’s based on the NFL dynamic kickoff (which was a tweak of the XFL 2023 rule).

Starting tonight, kickoffs will start from the 30-yard line after being at the 20-yard line last season. The 10 remaining players on the kickoff team will line up at the receiving team’s 40-yard line. All kicking team players were at the 20-yard line, including the kicker, in 2024.

The receiving team’s set up zone will stretch from its 35-yard line to the 30-yard line and at least nine players must be in that zone. Last year, the receiving team had to have a minimum of eight players, but no more than nine players, in their set up zone, which was the kicking team’s 30- to 40-yard lines (10-yard zone).

The landing zone will be from the receiving team’s 20-yard line to the goal line, and if the ball doesn’t reach the landing zone, it will be spotted at the 40-yard line.

Finally, there are two touchback spots: the 35-yard-line for balls kicked into the end zone and the 20-yard line for balls that hit in the landing zone and then enter the end zone.All touchbacks were placed at the 25-yard line last season.

The onside kick option has been eliminated completely and replaced by the fourth-and-12 scrimmage play from a team’s own 28-yard line.

There has also been an upgrade to coach’s challenges. Each head coach will get a second challenge if the first is successful, and the head coach can challenge any officiating decision if his team has a timeout remaining.

Otherwise, the “greatest hits” from the UFL’s first season return, such as the tiered one, two and three-point conversions, overtime shootouts from the five-yard line and the option of a double forward pass behind the line of scrimmage.

As was the case last year, all the teams will be based in Arlington during the week and travel to host cities for games.

So, if you’re ready for football again, you’ve got 12 consecutive weeks of the UFL, ending with the championship game on June 14.

Enjoy.

A passing storm

Duff and Lifesaver huddled at the bottom of the stairwell, which, Duff figured, was probably the safest place in the house.

A tornado warning had been issued, and all those in its path were urged to take immediate cover. The voice coming through the television was insistent.

Stay away from windows, go to a basement if you have one, or shelter in a hallway, closet or bathroom if those are your only options. This is a serious situation.

The stairwell leading to the garage at Duff’s house was 13 steps deep and covered by walls on either side. The bottom step was a favorite spot for Lifesaver, a small, ginger cat who was mostly fearless but always put aside his bravado during inclement weather. The first clap of thunder would send him slinking to his safe space, where he would curl into a ball and rhythmically twitch his ears.

When that happened, Duff would lean over the railing and talk to the cat in a calm, soothing voice.

“It’s OK, buddy,” he’d say. “We’ll take care of each other just like we always do.”

Duff’s wife had been gone for 10 years, and Lifesaver came along three years later. As the calendar kept flipping, Duff was less inclined to go out and socialize, and instead preferred the company of his feline. Once he became a “cat person,” he couldn’t imagine life without a furry friend.

And the kitty seemed to like the arrangement, too. He loved shadowing Duff as he went about his daily routine, and always snuggled beside him when the old man reclined in his easy chair, cracked open a cold one and watched baseball.

As the wind howled mercilessly and the hail pounded the metal roof, Duff gently stroked Lifesaver from head to tail.

Take immediate shelter. If you are in the counties of Douglas, Lincoln and Buchanan, you are under a tornado warning. Extensive damage has already been reported.

“I guess we should probably go to the garage, but I really don’t want to,” Duff said as Lifesaver looked up at him and slowly blinked. “Nah … we’re gonna stay right here unless we have no other choice.”

Duff had groceries delivered and used a ride-hailing service when he went out, so his 2009 CR-V had been sitting idle for several years. It most likely still ran just fine, but now it was simply 3,500 pounds of melancholy. When Duff looked at it, he thought of that spring day in 2018 when he grew so despondent he decided he didn’t want to see another day.

With the garage door closed, he planned to get in, crank it up, close his eyes and quietly slip away.

But as he opened the door and plopped down in the driver’s seat, he heard a noise coming from the corner where his tools were stored. He walked over to inspect, and saw the head of a small kitten peering at him from behind the mud-caked blade of a shovel.

Duff reached in and grabbed the puff of orange fur, who just barely spilled over the palm of his hand.

“Where did you come from, little one?” he said as the cat meekly mewed. “How did you even get in here?”

Duff pulled the kitten close to his chest, kissed it on the head, and then walked over to his car and closed the door.

Since then, the pair had been inseparable, and Duff figured this was the ninth or tenth time they had ridden out a tornado at the bottom of the stairwell.

Just as Lifesaver rolled over to get a belly rub, the hail stopped, and the roaring wind had settled into a whimper.

The tornado warnings for the counties of Douglas, Lincoln and Buchanan have been lifted. The tornadic activity has moved to the west and these counties are now under a severe thunderstorm watch. The dangerous weather should be moving out of the area within the hour.

Duff stood up and Lifesaver took a big stretch. Both headed up the stairs.

“We survived another one, buddy,” Duff said. “Why don’t we celebrate by watching some baseball.”