Another risky venture

Sifting through newspaper clippings from the winter of 1999-2000, I find it difficult to imagine how professional basketball will work again in the Youngstown area.
That season, more stories were generated from what was happening off the court than on it.
Certainly, the Youngstown Hawks of the International Basketball Association -- one of the biggest sporting flops ever in the Mahoning Valley -- left a sour taste in our mouths.
The short-lived organization was run by Ted Stepien, who owned -- and nearly ruined -- the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s.
With the help of former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., Youngstown acquired the team that formerly played in Mansfield.
Traficant and Stepien stood on the court at the old South High Field House and proclaimed the incoming franchise as a tool in rebuilding Youngstown.
Stepien even bet Rob Todor, sports editor of this newspaper, a neck tie that the plan would succeed. (For the record, Todor's still waiting for his tie.)
Naturally, those plans were questioned for multiple reasons.
Examining the Hawks' troubled spots
UFirst and foremost was the location at which the Hawks played -- South Field House. It was renamed the Youngstown Sports Arena to improve the public's perception of an area that wasn't exactly welcoming to families, especially at night.
Stepien once asked us, "Why wouldn't people come? It's only a few blocks from Market Street."
The city spent $315,000 on renovations to the field house, and the franchise didn't finish the season here. Toward the end, beer sales were stopped after questions about permits were raised, and the desperate Hawks were giving game tickets away.
USecondly, the timing was all wrong. The Hawks were scheduled to play many of their games on weekends and key nights during the week when high school basketball was being held.
UAnd even if there were a viable product to watch, the Hawks did a poor job of marketing.
USimply, ownership never seemed to grasp what was right for the Mahoning Valley. That's why Stepien moved the team, with a 4-15 record at the time, to Canada.
Mahoning Valley prepares for another franchise
So here we are, five years later and six months away from another professional basketball franchise tipping off.
The 15-team International Basketball League will debut in April 2005, with Youngstown, Akron and Dayton among the Ohio franchises.
IBL officials have begun two of their presentations here by admitting that most professional basketball leagues don't work.
Theirs is different, they say, because they've studied the main problem (travel costs) and discovered a solution (cluster scheduling) -- keeping expenses to a minimum by having teams play most of their games against regional opponents.
Whether that idea works remains to be seen, but there are reasons for optimism.
Learning from the past
U Location. Youngstown's franchise, the Mahoning Valley or Youngstown Wildcats, will play at the Struthers High Field House, a well-known venue that has hosted high school basketball, boxing and concerts.
UTiming. The IBL, running a 20-game schedule from April to June, won't have to compete with high school basketball.
UMarketing and ownership. These two go hand-in-hand. Local owners Frank Petrakos, a dentist from Canfield, and Craig Mangie, an oral surgeon from Boardman, are sports fans who should have a good handle on the area scene.
They recognize the Hawks' marketing demise, hoping this time to cater to schools and families.
"This league is charging so little for dues that you don't need to fill the [venue] with thousands of people [to break even]," Petrakos said. "You only need 600 to 800 a game."
That's encouraging. The Hawks averaged 200 fans per game in their darkest hour, so it doesn't seem impossible -- with a well-run operation -- to meet that 600-to-800 standard.
With this latest venture in professional basketball, Youngstown is again undertaking risk while seeking reward. Let's just hope we've learned from the Hawks' ruin.
XBrian Richesson is a sports writer for The Vindicator. Write to him at richesson@vindy.com.