Five Questions With Coach Paul Sir

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Q -- Where do most of the players in the International Basketball League come from and how good are they?

A -- Jamario Moon, who now plays regularly for the Toronto Raptors, was in the IBL with a team in Indianapolis. Like most of our league’s players, he was part of good NCAA programs and used the IBL to sharpen his skills and keep his options open for a job at the world’s best professional level. Many IBL players, including several with strong Edmonton connections, also play elite-level basketball in Europe and elsewhere.

Q -- Does the IBL, as a league, operate at a level equal to the quality of the players?

A -- Absolutely. This is the fifth year of operation for the IBL and commissioner Mikal Dullio, who is also the founder of the league, has done an exceptional job of improving both the quality and structure of the organization. As part of the ongoing formation and reformation of a league that is work in progress, he has found stronger owners where necessary and found new locations for franchises that turned out not to be as solid as first indicated.

Q -- How confident are you that the Edmonton Energy can be competitive on the floor against long-established IBL teams?

A -- I’m totally confident. By the end of last season, which was only our first in the league, we were capable of playing at the top level. On most nights, the players gave 100 per cent of their ability, and it showed in our results. The Bellingham Slam won the championship not because they had the best man-for-man talent but because they were the best team, with all of the implications of that word. By playoff time, I believed we had better individual talent but did not have the collective team background needed to win the championship. Incidentally, this year’s Los Angeles Express is planning to have a team made up almost entirely of former NBA players. The good news is that we play both Bellingham and Los Angeles in our schedule. If they’re as good as we expect them to be, and we’re as good as we expect to be, there will be enough Energy to satisfy everybody (and yes, the pun was intended).

Q -- The IBL is a mid-level professional organization. That in itself gives it a unique position in Edmonton. What makes the product unique on the floor?

A -- Start with the 22-second clock, which means offence is king, every night. A two-second difference from NBA timing makes it essential to rush the ball into the opposition court. Once that happens, there is still time to get off a good and well-chosen shot. Defensively, because of the short season (20 games) and our travel requirements, it’s almost impossible to introduce the intricate defensive systems necessary to use the speed of your opponents against them.

Q -- Besides the good physical conditioning that is an obvious factor in any fast-paced game, what other assets are essential as you consider IBL talent?

A -- The best players in this league must have all of these things: good basketball intelligence; ability to read defences; willingness to share the ball with teammates and the ability to apply their skills at high speed. When talented athletes are unable to make it in the IBL, often it’s because they tend to freeze when they first realize everything must be done as well as they ever did it before and must be done just a little faster than ever before. For successful players, the reward is that they can keep their skills sharp while filling their passion to play a game they have loved for most of their lives. Anyone who has ever competed in sport recognizes the passion to get better, the assion to be part of a team and the passion to show others how remarkable their sport is.