What will it take to make Saint John’s new pro basketball team work? | CBC News

To basketball fans who have watched Saint John welcome — and see fold — three professional basketball teams since 2010, it may take more than a new name to make the fourth time a charm.

In July, fans got the news that the Port City Power would be coming to the city for the 2025-2026 season as part of The Basketball League, known as TBL, which has teams in the U.S. and one in Vancouver.

“People in Saint John know basketball and they want professional basketball.”

To owner and president Jamie Dobbelsteyn, Saint John’s rocky history of trying to keep the city on the map when it comes to pro basketball is no secret. 

“Perhaps the issue with the three previous teams was in the way that the foundation was laid,” Dobbelsteyn said. “In some ways, it was a foundation that was set up for failure.”

Mill Rats, Riptide, Union

In 2010, the Saint John Mill Rats began their run in the Premier Basketball League. After quitting that league after one season, the Mill Rats were reborn under the National Basketball League of Canada.

In 2016, the team underwent new management and was rebranded as the Riptide. The Riptide took a sabbatical in 2019 and didn’t return.

Then, in 2023, the Saint John Union was one of six teams in the newly formed Eastern Canadian Basketball Team. That league folded during its inaugural season.

Now, with less than a month before the Port City Power’s player combine, what will it take to make this team stick?

Dobbelsteyn said this year is unique, partly because of the younger star power that a bigger league attracts.

“With TBL, you’re dealing with kids who are really hungry, really want to get to that next level,” he said. “A lot of them want to go play in Europe and the TBL gives them the opportunity to do that.”

Started in 2018, The Basketball League has 40 teams across the United States, and more on the horizon, including teams in Halifax, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles, according to Dobbelsteyn.

But in terms of staying profitable for the long term, he said, management will need to re-frame toward being sustainable.

Contract with arenas = revenue opportunities

“We’re going to run it like a business,” he said.

That’s Dobbelsteyn’s approach heading into the season. He said it’s up to management to deliver the best possible product to Saint John’s basketball fans.

Part of that meant signing a new deal with local arenas.

In the past, Saint John’s teams have called the city’s TD Station, formerly Harbour Station, their home. 

Teams used to get a fraction of ticket sales as their sole source of revenue during home games, Dobbelsteyn said.

Under the organization’s new contract with TD Station and the Lord Beaverbrook Rink, he said the team will also see some of the concessions, parking, merchandise and sponsor sales.

“With the changes that we’ve made, we now get all of those things, so there’s more than one revenue stream.”

The team will play its first six games at the larger TD Station but will complete its other home games in the smaller Lord Beaverbrook Rink.

A familiar face 

Among all the changes that people in Saint John will get, there will be some familiar faces. Dobbelsteyn said Anthony Anderson has signed with the team.

“I’m excited,” said Anderson, who has lived in the city for nearly a decade. “I’ve always got a lot of love from everybody here … this is home.”

This year, he’ll also be part of the coaching staff. And while he will be providing input into how things are run, he said he will be focused on playing and helping the team succeed on the court.

Anderson has been part of the city’s history with professional basketball, and he’s witnessed plenty of changes in branding, coaching and leagues.

He was part of the newly arrived Saint John Mill Rats in 2011. He largely remained in Saint John and went on to play for the Riptide until 2017, when he signed with the former Moncton Magic.

In 2022, he was named to the National Basketball League of Canada’s 10th anniversary all-time team, recognized as the top pick for the best players in the league’s history.

As a basketball coach for kids in the city, he said he has always felt that the community wants professional basketball in the Maritimes.

“I run into people everyday … I feel the excitement,” he said. “I think it will be well worth it, well worth your time, well worth your money. We’re going to have some fun and hopefully win a lot of games.”

To Dobbelsteyn, it will be the leadership team’s responsibility to deliver an organization that fans can count on for the long haul.

“The payday is we keep basketball in Saint John for many many years,” he said. “That’s the goal.”

Opening games will be at TD Station on March 7 and 8 and are set to feature live music and a battle of the bands competition.