The American Basketball Association plans to add an Anchorage franchise to what would become a 46-team professional league beginning next season.
“We’ve been looking at Alaska for expansion for quite some time,” said Joe Newman, the ABA’s chief executive officer. “Basketball is very popular there, as … evidenced by the very successful Alaska Shootout.

“The problem has been transportation. We believe that has been worked out and, as a result we are adding the Alaska Dream to our 2008 schedule. Should anything happen, however, we are prepared for a 2009 start.”

Last season, ABA teams played a 22-game regular season from November or December through March.

ABA franchises span the country from San Francisco to New Jersey, with international franchises in such locations as Montreal and Monterrey, Mexico.

The team will be owned by Trey Davis, according to the ABA. Davis is a teen and outreach coordinator with the Boys and Girls Club of Southcentral with a background in marketing and events coordination.

“We named our team the Alaska Dream because it has truly been our dream to have a professional basketball team, particularly an ABA team, here in Alaska, and this is like a dream come true,” Davis said in a press release.

He said Alaskans have long wanted a ABA franchise, “but the problem has been finding a plan to reduce the cost of travel.

“It will be affordable for ABA teams to visit here and for us to do our road games on the Pacific Coast.”

The ABA, which is where the 3-point shot originated, combines international FIBA and NBA rules.

Davis said he’s been working on an Anchorage franchise for about a year and is “very confident” that the team will play in the upcoming 2009-09 season. He said that the ABA charges teams $20,000 to get into the league, and he estimated annual expenses at $200,000.

“Travel is the main hurdle for us,” he said. “Most teams go by bus.”

He said he’s negotiating with officials at Sullivan Arena to secure dates between December and May, working around the already scheduled Alaska Aces and UAA Seawolves hockey teams, which have most of the prime weekend dates locked up.

Depending on the outcome of those negotiations, he said, the home opener would be between Dec. 6 and 12. He estimated ticket prices would run $15 to $25 and that he needed an average home attendance of about 1,000 fans to break even.

And his hope is for a roster full of Alaska talent.

“That’s what I want to do. That’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “Fill this team with Alaska players.

“There is no doubt we have some great talent here and will be competitive.”