Hoops on horizon
River Lions already looking ahead to season number three in Niagara
There is no doubt about Richard Petko’s passion. And there’s also no mistaking his honesty.
As the chief executive officer and founder of the Niagara River Lions, Petko is committed to growing the River Lions brand in the Niagara Region, and growing the National Basketball League of Canada overall.
Coming off a disappointing (1426) season, the Lions second in Niagara, Petko is already looking ahead to the 2017-18 campaign. Off the court was not the issue this past season, according to the Mississauga native, and Queen’s University graduate.
“Our front office staff and what they did was the positive,” Petko said.
“Our crowds were up 25 per cent this year. Our corporate sponsorship was up 250 to 300 per cent this year. The letters from the community, the kid visits (to schools) were all great.”
On the court was a different story as the River Lions could never gel and that translated to their overall record.
“We deserved to lose the games we lost,” said a very frank Petko.
“We never moved the ball like some teams did. We never shot the ball like some teams did.”
We deserved to lose the games we lost.” Niagara River Lions chief executive officer Richard Petko
While the River Lions used their third coach in two seasons, when Keith Vassell replaced Grace Lokole who stepped down in early March, one of the most intriguing aspects of the Lions season was when the team decided to sign and use eight Canadian born players over the final two weeks.
The eight Canadians on the Niagara roster was an NBL Canada record.
“The Canadian experiment at the end of the year, or whatever you want to call it, or at least focusing on Canadians (players) will continue next year,” Petko said. “I highly doubt we will be at the minimum four Canadians.”
“There are a lot of good Canadian players out there and we will aggressively pursue them to the best of our means.”
“The guys we brought in at the end of the year – the Joe Rocca’s and Ryan Ejim’s – look at them in the last game. They were putting in significant minutes and really bringing a winning attitude and a die hard, fighting spirit out there, and I believe our fans could see that.”
Petko feels that if the 10-team league, which currently features a 40-game schedule, wants to expand or continue to prosper it needs to bolster its sponsorship dollars.
“I think the league needs to advance forward,” Petko said. “We are a league that doesn’t have name sponsor. Every other league in Europe, South America, has a sponsor.”
“I’ m hoping that having more Canadian sin the league, by having a longer season, we become more relevant in the marketplace, and get some sponsorship dollars into this league.”
“I’m committed and looking forward to season number three in Niagara. It’s been an interesting first two years, that’s for sure.”