ECBL decides to end season

The Eastern Canadian Basketball League (ECBL) has cancelled all remaining regular season games and championship tournament as part of a restructuring plan to restore the league in 2024.

The announcement came May 19, two days after the league said it would shorten the regular season and have a year-end tournament May 26-28. The league said in a

May 19 news release the final decision was a business choice aimed at securing a stable future.

CEO and founder Ravi Verma apologized to players, administrators, fans, sponsors, volunteers and followers for ending the season prematurely.

“We take responsibility for the disappointing outcome for our inaugural season and we are determined to fix our mistakes and give the Maritimes a professional basketball league that they deserve,” Verma said.

The six-team league began play March 30 and played 39 games with the Saint John Union defeating the Valley Vipers May 23 in the finale. The league also consisted of the Truro Tide, Moncton Motion, Bathurst Bears and Charlottetown Power.

The Vipers were supposed to play at the Kings Mutual Century Centre in Berwick but due to a flooring issue they played at Acadia University and Horton High School.

Higher than anticipated costs and lower than forecasted revenues left the league with serious financial challenges, it said in a May 17 news release.

Verma said they believed professional basketball can work in the region.

“To achieve this, we need to restructure and change the way we operate so we can come back stronger and more secure in 2024," he said.

“The future looks bright,” Verma added. “We are going to work every day to create a stable league for everyone to enjoy.”