Titans owner upbeat after setback
After failing to capture first championship, Martin says there will be ‘several options’ next year
Failing to win the first championship in franchise history, yes, that was a disappointment.
The team’s performance in the final series was anything but.
Kitchener-Waterloo Titans owner Leon Martin was in a glass-halffull mood on Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the London Lightning won their fifth National Basketball League of Canada championship. The Bolts achieved the feat with a 97-96 win over the Titans at the Aud to sweep the bestof-five championship series.
“I think we’ve had a very exciting team to watch, and we came very close to accomplishing what we wanted,” said Martin.
“Injuries were an issue at the end, but the guys played their hearts out, and I’m very happy with what they did. It was an exciting final, and you couldn’t beat it for excitement unless we won it, obviously.”
Team officials, players and volunteers gathered Thursday night for a post-season celebration, with planning for next year starting in a week or two when owners meet to discuss the past, present and future. The league operated with four franchises this season — K-W, London, Windsor and Sudbury — and Martin said “several options” will be on the table as owners look to next year.
NBLC teams played against American teams that compete in The Basketball League this season on a one-year arrangement as Canada’s oldest professional basketball league dealt with the demise of its four franchises based in Atlantic Canada. From a financial standpoint, said Martin, that made road trips far more affordable.
A permanent merger with the TBL could be discussed, said Martin, if not enough Canada-based replacement franchises are found to replace the four that left. The idea of having one or two teams based in Atlantic Canada does not make financial sense, he added.
“We’ll be talking about anything right now to see what we can do to get back on track,” said Martin.
The Titans, Lightning and Five suffered attendance declines from the 2019-20 season, but that was expected, said Martin, as some fans stayed away because of the pandemic.
The Titans opened their home schedule Feb. 21 against the Lightning with 2,282 spectators on hand, but just six nights later had a crowd of 493 for a game with the Lansing Pharaohs. A season-low 346 spectators took in an April 5 game against Windsor, while a game against London on April 23 attracted 822 fans, the second-largest gate of the season.
“The numbers are down in all leagues, except the big leagues,” said Martin. “It’s across the board and not just us, so sports have to reboot again, I guess.”
As for the on-court product, Martin said he was pleased with the work of Titans head coach and director of player personnel Neal Foreman and the players who were assembled.
Combo guard Joel Kindred of Raleigh, N.C., was named the league’s most improved player and most valuable player, guard Shakwon Barrett of Toronto earned rookie of the year honours, and Tyran Walker of Columbus, Ohio, was the top defensive player.
In Wednesday’s loss, Titans centre Jabari Craig missed a free throw with 0.7 seconds remaining in regulation that would have forced overtime.
Terry Thomas led the Lightning with 25 points, Amir Williams added 18 and Chris Jones chipped in with 16.
Tyrrel Tate and Jesse Jones led the Titans with 28 and 27 points, respectively.
The Lightning stormed out of the gate to score 31 first-quarter points and led by as much as 21 points in the second. The Titans chipped away and finally took the lead with 2:55 remaining in the fourth quarter when Tate hit a free throw to give the home side a 93-92 lead.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league last crowned a champion in 2019 when the Moncton Magic won the title.
London won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.