WENATCHEE — Last Friday, the co-owners of The Basketball League (TBL), a minor professional basketball league, were in town to witness one of their newest expansion teams, the Wenatchee Bighorns.
David and Evelyn Magley, a married couple who serve as co-owners of the league since its founding five years ago and the President and CEO, respectively, were visiting each Northwest team: Salem, Oregon, Vancouver Washington, and another first-year addition to the TBL, Seattle.
David Magley
Friday was the Bighorn’s turn, and for a few minutes, I was able to pin down David Magley for a brief conversation about the owners’ backgrounds, the TBL, and the Bighorns.
David Magley has a deep background in basketball. He was an Indiana high school Player of the Year, Mr. Basketball, before playing at the collegiate level for the University of Kansas and later selected 28th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA draft in 1982.
Evelyn Magley
After one year in the pros, he pivoted to coaching at the high school level for the next 11 years and two years professionally in Canada.
Evelyn Magley was the first African American woman to own a male professional sports league in the United States. According to the TBL website, she was also the Brampton A’s former Director of Community Engagement, a professional basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) of Canada.
After owning the league for a few years, I wondered what David Magley sees as a benefit of having a local basketball team in the TBL.
David Magley: If done well, we are a community asset. Besides entertainment, we are active in the community, visible, and stand out, because most of the players aren’t from the area. We can bring a level of professional sport they haven’t seen, and a platform to benefit the youth in the Wenatchee Valley region.
Wenatchee World:With TBL teams in markets as large as Charlotte, North Carolina, St. Louis, Missouri, and of course, Seattle, does a small market like Wenatchee pose any problems? Is Wenatchee one of the smallest markets?
Magely: Our best teams are in markets with less than 100,000 people. Wenatchee is and isn’t one of the smaller markets. Madora, Indiana is a town with less than 700 people. No stop lights. It's a different world. They have a 1,200-seat gym and sold out every game. It's a big deal. Smaller is better.
WW:What is the typical expansion process like? How did Wenatchee get the Bighorns?
Magley:Â For all teams, they contact us first.
Magley met Anthony Williams, the Bighorn’s Market Owner, CEO, and GM, during the TBL’s first year in Yakima, when they still had a team.
Magley:Â Anthony wanted to bring a team to Wenatchee for a while. I had been up here several times and after two or three years, and with the Town Toyota Center, we thought Wenatchee would be perfect for what we are trying to do.
WW:With the 2023 season still ongoing, how have the Bighorns been doing as a first-year organization?
Magley:Â It's been a solid first year. We came in a little late but the team has been in the competitive hunt for the playoffs. We are excited about the market. The TBL brand is perfect for what the Bighorns want to do, we just need to get the word out for more to see.
WW: How do you see the TBL’s future unfolding?
Magley: On the way up here we talked to the people in Yakima about bringing a team back. They are a strong market that had 6,000 fans at their last game in 2018 or 2019. There was nothing else in the PNW when they played but now we are looking at expanding to the Tri-Cities, Spokane and Canada so teams don’t have to travel as far.
WW: The TBL has blossomed over the last few years. They progressed from an eight-team league to 12, up to 29 during 2020, to the current 49-team TBL. The league absorbed players that were cut from the NBA’s G League. David mentioned that of the four players who have made NBA rosters, three are still playing.
Magley:Â Our credibility went up. We got more good talent. Eventually, we could see 64 teams in the United States and 24 in Canada. 88 teams.
Magley can visualize a bright future for Wenatchee and the TBL, expanding into a two-tier league where a Super Division accommodates the most talent, the most competitive teams — one Wenatchee could qualify for based on their venue alone — and a lower league that develops players for the Super Division.
The Bighorns start a three-game road trip with the Seattle Super Hawks this Friday at Seattle Pacific University’s Royal Brougham Pavilion.
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