Recently, I have been attacked on the US Basket forums. I have been acused of scamming people into the league mainly.

This is simply not true.

Just to bring everyone up to speed: I founded and ran the United Basketball League. We completed our first season in July.

During the season there were numerous problems ranging from the two teams that backed out at the very start of the season to issues with how referees were getting paid to a difference of opinion where VP Ozzie Denson and I were concerned. Ozzie and I always tried to work together, but at times he took over and did things before I had the chance to say to do it or to not do it. Truth is, some of what he did worked out well, but it seemed like at times I was the last to know what was taking place.

Here is some of what I had to deal with: before the season started I told everyone that I needed to know about everyone playing on UBL teams. I never got final rosters with two exceptions, and then a third one came to me when the season was almost over.

I also had to deal with a gentleman who originally joined the Soul in the sales & marketing department. He was told that he would be paid commission only. He agreed. He never brought anything to the Soul inspite of his efforts. He became coach of my semi-pro club, the South Texas Showboats. He wanted to have games for his players against other teams but the league was not quite ready when he was. He was pushy actually.

Out of kindness and out of appreciation for his efforts to get the Soul and the league sponsors, I gave him a little money with intentions of giving him more later. I didn't owe him this, but I was trying to do right by him.

What did he do? Because I didn't give him any more money when he needed it, he had his players send me text messages saying that if he was fired, they would quit. This happened after the person in question and I had a less than pleasant discussion. It was at that point that I felt I had to let him go because my hands were tied.

His next move was to put the Showboats in the ABA. I have the rights to the name ON PAPER, but I'll go ahead and fight the fights that need fighting. I'll leave that alone.

There was this mess with the referees getting paid, and without going into details about it, I will tell you that I was mostly at fault for what happened, and everything was taken care of, and some of those referees will be with the URBL next season.

Websites: Before Denson joined the league, we had a website. Denson had this idea that I agreed with, having all the team sites operated by the same company. Denson knew someone that did websites and he offed a good price for everyone, and we went with it. So it became his guy, his site.
Denson did pay for the league site, it should be noted. I mention this because there were questions about the UBL site in the forums. I'll also say that I was willing to keep the league site updated.
Denson didn't even trust me enough to let me post scores. Whoops, the owners didn't even notify me of scores or stats or anything else.

Some of the teams were brought into the league by Denson, as he has reminded me many times. These teams did not take care of their financial obligations to the league. Denson and I tried to help teams out because it was obvious early on that teams were not going to make the money we had expected them to make. Even then, owners did not attempt to do what they needed to do.

Part of the reason we have gone our separate ways is that Denson had a group of the owners following what he said. I called for conference calls weekly but only a couple of teams were represented with regularity. Ozzie would call for meetings sometimes, or he would call for conference calls, and you would think that he was the commissioner. This is not a jealousy thing, but it is to illustrate that I had a tough time, and the league had a tough time too. I didn't like the divison, and then when one owner siad that I was at fault for the divison, I decided right then that I didn't want to be with the same group if this was how they felt.

We all had financial issues, myself included. I had a system in place, a system brought to me by an owner. The idea was to make sure players got paid and on time without owners carrying this burden of a payroll of a minimum of $700.00. The players certainly should have been paid if this system was followed, but not everyone did. If any players did not get paid, that should be taken up with the team owner. That includes me. I found out tonight that a player who was to have played for the Knights but didn't, feels that he was wronged. Supposedly he paid his registration fee and never heard form me again. that's what I saw on the forum. Whoever this person is, I urge him to get back to me. But that's not true.

People on the forum wanted me to answer questions and I wanted to say things without it seeming like I was blaming anyone else for the failures of the league. I fully realize that as the head man, it all falls in my lap. I've been forced to come out and defend myself here. Believe me, under the URBL, I won't make the same mistakes as I did this past season.

I changed the name to the URBL because for one thing, it represents a new beginning. Ozzie wanted to run his own league and he seemingly wanted the UBL name.
I basically gave him my blessing. I wish him and those who follow him well.

Someone who calls himself bballwatchdog in the forum said through a private message that he is asking US Basket to investigate me and the league becuase he thinks I am a scam artist.
I admit that I made mistakes, but I never scammed anyone. Don't buy what he's selling.