CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A familiar face in Maritime basketball circles will lead a new league being formed in the region.
Tim Kendrick, a 58-year-old Wolfville, N.S., native who most recently was the head coach of the Island Storm of the National Basketball League (NBL) of Canada, is the president of the Eastern Canadian Basketball League (ECBL).
“We’re just thrilled,” the Charlottetown resident said. “We can’t wait to get it started.”
We are proud to announce the new President of the Eastern Canadian Basketball League, @Coach_Kendrick #ecbl #basketball #wolfville #forthemaritime #prosports #nba #fiba #newbrunswick #novascotia #pei #biggerthanbasketball #lemonade pic.twitter.com/EQePZYNJSy
— Eastern Canadian Basketball League (@ecbl_ca) February 12, 2021
While it is a business, Kendrick said the men's league is about much more than making money.
“Our whole thing with the league is we want to help communities grow and prosper. One of the biggest things we want to do is we really want to help the youth,” he said.
“There’s going to be some big things coming that are going to, I think, really set this league apart from any other league I know of.”
The league said on Twitter in late January it was accepting player and coaching applications and floated a dozen communities it was going to be approaching about franchises. They include Charlottetown and Summerside in Prince Edward Island, Halifax, Dartmouth, South Shore, Annapolis Valley, Sydney and Truro in Nova Scotia plus Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Miramichi in New Brunswick.
“There’s quite a bit of interest,” Kendrick said. “I can tell you two of those communities – I can’t tell you who – have reached out several times. One saying we want a franchise and want to meet as soon as possible.”
While some people might compare the new league to the NBL, one thing the new circuit won’t have is the big expense of travelling to Newfoundland and Ontario. If the new league grows, it could look at expanding east and west in the future.
The league has not released many details with things like start dates, schedules, formats, salary cap and roster configuration to be released in the future. But Kendrick said there will be lots of local flavour.
“Our minimum number of Canadians is going to be high.”
And the league will try to build on existing geographic rivalries.
“I smile and get excited when I think about it,” Kendrick said. “Can you imagine Saint John is playing Fredericton on a Friday night in Fredericton and then they’re playing Saturday night in Saint John.”
Kendrick has a lifetime of playing and coaching in the region.
He was inducted into the Horton High School Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. He played at the Nova Scotia Teachers College and the University College of Cape Breton (now Cape Breton University) before working at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre in Waterville.
Kendrick coached the Horton Griffins boys’ basketball powerhouse for 22 years before moving to P.E.I. in 2011 to coach the UPEI Panthers. His contract was not renewed in 2017 after six seasons, but he was soon hired to coach the Storm and ran the pro squad for the past three seasons.
Robbie Robinson played for Kendrick with the Storm and is the ECBL’s senior marketing manager. He moved his family from San Fernando Valley, Calif., to be part of the new league.
“I just thought it was a great idea,” Robinson said, noting the trust that exists between he and Kendrick. “Him being a professional basketball coach and me being a professional player we thought it was a like the perfect combo. …
“I’ve built quite the relationship with coach Kendrick and I just wanted to see what we could do together.”
Jason Malloy is The Guardian's sports editor. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @SportsGuardian .
