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Brew: What's happening with the AmeriLeague
SCOTT CHASEN
@SCHasenKU
Chris Reichert, who covers the NBA D-League for UpsideMotor.com, posted two tweets on Thursday afternoon that created a stir on the sports scene. Reichert, who had been reporting on the "AmeriLeague," said on Twitter that he received a phone call from someone who warned him to watch what he said about the league.
This next tweet is not a joke..
— @Chris Reichert
Just got a call from a blocked number. Answered and the voice said, "be careful what you say about AmeriLeague" and they hung up
-- @Chris_Reichert
Since then, the amount of uncertainty about the Amer-
iLeague has only grown. Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com reported that at least three players who signed with the AmeriLeague had decided to enter the NBA D-League Draft instead. Some have theorized on Twitter that the AmeriLeague itself is going to crumble, while some within the league think it could eventually come to fruition.
What is the AmeriLeague?
Based out of Las Vegas, the AmeriLeague was created with the apparent purpose of offering talented players a route outside of college and the NBA D-League. The league was supposed to be able to offer the top prospects more money than the NBA D-League salaries while showcasing players in a similar
fashion to Division 1 college basketball, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders
The league appeared to have somewhat of a foundation, as some ex-NBA and former top college players actually signed up. Former Jayhawk and top-five recruit Josh Selby was one of the more notable names to be linked to the league, as was Royce White, who played basketball at Minnesota before transferring to Iowa State, where he was an AP honorable mention for the All-America teams, according to D-League Digest.
The founder of the league, Glendon Alexander, was a former McDonald's All-American who also spent time in a federal prison on charges of "bank fraud and wire fraud," according to a report from The Dallas Morning News. According to ESPN, Alexander is no longer serving as the head of the AmeriLeague. The primary contact now appears to be Marcus Bass, the league's operations manager.
Why did players trust the word of an alleged con-man?
Originally, no one knew Alexander was associated with the AmeriLeague. Alexander was serving as the league's chief executive under the name Cerruti Brown. However, after changes were made to the website AmeriLeague.com — which has since been taken down — the picture became clearer.
@AmicloHoops@DLeagueDigest @erinasimon Amerileague webpage is interesting right now
- @carlosthedwarf
The website proudly displayed a new message front and center:
"Cerruti Brown is Glendon Alexander. Yeah, you should Google Glendon Alexander; he is a con artist."
After this information was released, Bass told Outside the Lines that Alexander said he was stepping away. The previously scheduled AmeriLeague draft has not yet taken place, and there are far more questions surrounding the league as a whole.
And there's one more interesting thing to note: According to Kami Mattioli of Sporting News, if Alexander signed any of the league's contracts as "Cerruti Brown," there could be legal consequences that differ from any previous allegations. In that case, Mattoli tweeted, Brown could be committing forgery,
which is a felony.
So let's talk about what our pal Cerruti AKA Glendon Alexander signed on those contracts. If it's "Cerruti Brown" that's forgery (a felony).
- @kmattio
So what happens now?
Nobody really knows for sure. According to Reichert, the draft, which was scheduled for last Thursday, never took place. Numerous agents and reporters have gone on record — and on Twitter — to say they don't believe the league will ever be a stallade of American basketball.
However, those within the league continue to say they believe AmeriLeague will make it as a league. There are more questions than answers at this point, and it's going to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
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