August 2007

The United States Basketball Association was conceived by a Georgia businessman named Duane Allen Jenkins, who has worked for two other minor league basketball leagues. "Minor league basketball has had a great many challenges throughout the years and unfortunately has left a great many cites and towns with a general distrust of minor league sports. We believe market stability, effective community involvement, reliable corporate partnerships and league participation are some of the ingredients for a truly successful venture," Jenkins said.

Each franchise in the USBA will play a 30 game schedule from early April to late June. An All-Star Game at mid-season and a complete championship play-off series culminating in the first week in July.

The USBA's inaugural season will be played with 12 teams. A standing invitation was issued to a group of basketball teams from another league. "These teams are successful and hold the respect of their community and we welcome them with open arms," said Jenkins.

The local team is set to be called the Birmingham Crusaders.

Current plans are to have two divisions, the Appalachian and the Atlantic. The Appalachian division will include Birmingham, the Chattanooga Royal, the Atlanta Platinum, the Nashville Thunder, the Asheville Mountaineers and the Montgomery Generals. The Atlantic Division will consist of the Jacksonville Admirals, the Charlotte Blue Wave, the Savannah Seahawks, the Macon Marauders, the Augusta Raging River and the Columbia Centurion.

"We are extremely pleased with the warm reception we have received from the cities. We selected these venues to give each state equal representation in the USBA and as we add additional teams and divisions we will place them evenly throughout the country as to give all basketball fans an opportunity to enjoy professional basketball," Jenkins said.

The USBA's headquarters will be in Atlanta, Georgia. The league will eventually maintain divisional offices throughout the United States. "As the league grows in the number of teams and additional divisions established, we think it is essential to have regional representation." Jenkins said.

The USBA will own and operate the franchises until they are transferred to their new owners. "We have devised a minor league marketing package specifically developed for the business community to insure the survivability of USBA teams. In all sports programs there is a marriage between the team and the town, we anticipate many happy long lasting unions," " Jenkins proclaimed.

May 2008

The USBA was originally scheduled to begin its operation in 2008. The league ran into problems finding home gymnasiums for all fourteen teams. "We gratefully found willing partners in the collegiate community, and we thank them for welcoming us in from the cold, " said league spokesman Duane Allen Jenkins.

The USBA was formed in July 2007 in response to the demise of the United States Basketball League. Jenkins was contracted by the USBL in September 2006 to develop a Southeast Division of the USBL, and held the position of Southeast Franchise Director. According to reports, Jenkins was signed to an exclusive agreement by Ed Krinsky who then held the position of USBL Director of Operations. The USBL started its 22nd season in April 2007 with ten teams in two divisions. It wasn't long after the start of the season that USBL league President Daniel Meissenhimer III realized his league was in trouble. The USBL made the official announcement of the cancellation of the 2008 season on December 27, 2008.

Team schedules and venues will be officially announced at a league meeting on June 28, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Birmingham Crusaders were still listed as a founding franchise.