You may not yet have heard of the National Professional Basketball League or the Hudson Valley Hawks. But there’s some pretty good semi-pro basketball being played right in our area with plenty of terrific local talent as well.
The NPBL is in its second year of existence. There are currently seven teams in the league and it will expand to 10 next season. The teams are based primarily in the Northeast, a fact that is attractive to team owners who can’t afford the expenses associated with other, more geographically expansive developmental leagues like the now-defunct USBL. The Hawks won the championship last year and though they have struggled so far in 2008, head coach Adam Spencer is optimistic that his team, currently 3-8, can turn it around after making a number of mid-season personnel changes.
“We didn’t see a lot wins right away,” said Spencer, who was installed as head coach after the Hawks got off to a sluggish 1-3 start. “But we’re not measuring by wins and losses. We’ve played a number of close games and we’re putting ourselves in a position to win.”
This is the first professional head coaching gig for Spencer, 34. He is also the head varsity coach at Harmony Christian School in Middletown. He says he is thrilled to be coaching the Hawks.
“The Hawks are a pristine example of a quality franchise,” he said. “They do everything top-notch. We have a great fan base and a terrific home venue at Beacon High School. I’m humbled by the opportunity and I’m very optimistic that the league will continue to grow.”
Two of the key players on Spencer’s squad are local products, and cousins, Justin Skipwith and Brian Muse. Skipwith, a point guard/shooting guard, joined the starting lineup after a breakout game on April 26 against Westchester County in which “Skip” barely missed a triple-double. In that game, he amassed 19 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals.
“My job is to play defense,” said Skipwith, 25, who graduated from Poughkeepsie High School in 2002. “That’s what we all need to do. It’s an up-tempo game. A lot of teams like to run and gun. The team that plays defense will win the championship.”
Skipwith isn’t kidding when he calls the NPBL an “up-tempo” game. With only a 20-second shot clock and 7 seconds to get the ball over midcourt, Spencer spends a lot of time urging his team to “get back.”
“The key to our success is transition defense,” said Spencer, who has instituted a version of the famous triangle offense used by the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls championship teams. “We try to control the tempo and slow the game down in the halfcourt.”
Another key contributor for the Hawks is PHS graduate Muse. And though some of the Hawks’ recent acquisitions have cut into his playing time, Muse says he doesn’t care about minutes, just wins.
“The way our team is now, we’re deep and we have a lot of interchangeable parts,” said the shooting guard/small forward. “It doesn’t matter how long I play, as long as I get the chance to contribute.”
Muse, 25, said it’s special to play with his cousin, with whom he also played last year in the NPBL for the now-disbanded Connecticut Thunderboltz.
“It’s great playing with (Justin),” said Muse. “We mostly played against each other when we were younger except for one year at PHS. It’s a blessing, really.”
Skipwith, who played in Germany and in several summer leagues before taking a break from basketball to care for his son, is grateful for the opportunity to further his basketball career in the area where he grew up.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to (use this) to eventually play overseas again or in the NBA Development League,” said Skipwith. “We’re a good team now and we have a good coach. We’ve just been coming up a little short.”
Spencer is confident his team has a run in it, especially since every team makes the playoffs in a one-and-done tournament style free-for-all. But if not, he wants to make sure he helps his players in their personal lives as well.
“I love them as young men before basketball players,” he said of his team, which features men ranging from 19 to 37 years of age. “I want to see these guys have a plan B. And I also want to help promote the community. I’m really excited. The structure could change but the league is really a great model. I am looking forward to being a part of something that’s around for a while.”