New NBL Head Honcho ...

Interesting item from Today's "THE AGE" in Australia. This is former USOC head CMO Rick Burton's old job as CEO of the top Australian pro bball league:

BASKETBALL Australia has named National Basketball League legend Larry Sengstock as its new chief executive.

Sengstock, who played in five NBL championship teams, represented Australia at four Olympics, and has the NBL award for the most valuable player in the grand final series named after him, will take over from current CEO Scott Derwin at the end of April.

The 49-year-old has been charged with overseeing the running of the newly unified national basketball body, including the relaunch of the NBL, which is set to occur in the next two weeks. It is a task Sengstock says is top priority "to get the participants and public to understand that we are making changes and things are happening".

The new league looks set to include between eight and 11 teams, with the two Melbourne teams, the Melbourne Tigers and the South Dragons, expected to be included.

Sengstock's appointment was announced yesterday at the launch of Basketball Australia's new brand as a unified national body that now administers all levels of the game, from state and local associations, through to the national teams and the men's and women's national leagues.

The announcement was accompanied by an attempt to break the world record for the most people dribbling basketballs in one place at a time.

The attempt drew 1639 participants to Federation Square, well short of the 3054 required to beat the record set in the US in 2007, but it will stand as an Australian record.