Rossettini: Good morning Commissioner, please have a seat.
Kaskel: Thanks Tommy, happy to be here.
Rossettini: Alright Commissioner, lets start of with a general question, what would you say the state of the league is after 3 full seasons?
Kaskel: I think we’ve made tremendous progress, amid COVID making a severe interruption last spring. To be honest with you Tommy, I thought things looked pretty bleak last April [2020]. But, with the help of my then Deputy Commissioner, now Co-Commissioner, Eric Areman, we were able to develop an effective return to play plan, in a more COVID-friendly venue, outside at Little Hall. Of course, I’d like to thank our many players, team presidents, owners, chairmem, and coaches for their dedication to PHL Basketball.
Rossettini: Obviously, one of the biggest stories over the last 2 seasons has been Kyle Cooper and the Anaheim Bullsharks. They had quite the dominant run. Would you say they were “too” dominant for the sake of league competitiveness?
Kaskel: That’s an interesting question Tommy. Kyle was a fantastic player, and should definitely go into the Hall of Fame, once it is established. He took the league by storm in PHL II. But, during the end of PHL III, teams like Seattle and Howell started to figure him out. I think this was only an issue of time. Kyle graduated and got his Bachelor’s Degree, which we’re extremely happy with him for. However, he did announce his retirement from the league. I think after another season or two in the league, teams would’ve figured him out and possibly give him a few losses. But we’ll never know.
Rossettini: With Anaheim leaving the PHL, what’s the league gonna look like next season?
Kaskel: Well, nothing’s official as of now. But it looks like we’ll see Seattle, Howell, Fort Lauderdale, and likely 1 or 2 new teams.
Rossettini: Over the last 2 seasons, the regular season has been very boring, with most teams making the playoffs. In fact, Fort Lauderdale has 0 franchise wins, and has made the playoffs 2 times. How do you plan on adding value to regular season games?
Kaskel: Yeah, that's definitely been a concern of Commissioner Areman and I. Once, we know the layout of the league for PHL IV, we will consider making some alterations to the playoff format. I think our current format of the top 4 teams making a single-elimination tournament works well if we have 6 or more teams in the league. It didn't really work last season, with only 4 teams in the league. So it's definitely a concern or ours, Tommy.
Rossettini: What precautions did the league make to curb the spread of COVID during the last 2 seasons?
Kaskel: Obviously, we don’t have the capital or funds to set up testing centers as of now. The league office took a more common sense approach to protecting our players. Throughout August-December, players were encouraged to get tested if they had any symptoms. January-April, UF developed a testing site for students to use every 14 days, which our players participated in.
Rossettini: What’s it been like having a Co-Commissioner? And how have you been able to deal with disagreements involving the direction of the league during this time?
Kaskel: Yeah, Hammer's been a key part of the Commissioners’ Office from day one. He’s dealt with most of the technical aspects of the league, like social media graphics, in-game presentation, and league record-keeping. I’ve dealt more with big picture, corporate things, like choosing our venue, establishing location rebrands, making league statements, and scheduling games and other events. Most disagreements are minor things: stat-keeping issues, rule changes. Stuff like that.
Rossettini: Interesting. Thank you, Commissioner, have a nice day!
Opmerkingen