NBA deputy commissioner speaks at WNC fundraiser

By THOMAS RANSON

Nevada Appeal News Service

RENO " NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver was a little bummed when he was told that Western Nevada College didn't offer basketball.

"It would be wonderful. It (would help) for the NBA," Silver said. "I've been reading a lot about (President-elect) Obama's connection with basketball and he still talks about the life lessons we learn from playing high school basketball. So there's no question that (junior college) basketball can achieve the same."

Speaking at a fundraiser for the college's only two sports " baseball and softball " at the Peppermill on Friday, Silver was still excited to see that the recession hasn't prevented WNC from providing opportunities to student-athletes fresh out of high school.

"It's nice to see," said Silver, whose sister, Ann Silver, is a member of WNC's athletics board. "Based on what I see, there's a strong support for WNC. I've heard a lot about their baseball and softball programs. It (WNC's John L. Harvey Field) looks like one of the nicest minor league parks that I've ever seen."

For both WNC coaches D.J. Whittemore (baseball) and Scott Rasner (softball), the annual fundraising dinner is the main contributor to the athletics program because it receives no funding from the state and relies heavily on private donors.

"Immensely," Whittemore said on how much the fundraiser helps. "Right now, this is the only event keeping the program afloat. Without this event, athletics would cease to exist. Critical is the key word."

The baseball team, in its fourth year, relies on four other events for funds but the softball team lags behind because this year marks its first season after women's soccer was dropped in 2008.

"It definitely helps us out quite a bit," Rasner said. "It lets the community know we are out here and we are trying. This kicks off our season. It's very exciting and we have a pretty good team."

Among other topics, Silver discussed the recession, which continues to plague families, leaving many jobless as well as rocking such institutions as the NFL, NASCAR " and the NBA.

"The recession has affected the NBA just like probably every other business," Silver said. "To a certain extent it's affected us mainly in terms of our fans, of course, to pay for our tickets. While we are doing well as a business, there's a sense from the NBA teams and markets, that have given many loyal fans and customers we've had over time, that we owed them, in essence, an opportunity to continue to be fans. We want to work with them so that we can get through these difficult times."

In front of a strong showing, Silver discussed the NBA's growing expansion overseas. Basketball has skyrocketed in interest in Europe and Asia, creating opportunities for both players and fans. The NBA, which had a strong influence in the Olympics, played in London, Paris, Berlin and Barcelona during the fall preseason.

"We had a terrific Olympic experience not only for the United States, which of course won the gold medal, but I'm pretty sure we were the number one attraction in China," Silver said. "I was over there with the team for two weeks and while Michael Phelps was undoubtedly the most famous athlete in the world at that point, Kobe (Bryant) was a close second, especially in China. Every game, not just the games involving the U.S. team, but virtually every game in the tournament was sold out. It was an impossible ticket to get."

Expansion overseas continues to be successful, but creating more NBA Development League teams " such as the Nevada Bighorns " has been another top priority.

"The mindset with the Development League is we recognize that we're not likely to expand anytime soon in terms of the NBA," Silver said. "Even if we were, there's always going to be markets that may not be appropriate for an NBA team or can't support an NBA team. The Development League gives us an opportunity to bring probably the second-best basketball in the world to markets like Reno that have a strong interest in sports and basketball, in particular. It's a chance to create a local following."