Decision near on LV team

Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999 | 10:09 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Las Vegans should know within the week whether the city will have a team in the new International Basketball League that's set to begin play in November.

Doug Sanderson, serving as a liaison between the league and curious local investors, said he has set an informal deadline of Friday to see if either of two local groups will step forward and commit to funding a Las Vegas franchise.

"I have two groups that say they're interested and I told them both that Friday is D-Day," Sanderson said Monday. "I told them now's the time if they're really interested."

The IBL has eight franchises and committed ownership groups and is looking for funding for additional teams in Las Vegas and San Diego. Should no additional ownership groups emerge, the league has the option to run the team in Las Vegas as well as San Diego.

Sanderson wants the local ownership question resolved by the end of this week or prior to a Jan. 12 IBL meeting in St. Louis.

The IBL announced in August that it intended to place a franchise in Las Vegas.

archive