Sean Higgins Brings 8-year NBA Experience to Int'l Basketball League ‘Las Vegas Stars’ -- Team Owner, CEO and GM Alexis Levi Hires th

Las Vegas, NV (PRWeb) March 22, 2007 -- Young Alexis Levi is making history for the International Basketball League (IBL) Expansion Team - the Las Vegas Stars - in Las Vegas, Nevada. To help coach her team to greatness, African American owner, general manager and CEO Levi hired eight-year NBA veteran Sean "The Dean" Higgins as a player and assistant to head coach George Tarkanian.

Sean Marielle Higgins was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (54th overall) of the 1990 NBA Draft.

Higgins played for the Spurs, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Portland Trail Blazers in eight NBA seasons. He played collegiate ball for the University of Michigan Wolverines, who he helped win the 1989 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

Levi states, "We are extremely excited about the recent addition to our coaching staff. When you take the name and you add a veteran like Sean Higgins to the puzzle, this could only equal a great coaching staff. George will bring the experience that he learned from his father, the legendary UNLV head coach Jerry "Tark the Shark" Tarkanian and Sean will bring eight years of professional basketball experience - eight years as a player in the NBA. Higgins' coaching debut with the Las Vegas Stars will take place April 19, 2007 at 7:15 pm PDT at the Station Casinos Complex."

"It is crucial for the Las Vegas Stars to have a successful 2007 season. When Sean takes the floor as a player, he will elevate the level of the team's players, said Levi. "We are building a Franchise that Las Vegas and the rest of the world can be proud of. As the first African American Women to own a men's professional basketball team, my goal is introduce our team to the world. By aligning with Sean Higgins, we will meet and exceed our national and international goals."

"I look forward to working with Alexis Levi, George Tarkanian and the Las Vegas Stars organization. I have a personal passion for the city of Las Vegas considering I spent a large portion of my childhood in the city," stated Higgins. I played Pop Warner football and AAU basketball as a kid in Las Vegas, and was a camper at all the Rebels' youth basketball camps, before my family moved to Los Angeles in the early eighties. I have total confidence in Alexis and George's leadership to propel the Las Vegas Stars basketball team into a valuable asset for the community of Las Vegas, and I plan to help them achieve this goal."

The Las Vegas Stars' inaugural season kicks off with a road trip to face the Phoenix Flame on Friday, April 6, 2007 at Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. To ensure ample preparedness for its first season, the team has selected players from Arizona, California, Las Vegas, Detroit, Atlanta and New York.

The Stars' home opener is Thursday, April 19 versus the Colorado Crossover. The team will play its home games at Stations Sports Complex; the team has arranged to increase seating capacity on game days, and will offer fans valet parking. Levi's team will host 12 home games at the Las Vegas Station Sports Complex before approximately 2,500 fans. NBC affiliate KVBC will televise some home games. Fans may also view games on Internet Sports Channel Pay2ViewTV.com.

"We are pleased and honored to bring an IBL team to Las Vegas," said Levi. "In our efforts to lay the foundation to one day bring an NBA team to Las Vegas, we have now begun to build the bridge between the Las Vegas Stars and the NBA.

Las Vegas Stars invite corporate and organizational sponsorship and support. Entities interested in partnering with the sure-to-be first-rate Las Vegas Stars are encouraged to contact team national marketing associate Mitchell Adams 702-216-2966.

About International Basketball League (IBL):
The International Basketball League is a third-year professional men's basketball league. Consisting of 25 teams across the U.S., the IBL follows NBA rules with a few exceptions: 1.) five fouls per player, 2.) 22-second shot clock, 3.) an immediate inbounds, and 4.) Only one timeout per quarter. These rules reduce dead time leads to a faster and more entertaining game. The result is an athletic game that is very fun to watch.

IBL scoring average per team in its first two seasons was over 126 points per game. The IBL has designed team ownership rules to enable affordability. The IBL expects to grow to 32 teams in 2007--including expansion teams in Buffalo, Los Angeles, and St. George (Utah), among others.

IBL owners get very efficient schedules; owners are guaranteed a maximum of one trip that requires air travel. This schedule efficiency means that once a team is founded, that team will survive and then thrive. For IBL photos, videos, and information, please visit the league website www.iblhoopsonline.com.

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