EP33: The HBL is launching! With co-founder Ricky Volante and NBA star David West

"The HBL is a college basketball league that has been developed to eliminate the inefficiencies that exist in the traditional system. We are striving to become the premier destination for college basketball talent across the globe." (Ricky Volante) You will soon hear so much more about the new HBL, a league that will change the face of college basketball completely. I had the chance to speak with co-founder Ricky Volante and 15-year NBA veteran David West at length in the new #MakeYourMark podcast about the new league that they have started, and it is turning heads big time! What?!! Paying college athletes to play their sport? That has been taboo….until now! "There's nowhere you can go where you can watch guys who are not in the NBA play by the NBA's rules. This will make it a much faster game, and I'm interested to see how fast these young kids can actually play at that pro pace." (David West) Ricky and his team have figured out the best way to pay college age athletes to play basketball in preparation for a career in the NBA, at the same time offering them the ability to attend a college of their choice without having to be constrained by current NCAA rules. What they are proposing in the HBL can make all sides satisfied, and benefit the student-athletes and their families. "With the HBL what we have set out to create from Day 1 is the best model that is suited for the athletes themselves, eliminating that false choice between compensation or education, and instead bringing a model together that allows them to have both compensation and education" (Ricky Volante) David lays out the basketball operations side of things, and Ricky describes how investors can be directly involved in operating the teams. We cover almost everything you can think, and I challenge you to think of any holes that they may have missed. Jump onto the HBL bandwagon, it's going to be a great ride! "We want to talk to guys about the importance of leading the charge, being a leader at their university, and not being a follower." (David West) "I used to wrestle with the decision of whether or not to go right back into basketball, whether or not I wanted to coach, but I think what the HBL has provided is an opportunity to work on the executive side which I'm really interested in, on the corporate side of the group, the development of the business, these are the things I'm definitely interested in. I guess I'm killing two birds with one stone. I get to stay in basketball and engage in something I know well, and love being part of the basketball family, but also have the opportunity to engage in the business side of things, and help grow the business." (David West) Some Topics we talk about in this episode: Introduction - 0:40 Ricky Volante - 4:50 David West - 5:25 Rookies Unprepared for the NBA - 8:00 What is the HBL? - 9:10 Options going into College Basketball - 10:20 HBL advantages - 11:00 The HBL game - 12:30 HBL Coaching - 14:30 NCAA can't Control Students - 16:00 Recruiting Process - 18:40 HBL Season Structure - 20:20 Less Than 2% Go Pro - 24:20 Front Office Perspective - 25:50 In Support of Superteams - 29:30 List of 20 Potential Team Markets - 32:20 Expansion Plans - 34:50 Developing Your Own Identity - 35:50 Preparing for After Basketball - 37:20 Investor Operator - 40:20 HBL Foundation Initiatives - 42:20 From HBL to the NBA - 44:20 HBL Revenue Streams - 46:20 Digital Streaming - 48:10 International Players - 52:50 Another Choice for Young Athletes - 54:35 Wrap-up and Takeaways - 57:20 How to get involved: Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly. If you're looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email [email protected] and I'll get you going right away on a faster path to success! If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave me a quick review on iTunes. Your reviews and ratings will help me reach more people with ways to make their mark in life!