Cape Breton to showcase National Basketball League talent

The local team hasn't even been formed yet, but the National Basketball League of Canada wants to give Cape Breton basketball fans a glimpse of what they'll be seeing next December.

On Dec. 18, the Halifax Hurricanes and the Island Storm from P.E.I. will go head-to-head in a pre-season NBL exhibition game.

The league will soon be welcoming the newly-minted Cape Breton Highlanders to league play in the 2016-17 season.

Team president Tyrone Levingston says a lot of people have misconceptions about the NBL. He hopes the exhibition game and the publicity around it will clear up that up.

"We had to do something. I was getting emails from fans saying, 'Are we playing against the Toronto Raptors? What league is this? What are the teams in this league?'" Levingston said.

"So we felt it was important to put the product in front of our fans, so they can see what this league was all about, what the teams are all about and what they can expect for next season."

'Highlighting the young basketball community'

Sydney's Centre 200 will host the game and the Highlanders next season.

But Levingston plans to do much more than just putting two professional teams on the floor.

He's designing a day-long "extravaganza" to promote the sport of basketball and putting dozens of young people squarely in the middle of it.

"We're highlighting the young basketball community by allowing for the first time ever the youth to play in Centre 200," he said.

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Levingston has organized a series of games throughout the day, all with a pre-game and half-time show, culminating with a high school matchup between Sydney Academy and Cabot High boys.

"We're really going all out for the kids and kind of want them to feel as professional as possible so they can continue to dream big, right?"

As for the quality of play fans can expect to see in a pre-season exhibition game, the Highlanders's president says it will be top notch.

"A ton of these guys are still fighting for a job, so you're going to get some very hard-fought basketball on next Friday," Levingston said. "They're trying to make the team."

Ticket prices are customer-friendly, Levingston says, at $5 for all young people and $10 for adults.

He adds with a smile that the league is getting behind this game in a big way. The commissioner is flying in from Ontario, and the ownership and management team from both Halifax and PEI will be in the stands.