Pro basketball league courts Saint John

The Premier Basketball League is exploring the possibility of moving a New Hampshire team to Saint John for its upcoming season.

The Manchester Millrats are a part of the nine-team professional men's basketball league, which includes teams from Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, but are courting a new home. Most of the players in the league come from U.S. Division One schools or other professional leagues.

Andre Levingston, the owner of the Halifax Rainmen, is involved in the talks to bring the Millrats to Saint John.

"The owners have been there numerous times, setting up meetings. And the excitement coming from the people that they've sat with kind of dictates the support they can expect," Levingston said.

Levingston said the city has a great venue in Harbour Station to base the team.

The 6,600-seat arena would be among the largest in the league in which teams play 20 regular season games.

There are currently nine teams in the league, including the Quebec Kebs, Puerto Rico Capitanes, Vermont Frost Heaves, Lawton-Fort Sill Calvalry and Buffalo Stampede.

Levingston said negotiations are underway, and he believes an announcement could be just weeks away.

Norval McConnell, the president of Basketball New Brunswick, said he is hoping a deal can be struck between the two sides to bring professional basketball to the province.

McConnell said having a professional team in the province would mean a lot, especially in the development of young players.

"To aspire towards a real level of play that they might not be exposed to except through TV and that in itself allows them to believe that they too can achieve those goals,' he said.