He may have finished college just six years ago, but that hasn’t stopped Des Moines Dragons General Manager Tim Kelly from becoming an important figure in the local sports industry.

“I’m probably one of the most experienced 28-year-olds in the game,” he said.

Kelly, founder and general manager of Des Moines’ first professional basketball team, discussed the rise of the team with students in a reporting class yesterday.

The Dragons compete in the eight-team International Basketball Association, which is rooted in the upper-Midwest.

Although the Dragons have only completed one season, Kelly said they’ve experienced great success.

“We’ve become the model franchise of the league,” he said.

The Dragons set the league attendance mark for one game last season, with over 6,000 fans in attendance. The club also enjoyed the highest average attendance in the IBA.

Kelly credits the team’s success to the hard-working behind-the scenes-team which manages the $800,000 a year business, including promotions directors and marketing representatives with an average age of 25.

“We’re a very aggressive team,” he said.

While the Dragons may now be well on their way to becoming a household name, until the fall of 1997 they were only a dream. Kelly, a 1992 graduate of the University of Iowa, was working for the Sioux City Explorers baseball team when he was first approached about starting a basketball team.

“I helped start the baseball team right out of college, and gained a lot of experience there,” he said.

Kelly moved to Texas after his time in Sioux City and became the ticket manager of the El Paso Diablos, but continued communication with Des Moines to start the basketball team.

Kelly said he found investment groups and worked on contracts with Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines during his time in Texas.

“Once we got all that completed, I just picked up and moved to Des Moines,” he said.

The Dragons started their 1997-98 season at the top of the league, but injuries and a league suspension hurt the team. Kelly said the club’s early wins contributed to their popularity in Des Moines.

“People always want to be part of a winner,” he said.

As general manager, Kelly oversees every aspect of the team.

“I don’t report to anyone except the owners,” he said.

Kelly said he leaves most player personnel issues to Coach Glenn Duhon, whose earlier coaching experience included stints at Georgia Southwestern State and McNeese State University.

“He’s a father-like figure kind of coach,” Kelly said of Duhon. “Players respect him, and he respects players.”

Kelly described Duhon’s picks for the team as “quiet, respecting athletes.”

“Anybody who has any baggage, [Duhon] says, ‘I don’t want you,'” he said.

The team made a special effort to recruit Iowa players last year, Kelly said, including Iowa State’s Ron Bayless and Mike Born.

Although he has received job offers from other sporting clubs, Kelly said he enjoys the atmosphere the Dragons produce.

“I have so much fun at the minor league level because you can do things you can’t at the NBA,” he said.

Every Des Moines Dragons game features a promotion or entertainment event. Kelly said the excitement the entertainment adds to the game has boosted attendance.

“We say we’re entertainment, and on the side we have a basketball game,” he said.

The club also seeks to provide a family atmosphere, and atmospheric entertainment includes pony rides, clowns and jugglers.

“Kids take their parents to the game because they want to see the mascot,” Kelly said.

The Dragons played at Veterans Auditorium for the majority of their 1997-98 season, but ran into scheduling conflicts during February and March. Kelly said a new sporting facility is needed to handle Des Moines’ activity.

“There’s a need for it,” Kelly said. “The majority of the city wants a new facility.”

As the Dragons prepare for another season and the IBA league talks about expansion, Kelly said his experience in the sports world led him to the Dragons—not his talent on the court.

“I’m just a basketball fan,” Kelly said.