Minor-league professional basketball in Roanoke got slam-dunked Monday.

Upon hearing in a morning conference call that a local ownership group didn't possess the immediate financial wherewithal to purchase the Roanoke Dazzle, NBA Development League president Phil Evans announced minutes later in a press release that the NBA had decided to cease operation of the franchise.

"Phil showed up at our office at 10:15 [a.m.], and broke the news to us that the NBA wasn't going to go forward in owning the team next year. So as of right now, our office is closed," Dazzle president Dennis Robarge said early Monday afternoon.

The Roanoke franchise was one of only two of the eight original charter members left in the five-year league. The other one, the Fayetteville (N.C.) Patriots, will officially be terminated today. The Roanoke and Fayetteville clubs were the only teams left in the westward-moving league that were still owned and operated by the NBA. Both clubs operated in red ink for each of their five seasons, thanks primarily to lack of fan support.

The Dazzle's last chance for survival was flushed when Evans learned that the interested group of local investors didn't possess the required finances to consummate an immediate deal.

"I think [the NBA] expected in the call that we were going to have an ownership and we've got a deal," said Dr. Frank Cotter, a Roanoke ophthalmologist who spearheaded the local group. "Well, it's not what they heard ... and that was it.

"We had a sizable amount of money that we were going to put up, but we didn't feel we could assume full ownership right away. We thought that next season could be kind of a transition year in which we could shrink the bottom line, attract other investors, and take over the whole thing.

"It was clear they wanted immediately out of the business of being full owners or part owners of these teams. They were just very rushed and very hurried. It was either buy it all right now or 'we're going to put this press release out.' And we just weren't in a position to do that.

"So it's over. And we're bitterly, bitterly disappointed. It's just terrible for Roanoke."

Like the rest of the eight original D-League franchises, all of which were located in the southeastern portion of the U.S., the Dazzle simply couldn't attract the kind of turnstile numbers to come close to turning a profit. The club averaged 1,682 fans per game this past season, which was a drop-off from each of the previous three seasons. The team's highest average attendance was 1,892 in its second season (2002-03).

Before this past season started, Evans said Roanoke and Fayetteville would have to show significant improvement at the gate in order to stay in a league that's expected to operate with as many as 15 privately owned teams next season, all of which could be located west of the Mississippi River. There has been rampant speculation that the one franchise left in the East -- in Estero, Fla. -- may fold or be sold and moved.

"After working extremely hard for five seasons, it is unfortunate and disappointing that we were not able to build the level of support that we needed to continue operation in Roanoke," said Evans in the statement released by the league office.

Evans did not return a phone message left on his voice mail at the D-League's office in Greenville, S.C.

Robarge, who took over as Dazzle president in the club's second season, said the "bottom line was not enough people came to the games."

"We did everything we could to try and change the fate of this thing," Robarge said. "I don't look back with any regrets. I feel very proud of the thing we did and the product we brought to the arena every night. I am disappointed that it wasn't enough to get people out on a regular basis."

Robarge said the NBA gave Roanoke ample time to prove its worthiness to the league. The NBA terminated charter franchises in Greenville, S.C., and Mobile, Ala., after two seasons. A charter franchise in Charleston, S.C., was shut down after three seasons. Charter teams in Huntsville, Ala., Asheville, N.C., and Columbus, Ga., were disbanded after four seasons.

"Five years is enough time to look and say, 'Yeah, it's something either the people want or they don't,' " Robarge said.

Robarge said the NBA, starting next week, plans to refund the money to the approximate 125 people who already had purchased season tickets for next season.

After Evans' visit, Robarge and the four full-timers left on his staff enjoyed lunch on the NBA.

"They said, 'Go ahead, we'll pick up the tab,' " Robarge said. "We all had a sandwich and I think everybody had about three rounds [of choice beverages], so I think we did all right. That was our parting gift, I guess."