The "Britball" website has been so much part of the basketball scene over the past decade that I think most of us had come to think of it as a permanent fixture.

I was as surprised, and concerned, as anyone else, then, when I discovered, at the end of last week, that Britball was "suspending publication for the immediate future" and that it was "due to operational issues".

I wasn't at all sure what either phrase really meant.

For instance, "operational issues" could be anything from a severe hangover to a major fallout with your web-host.

However, basketball experience suggests that "for the immediate future" usually includes one redundant word ... "immediate". Just ask the fans of Manchester Giants and Derby Storm (or even those of any of the three incarnations of Doncaster Panthers!).

Soon after I posted a comment on the "What's Bev ..." thread on the topic of Britball's demise, recording my disappointment, I received a very pleasant e-mail from editor Mark Woods.

I don't intend to go into details about what Mark had to say (that was a private communication), but suffice it to say that it does seem that the end of updates to his site is likely to be permanent (though all the existing material will stay).

I'm pleased to be able to report that there's nothing sinister about Mark's decision - he's not ill, or anything like that - and that, from his point of view it is a very positive outcome. I don't think I'm breaking any confidences by saying that he revealed that "running an unprofitable website as a labour of love isn't realistic any more".

Woods' site was a real ground-breaker. It brought an independent slant on basketball news to the internet at a time (about 1996 I think!) when there was very little else around (and, come to that, not many people computer-literate enough to access it). It quickly grew to become a highly informative, first reference-point both for those who had just become interested in basketball, and for those of us who had been around a bit longer (in some cases longer than we care to remember).

He's done a bloody good job over all those years, especially on things like the exclusive interviews (just have a look at the recent one with Deng), and though some updating had become erratic there are not many of us who should cast stones in that respect, for fear of smashing our own glass.

Mark's decision highlight's one of the problems still surrounding basketball in this country. For all the talk of various people ripping the game off, and making an undeserved profit, the hard truth is that there's still insufficient money in the game to encourage more people to become involved in what may (to the fans) appear to be fringe activities, but which are crucial to the growth and health of basketball as a spectator sport.

When I started the Pawprint site, just over four years ago, I had to produce a Mission Statement. It's a horrible phrase, that, isn't it? Redolent with all the connotations of the worst in modern management-speak ... up there alongside "I hear what you say" as something to set the teeth grinding automatically! However, you had to produce one, in those days, if you want to receive initial, formal support to become self-employed. Anyway, one aim within that statement was for Pawprint "To be recognised among the top three Basketball News sites in the country within 5 years".

Not in this way, though!

I shall certainly miss having a convenient site to use to check whether I've missed any important stories.

Thanks for what you've given the reading public over the last nine years, Mark. I sincerely hope that your current ventures all prove not only enjoyable, but profitable.