ABL SAYS IT'S FAST BROKE; RIVAL TO WNBA SHUTS DOWN, STARS AVAILABLE.

Byline: Selena Roberts The New York Times

They snuck in and nabbed the majority of gold-medal players fresh off the 1996 Olympic podium and handed out six-figure salaries for their stars.

They savored the coup of being the first to capitalize on women's basketball as it hit the pop chart and defied gravity by launching a dunk contest.

But for all their muscle and skill and daring, the American Basketball League was marketed with Polaroids and magic markers next to the glossy product the Women's National Basketball Association put on as summertime family entertainment.

The ABL flailed for attention, corporate dollars and television deals until its money ran out. Deep in debt, the ABL folded Tuesday, one-third of the way through its third season and announced it will file for bankruptcy protection under chapter 11.

``The league is out of money,'' ABL co-founder Gary Cavalli said in a statement. ``While this was an extremely painful decision, we had no choice but to shut down. Ultimately, we exhausted every option and pursued every lead, but could not generate the revenues or financing necessary to sustain operations. And our lack of television had a lot to do with that.

``TV exposure is critical to sponsors, licensees and investors. This year, we offered millions of dollars to the TV networks for air time, but couldn't obtain adequate coverage.

``It became clear that, although we had the best product, we could not find enough people willing to confront the NBA and give us the major sponsorships and TV contracts we needed.''

The NBA posed too ominous a mountain for the little engine pushing the ABL. Now, the NBA-backed WNBA, which would never entertain merging with the ABL, will likely capitalize from the fall of the league. Although some players, including the star Dawn Staley, recently defected to the WNBA, many argued that the best players - like Jen Rizzotti of the New England Blizzard - were still on the rosters of the ABL.

Along with college players like Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw - who has no American option but to play in the WNBA - the elite ABL players could end up lifting the level of the WNBA via free agency or a draft pool although there was no clear answer on these issues Tuesday. WNBA officials said it was too premature to determine what will happen.

There were several hints of problems in the ABL, with a franchise in Long Beach folding last month. But there was no foreshadowing to indicate a league near doom.

As the day unfolded, shocked players listened to a recorded message telling them that the league is working on a plan to pay players ``as much as possible for the month of December.''

Just Tuesday morning, the coach of the New England Blizzard, K.C. Jones, was watching film in his office in Hartford around 2 p.m. when he received a call from the league's player personnel director, Tracey Williams.

``I got a call from Tracey saying that the league was closing down,'' said Jones, whose Blizzard team road the coattails of UConn's popularity and drew a league-high average crowd of 7,000 with fan favorites Rizzotti and Kara Wolters on the team. ``It was a shocker.''

The WNBA never sweated the ABL's existence. While the nine-team ABL was a winter league lost in the fray of college basketball and saddled with an average attendance of 4,333 fans, the WNBA was soaring in merchandise sales as an average of 10,869 people filled NBA arenas in the summer. While only spare television coverage from Fox Sports Net and BET put the league into households, the WNBA had deals with NBC, Lifetime and ESPN to televise several games a week.

The ABL did not have glamour as a lure for players, so it reached deep - perhaps too deep - into its pockets to land talent with high salaries. Last year, Kate Starbird, a star from Stanford, opted for the ABL after Portland dangled a $150,000 salary in front of her.

Starbird and Wolters, also paid $150,000 a year, were the top-paid players. The average salary was $80,000 for a five-month season. Meanwhile, the WNBA could offer more endorsement opportunities but only a $40,000 average for a shorter, six-week season.

``This is an unfortunate setback for the women's sports movement,'' WNBA commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement. ``We applaud the efforts and passion of the ABL players and all the league personnel that labored so hard to sustain it.''

LOOKING FOR WORK

Here's a look at some of the top ABL players who are now hoping to catch on with the WNBA. The ABL was never short on talent; seven members of the 12-player U.S. Women's National Team that won the World Championship in June competed in the ABL.

Player Pos. College

Jennifer Azzi G Stanford

Edna Campbell G Texas

Teresa Edwards G/F  Georgia

Yolanda Griffith C Florida Atlantic

Taj McWilliams C St. Edwards

DeLisha Milton F Florida

Katie Smith G/F Ohio St.

Kate Starbird G Stanford

Natalie WilliamsC UCLA 

Kara Wolters C Connecticut

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO (Color) Natalie Willams

BOX: LOOKING FOR WORK (see text)