BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Four players from the Bellingham Slam were named as International Basketball League all-stars this season, league officials announced. Forward Tyler Amaya and guards Ryan Diggs, Ira Graham and Jacob Stevenson all earned the honor this season.
It is the second such honor for Amaya, Diggs and Stevenson, who were also named all-stars in 2008.
Amaya, who joined the Slam three games into the season after recovering from a groin injury suffered while playing in China during the winter, led Bellingham with 448 points scored during the season, good for a 23.6 point scoring average. Amaya also led the Slam in rebounding with 11.1 boards per game. Amaya's finest play during the 2009 season came during the first week of May when he scored a combined 101 points during a three-game stretch.
Diggs rejoined the Slam with six games left in the regular season after playing in the NBA Development League with the Utah Flash. Diggs helped the Slam to a 5-1 record during a late-season run that helped propel the Slam into the number two playoff seed for the IBL playoffs. Diggs finished the season averaging 24.0 points per game and also posted 6.5 assists per game. Diggs led Bellingham in scoring in five of the eight games he played in, with a high of 34 coming on June 25 in an overtime loss to Tacoma.
Graham, one of just three players to appear in all 22 games this season for the Slam, enjoyed a fine rookie professional season after completing his collegiate career at Western Washington in March. Graham was the team's fourth-best scorer with an 18.5 points per game average. He was also Bellingham's assists leader, racking up 120 over the course of the season. Graham's highlight moment of the 2009 season came on May 23 when he scored the game-winning shot with less than a second left against the Vancouver Volcanoes.
Stevenson, the Slam's all-time leader in games played, has seen his scoring production increase every year since the team's inaugural season in 2005. In 2009, Stevenson averaged 21.0 points per game and also contributed 6.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Stevenson scored in double figures in 20 games during the season, with a high of 31 points coming on May 15 against Edmonton.
All four players were standouts at Western Washington. Amaya, Diggs and Graham were members of the Viking squad that made consecutive West Regional Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006, while Stevenson helped lead WWU to an NCAA-II Elite Eight appearance in 2001.
The Slam foursome highlights a group of 46 IBL players named as team all-stars by the league. The Edmonton Energy and Los Angeles Lighting led the way with five players each named to the list.
Bellingham was defeated by Los Angeles in the IBL American Conference championship game on July 3. Los Angeles will face the Oregon Waves in the three-game series for the IBL Championship beginning July 25.
For more information, contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
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