The IBL this Week: Slam's Poole Is Player of the Week, New Jersey Set for Home Opener
Published on May 9, 2012 under International Basketball League (IBL) News Release
After helping lead the Bellingham Slam to a pair of road victories against the Orlando Venom, center Blake Poole has been named as the International Basketball League's Player of the Week for the fourth week of the 2012 season.
Poole has enjoyed a superb start to the IBL season, returning to Bellingham after an impressive winter playing for BG Dorsten in Germany's ProB league. The sophomore center is the Slam's leading scorer and rebounder through the team's first five games, with averages of 20.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
In Orlando, Poole came up big to preserve the Slam's perfect road record early on this year, posting totals of 17 points and 14 rebounds and 3 steals in a 135-125 win on Friday, and then upped those numbers on Saturday with 27 points, 15 boards and 4 steals in a 123-100 victory on Saturday.
Poole has posted double-doubles on the stat sheet in four of the Slam's first five games. His 13.2 rebounding average also ranks second in the IBL.
Slam head coach Rob Ridnour has liked what he has seen out of his big man early on this season.
"Blake has really improved his game over last season. We've really worked at getting the ball to him and putting him in situations where he can be effective," commented Ridnour. "Defensively, he's a beast to guard and is a tough cover for just about anybody in the league."
Poole will be looking to continue his strong start the season this Friday as the Slam take on the Vancouver Volcanoes, the defending IBL champions and the team that knocked the Slam out of last season's playoffs. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Whatcom Pavilion. _________________________________________________________________
Weekend Wrap-up
The Bellingham Slam took care of business on the road last weekend, winning a pair of games in Orlando to keep the Venom away from their first win. On Friday, the Slam got 27 points from reserve forward Michael Duty, including 15 in the third quarter, to defeat the Venom 135-125. Morris Anderson and Blake Poole each had double doubles for the Slam who turned a 4-point halftime deficit into a 15-point lead during the fourth quarter before winning by 10. Orlando lost despite strong performances from Miles Taylor (33 points) and DJ Ferguson (32 points & 11 assists).
On Saturday, Bellingham got their second win of the weekend versus Orlando, 123-100, behind another double-double from Poole, who posted a game high 27 points and 13 rebounds. The Venom fell behind 56-36 at halftime after only scoring 16 points in the second quarter. Iren Rainey led the way for Orlando with 23 points in 25 minutes.
In Edmonton, the upstart New Jersey G-Force impressed with a split of their first two games of the season. On Friday, the Energy edged the G-Force 98-90 in a close game throughout. Daniel Ferguson scored 22 points for the Energy who pulled away in the fourth quarter after only leading by one going in. Nicholas Carter had 25 points and 7 rebounds and David Seager had 24 points and 7 rebounds for the G-Force who only shot 38 percent from the field.
On Saturday, New Jersey bounced back by beating Edmonton 89-88 after another back-and-forth game. The G-Force were able to hold the Energy's Ferguson to just four points after he posted 22 the night before. Nicholas Carter had another strong game (19 points, 9 rebounds) for the G-Force who dominated the third quarter before holding on for the one-point victory. Following the split, the G-Force return to New Jersey to take on the Orlando Venom in their first home games on May 11 and 12 at Bergen Community College.
In Vancouver on Friday, the Volcanoes battled back in the fourth quarter and Dominique Watson hit a free throw in the waning seconds to give the defending champs the 117-116 victory over Olympia. The Volcanoes were down 9 heading into the fourth but were able to tie the game with 34 seconds left and Watson's free throw made the final difference. Watson led the way with 31 points off the bench while Giovonne Woods continued his strong play for Olympia, nearly posting another triple double - 31 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. All of Vancouver's starters had double figure points and 6+ rebounds helping them to a 48-35 advantage on the boards.
The next night in Portland, Calvin Hampton was a perfect 10-for-10 night for the Volcanoes as they extended their perfect record to 4-0 with a 129-113 win against the Portland Chinooks. The 6'10" Hampton chipped in 27 points and 12 rebounds and was also a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. Vancouver took a 17-point lead after the first quarter and survived a few runs by the Chinooks who got 26 points from David Lucas who, like Hampton, played his college ball at Oregon State. Both teams shot over 60% from the field, but the Volcanoes 13 three-point field goals helped them get the lead and keep it. _________________________________________________________________
Commissioner's Corner
Branding Teams in the IBL are owners and leaders in our basketball communities who are fiscally responsible, want to introduce the competition, experience and opportunity an IBL team offers while determining viability. This season we have three teams participating in our Branding program, two newcomers in the Jersey G-Force and Los Angeles teams and a returnee to the IBL, the Yamhill Highflyers.
With a two-time NBA Champion leading the plan on the court in Wes Matthews and off the court owner Tim Butts, the G-Force are 1-1 in their season so far as they went into Edmonton, Canada and took one, almost two, from a very strong IBL team who fell just short of the title in 2011. They face friendly competition with the Orlando Venom coming to Bergen County Community College this Friday and Saturday, as the owners have already collaborated on projects together, immolating the IBL's refreshed environment of collaboration.
In Yamhill, Eric Bailey and the Highflyers are always a strong, competitive team -- our IBL family wonders how he does it -- attracting great players in the past like Josh Tarver (15.5 ppg), Nate Bowie (23.8 ppg, 6.6 apg) and Jason Hartford (23.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg). With a new venue at Linfield College and a refreshed interest, the Highflyers will see the Volcanoes, Nippon Tornadoes of Japan and the Slam this season -- diverse, tough competition they will be ready for. A renewed interest in McMinnville and vision to move to a full season team in the near future, Yamhill has all the pieces for success in the IBL.
If you are interested in being a part of the IBL as an owner or investor in a team making a positive impact on your community contact the League Office at info@IBL.com.
International Basketball League Stories from May 9, 2012
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
