2011 Season Preview: Slam Roster a Mix of Youth and Experience
April 13, 2011 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash.-When the Bellingham Slam opens the 2011 International Basketball League season at home on Friday, April 15 against the West Coast Hotshots, the roster will feature an interesting mix of youth and veteran leadership.
While the team returns eight players who suited up in the 2010 IBL Championship game last July, the two rookies on the roster are coming off impressive seasons as seniors on their respective college teams.
Center Blake Poole and forward Mike Duty recently wrapped up their collegiate careers at Saint Martin's and Western Washington, respectively, and are no strangers to each other on the court. The pair faced off as opponents numerous times in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and now have an opportunity to complement each other as teammates.
The trio of guards Jacob Stevenson, Paul Hafford and Ryan Diggs, the Slam's top three leading scorers last season, are expected to once again provide veteran leadership in 2011. Add into the mix Morris Anderson and Derrick Webb, who both enjoyed quality rookie seasons in 2010, and Bellinghamcould have one of the best backcourts in the IBL.
Leading the team from the sidelines is Rob Ridnour, who will enter the 2011 season with 96 career coaching victories for the Slam. His 51 wins in the IBL ranks him first among active coaches in the league. Ridnour has been the only head coach in the franchise's history, and has led the team to winning records and playoff appearances in each of the team's five seasons.
Friday's opener against the Hotshots tips-off a home schedule that will feature nine games played at Whatcom Pavilion, and for the first time in team history, one contest played at LyndenHigh Schoolon May 6. With six of their first eight games at home, it will be critical for the Slam to start off the season playing well and position themselves at the top of the standings early. The team will have to endure a ten-game stretch in May and June that includes seven road games.
During the regular season, the Slam will be jockeying for one of the top seeds at the IBL's conference playoff tournament, which begins July 1 in Vancouver. The team doesn't want to see a repeat of the 2010 regular season, when they finished with seven losses. Though that squad did advance to the IBL Championship game, a better win-loss record would have allowed the Slam to play the title game at home instead of traveling to New York.
Friday's home opener against the West Coast Hotshots is set for a 7 p.m.tip-off at Whatcom Pavilion. The game will be broadcast live on KBAI 930 AM.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
Morris Anderson - Guard
Manning the point again will be Anderson, who was one of the IBL's top rookies in 2010, averaging 12.9 points and a team-leading 6.8 assists for Bellingham. His 136 total assists was tops among league rookies last season.
Ryan Diggs - Guard
A familiar face in the backcourt, Diggs returns for his fourth season with the Slam. He was the Slam's leading scorer in 2008 and finished third in that category last season with 16.5 points per game. Diggs is the Slam's only player to have competed in the NBA Development League, which he did two years ago with the Utah Flash.
Jacob Stevenson - Guard
Stevenson, the longest serving member of the Slam, ranked first on the team and fourth in the IBL in scoring in 2010, averaging 25.4 points per game. He also finished as the team's best field goal shooter, at 53.1 percent, and was second in rebounding and assists.
Lukas Henne - Forward
Back in the frontcourt for the Slam is Henne, who will be looking to improve on his statistics from the 2010 season, when he averaged 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds. With the Slam starting the season with a relative lack of size in the post, Henne likely will be counted on to play aggressively put up some big numbers.
Blake Poole - Center
The lone new face in the starting lineup, Poolecomes to the Slam after a college career that saw him emerge as one of the region's top big men. Despite playing the center position standing just 6'5", Pooleaveraged 19.3 points and 11.6 rebounds per game for Saint Martins last season and was named an NCAA Division-II All-American.
TOP RESERVES:
Derrick Webb - Guard
Webb averaged 6.2 points per game in 2010 and was the Slam's top three-point shooter, connecting on 36.6 percent of his outside shots. Late in the season he proved to a valuable asset, coming off the bench to average 16.4 points in his final five games. Webb most recently played professionally in Germanythis past winter, before a leg injury ended his season early.
Paul Hafford - Guard
Hafford returns to the Slam for his fourth season of a professional career that has seen him play overseas in Romaniaand Norway. In the second round of the 2010 playoffs, he helped the Slam knock off the then-defending champion Los Angeles Lightning by scoring a season-high 26 points, and finished with season averages of 16.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Michael Duty - Forward
Another new face on the roster, Duty recently completed his senior season at WesternWashingtonUniversitywhere he was the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.4 points per game. A native of Seattle, he was one of the area's top prep players and helped lead O'Dea High School to a 3A state title in 2007.
Ira Graham - Guard
Graham, last played for Bellinghamas a rookie in 2009 and ranked third in scoring for the Slam with 18.5 points per game that season and was named an IBL All-Star. Since then, Graham has played for teams in Germany, the Dominican Republic, and most recently the British Columbia Titans, where he averaged 22 points per game.
COMPLETE ROSTER:
# 0 A0Hometown
3 Ira Graham estern WashingtonFontana, CA
5 Derrick Webb estern WashingtonPort Orchard, WA
7 Paul Hafford 0PortlandStateLynden, WA
8 Charlie Van hatcom C.C.Bellingham, WA
11 Morris Anderson 0Western WashingtonFederalWay, WA
20 Jared Stevenson estern WashingtonBellingham, WA
22 Jacob Stevenson G6'4" 215Western WashingtonBellingham, WA
23 Ryan Diggs G6'2" 170Western WashingtonVictorville, CA
32 Michael Duty F 6'6" 225 Wagner/Western Wash. Seattle, WA
34 Lukas Henne F6'7" 225Western WashingtonSilverdale, WA
44 Blake Poole C6'5"275 Saint Martin's Eugene, OR
Head Coach: Rob Ridnour, Assistant Coach: Mike Elsner, General Manager: Bob Hofstetter
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