2014 IBL Playoffs Tip off this Saturday in Vancouver
June 25, 2014 - International Basketball League (IBL) News Release
Vancouver, Wash. - The 2014 International Basketball League Playoffs are officially on the horizon. Five teams will battle it out for the 2014 IBL title this weekend as the Vancouver Volcanoes will play host from Clark College June 28 and 29. There are plenty of thrilling storylines between the five competing teams. Who will take home the hardware this year? Check out the team by team guide below to see who has the best shot.
The tournament gets underway with a quarter-final match between the #4 ranked Salem Sabres #5 Seattle Flight at 2 p.m. on June 28. That game will be followed by a semi-final battle between the #2 ranked Vancouver Volcanoes and #3 Portland Chinooks at 5 p.m., with the evening's competition concluding with a game between the top-seeded Bellingham Slam and the winner of the earlier quarter-final contest at 7:30 p.m.
The winners of the two semi-final games on Saturday will advance to the Championship game, set for Sunday at 5 p.m. at Clark College.
Visit www.ibl.com for tickets and more information on the tournament, and check throughout the weekend for the latest news and results.
Seattle Flight
Regular Season Record: 1-5
Key Players: Marcellus Kemp, Carlos Singer, Brandon Adams, Alvin (Al) Snow, Dwayne Wright
How did they get here? Seattle enters the playoffs as the lowest seed, however, with a number of highly competitive and close results the Flight remain an intriguing team. Head coach Rob Brown has fielded a number of talented rosters throughout the season including former NBA player Will Conroy. In addition to Conroy, Seamus Boxley took home IBL Player of the Week honors after leading Seattle to their first win of the season against the LoneStar Strikers 136-107.
Head coach Rob Brown and the Flight will have their work cut out for them if they want to make a postseason run this year, but it certainly isn't out of the question.
Salem Sabres
Regular Season Record: 2-6
Key Players: Tyrone White Jr., Terrence Glynn, Frantz Dorsainvill, Jeff Dunn, Mike Taylor
How did they get here? Salem's two wins this season both came against the Portland Chinooks, which is impressive seeing that Portland has had one of the more talented rosters all season long. With the electric play of White Jr. and Glynn combined with the bruising power of Dorsainvill, the Sabres pose match-up problems for their opponents.
Out of the five competing teams in the 2014 IBL Playoffs, Salem has the highest offensive rebounding average (19.3), which will keep them in just about any kind of game. Expect their first match-up with Seattle to be a barn burner, and if they get past the Flight who knows what can happen with this squad?
Portland Chinooks
Regular Season Record: 10-5
Key Players: Germaine Jordan, Jared Cunningham, Jermaine Blackburn, Steffen Harvey, Justin Steinke
How did they get here? The Chinooks started this season 5-1 through their first six games, and looked impressive in doing so. In their next six games, Portland went 2-4 and slipped down the standings as a result. However, the Chinooks have regained their early season form and perhaps at the right time. Portland is riding a three game win streak entering the postseason.
Portland ranks third in many of the top statistical categories behind Bellingham and Vancouver, and ranks ahead of them in turnovers, which is something the Chinooks will want to correct entering the postseason. Yet, with the dangerous combination of Germain Jordan and Jared Cunningham, Portland can take home the title. If Portland can stay under their 14.3 turnovers per game average, they should have a great shot.
Vancouver Volcanoes
Regular Season Record: 12-5
Key Players: Andre Murray, Calvin Hampton, Brian Morris, Cory Largent, Adam Herman
How did they get here? Vancouver will host the 2014 IBL Playoffs and are coming into the tournament with high hopes, especially after a recent six game win streak. Vancouver started the season off with a five game win streak, but followed it up with a three game skid. Overall, the Volcanoes have dropped just five contests all season long and appear to be in good form.
Last time the Volcanoes hosted the IBL Playoffs in 2011, they took home the title by defeating the Edmonton Energy 124-116. Will the home court advantage be enough once again? In order to claim their second title as a franchise, the Volcanoes will likely need to defeat the top seeded Bellingham Slam, or another one of their familiar foes who will look to shock them at home, returning the favor from the last regular season game the Slam hosted the Volcanoes taking a 139-137 loss.
Vancouver has the top player in the IBL (Andre Murray) and sits atop the statistical standings in field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, defensive rebounds per game, rebounds per game, blocks and steals per game. If the Volcanoes can avoid foul trouble, something that has been troublesome for them this season, the home team will have a tremendous shot.
Bellingham Slam
Regular Season Record: 13-3
Key Players: Morris Anderson, Blake Poole, Jacob Stevenson, Sam Freeman, Rico Wilkins
How did they get here? After starting the year 1-2, the Slam reeled off an impressive 12 game win streak which ultimately gave them the top seed for these 2014 IBL Playoffs. The Slam has been referred to as the San Antonio Spurs of the IBL, and for good reason. The back-to-back IBL reigning champions will look to make it a three peat in Vancouver this upcoming weekend. Do they have what it takes to get the job done?
The Slam is the highest scoring team in the IBL (130.4 points per game) and also lead the league in assists per game (29.9). The squad has valuable veteran leadership, but also a sense of hunger as they try to claim their third title in as many years. In their previous two IBL Finals, the Slam defeated the Portland Chinooks and Vancouver Volcanoes. Both Vancouver and Portland will be looking to stop Bellingham's quest for a three-peat, but given their track record, and history of success the Slam might be too much once again.
• Discuss this story on the International Basketball League message board...
International Basketball League Stories from June 25, 2014
- 2014 IBL Playoffs Tip off this Saturday in Vancouver - IBL
- Overtime Needed to Settle "Battle of the Bridge" - Portland Chinooks
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.
