Bellingham shut out from All-ABA teams
April 25, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Despite reaching the quarterfinals of the American Basketball Association playoffs this season and boasting one of the league's top scorers, the Bellingham Slam were shut out from the ABA's all-league teams, according to the list released by the league this week.
The Slam finished the 2006-07 season with a 23-11 record and reached the third round of the ABA playoffs for the second straight season. The team was led by a quartet of veteran ABA players who have starred for the Slam since the team's inception in 2005.
Perhaps the most glaring omission from the all-ABA teams for the Slam is All-Star forward Mike Parker. Parker, a graduate of Evergreen State College, doubled his scoring average from his rookie season to 30.2 points per page this season. Parker ranked second on the Slam in field goal shooting (53.5 percent), rebounding (8.9 per game), and blocked shots (46). Parker scored at least 40 points five times this season, and set a new team record by posting 51 points on Feb. 28 against Sacramento. He also tied a team record by grabbing 22 rebounds on Feb. 17 against Big Valley. Parker is one of three players who have appeared in every Slam game over the team's two seasons.
Two other Slam players possibly worthy of all-ABA honors are guards Jacob Stevenson and Brandon Hartley. Stevenson, from Western Washington University, ranked second on the team in scoring with 21.4 points per game. Stevenson started this season on fire, scoring at least 20 points in each of the Slam's first ten games, and capped the streak with a 41-point outing on Dec. 13 against Sacramento. Hartley, a Saint Martin's College graduate, was the Slam's third-best scorer with a 20.7 points per game average. Hartley proved to be one of the Slam's best outside shooters, sinking a team-best 69 three-point shots during the season. Hartley's best game of the season came on Feb. 16 against Big Valley, where he poured in 34 points, including seven three-pointers.
One more player who may have been overlooked for the all-ABA teams is center Brian Dennis, one of the league's most dominant rebounders and shot blockers. Dennis, who has started all but one game for the Slam in the last two seasons, led the team in rebounding (11.0 per game), blocked shots (111), and field goal shooting (61.3 percent). Two of Dennis' best games came on Dec. 27 against King County when he pulled down 22 rebounds and on Feb. 26 against Sacramento when he swatted away a team-record 12 shots.
The only two west coast players chosen to the All-ABA teams were Beijing guard Sun Yue and Hollywood forward Billy Knight. Bellingham swept the season series with Beijing 3-0 this year, and defeated Hollywood in the second round of the playoffs on March 17.
For more information, contact the Bellingham Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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American Basketball Association Stories from April 25, 2007
- Maywood Buzz Guard/Forward Lamar Gayle left off All-ABA teams - Maywood Buzz
- Bellingham shut out from All-ABA teams - Bellingham Slam
- Sea Dawgs McGinnis Named to All-ABA Third Team - Wilmington Sea Dawgs
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