Bellingham Slam aim to take home Spokane Hoopfest title this weekend

June 27, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Bellingham Slam News Release


BELLINGHAM, Wash. - For the second straight summer, the Bellingham Slam will send a team to the legendary Spokane Hoopfest 3-on-3 basketball tournament taking place this weekend, June 30 and July 1. Last summer, the Slam team earned second place at the Hoopfest tournament, reaching the championship game before losing in dramatic fashion to a team from Fresno, Calif.

The Slam will be represented by Brian Dennis and Jacob and Jared Stevenson at this year's Hoopfest. The trio of ABA veterans and former Western Washington University standouts helped the Slam finish the 2006-07 ABA season with a 23-11 record and reach the third round of the playoffs for the second straight year.

Jacob Stevenson will likely lead the Hoopfest squad, as he ranked second on the Slam in scoring with 21.4 points per game last season. 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. Brian Dennis, one of the ABA's most dominant rebounders and shot blockers, 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. Rounding out the Slam's 3-on-3 roster is reserve guard Jared Stevenson, who averaged 9.3 points points per game. He was the Slam's second most reliable three-point shooter, connecting on 39.2 percent of his shots from behind the arc.

The Spokane Hoopfest started in 1990 and has quickly become the world's largest 3on-3 basketball tournament, with over 25,000 players participating on over 6,000 teams. The Spokane Hoopfest is a non-profit event, benefiting local Special Olympics and youth sports programs.

The Hoopfest championship game will be televised regionally in eastern Washington and northern Idaho on Sunday afternoon on KXLY-TV 4. Highlights from the 2007 and 2006 tournaments can also be viewed online at www.kxly.com.

For more information, contact the Bellingham Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com. For more information on Spokane Hoopfest, visit their website at www.spokanehoopfest.net.

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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