Bellingham Slam Rewarded with IBL Postseason Honors
July 15, 2014 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Several members of the Bellingham Slam have been selected for postseason awards by the basketball website USBasket.com for their achievements during the 2014 International Basketball League season.
Guards Morris Anderson and Rico Wilkins, as well as center Blake Poole, each picked up individual accolades as selected by sportswriters from USBasket.com, a subsidiary of Eurobasket.com, which is a leading media resource in the coverage of basketball around the world.
In addition, for the third straight season a member of the Slam picked up Coach of the Year honors, with first-year head coach Tyler Amaya earning the award in 2014 after Rob Ridnour was selected the previous two seasons.
Anderson, who led the Slam in scoring with 23.5 points per game, earned the website's Most Improved Player award. After a statistically sub-par 2013 campaign, in 2014 Anderson put together his finest season in five years with the Slam. While running the team's offense from the point guard position, he saw across-the-board improvements in nearly every statistical category, most notably with his shooting percentages - 61 percent from the floor and 49 percent from three-point range. Despite his gaudy shooting numbers, he also found time to distribute the ball as well, leading the Slam with 6.6 assist per game.
Poole was selected for both the Defensive Player of the Year and Center of the Year awards. The low-post mainstay for the Slam led the league in rebounding with 15.3 boards per game, and was tops on the Slam in blocked shots and steals with 1.1 and 2.9 per game, respectively, while providing match-up problems for IBL opponents all season long. Averaging 17 points per game, he posted 10 double-doubles and twice enjoyed games where he grabbed 20 rebounds. Poole returned to Bellingham this year following his third season playing overseas in Germany, where he also picked up Center of the Year honors in the country's ProB league for 2013-14.
Wilkins was chosen as the league's Sixth Man of the Year for the second straight season. Playing in all 18 games but starting just one, Wilkins was generally one of coach Amaya's first options off of the bench and averaged 14.1 points per game in 2014. He was selected for an IBL Player of the Week award after scoring a combined 52 points in the Slam's final two regular season games in June.
Guiding his team to a 15-3 record, Amaya excelled in his first season as the Slam's head coach in 2014 despite having large shoes to fill following the departure of Ridnour, the IBL's all-time winningest coach and previously the only head coach in franchise history. After a shaky start that saw the team drop two of its first three games, Amaya regrouped the squad and the Slam rattled off 12 straight wins to re-position itself as the number one team in the IBL. In the playoffs, the team dominated with a pair of impressive wins over Seattle and Vancouver to pick up their third straight IBL Championship. In addition to his coaching duties, Amaya was also able to contribute on the court, as he donned a uniform in the second half the season and provided an offensive spark with a 20-point scoring average, including a clutch 28 points in the title bout.
Vancouver Volcanoes guard Andre Murray, who led the IBL in scoring with 34.5 points per game, was selected for the Most Valuable Player award.
For a full listing of USBasket.com's IBL award selections, visit www.usbasket.com/IBL/basketball_2014.asp. Contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com for more information.
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International Basketball League Stories from July 15, 2014
- Bellingham Slam Rewarded with IBL Postseason Honors - Bellingham Slam
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