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IBL news and notes

by Jeff Duncan
May 24, 2008 - International Basketball League (IBL)


We are about mid way through IBL season four. Here are my thoughts on the 2008 season.

-Elkhart continues to be the gold standard in not just the IBL but in all of minor league basketball. Coach and owner Daimon Bethea has put together a model franchise on and off the court. Back to back IBL titles attest to that. Elkhart is 10-1 so far with it's only loss being to rival Gary who sports an impressive 12-3 mark.

-Gary will be a worthy challenger to Elkhart in the Eastern playoffs. The Steelheads are 12-3 and have beaten Elkhart. Coach Rob Spon has a veteran team which includes Sam Mack, Shaun Fountain and Royce Parran. Who ever comes out of the East will be the favorite to win the IBL title.

-Holland blasted off to an 8-0 start but has lost five in a row. The loss of Jared Bledsoe has a lot do with the five game skid. Bledsoe combined with Dennis Springs to form the leagues best one-two punch. The dynamic duo of Springs and Bledsoe averaged 60ppg, 11assists, and 9 boards a game. I don't count out Holland in the East but they need to find someone to replace Bledsoe who is out for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

-Battle Creek owners wanted to shake things up after a 7-6 start so they fired head coach Logan Vander Velden. Assistant coach Terry Sare will take over the head coaching duties. Sare was once the head coach of the Grand Rapids Flight.

-Windy City may only be 7-8 but it's already seven more wins then all of last season. Ownership made a commitment to attract better players and a better home venue and the results are very positive. Eric Rhinehart leads the team in scoring at 26 ppg and he is also pulling down about 8 rebounds per game.

-I was very close to typing what a disappointment the LA Lightning have been but they just signed Toby Bailey and Billy Knight. Bailey and Knight have been reunited with Fred Vinson and Lamond Murray who all played for the Santa Barbara Breakers last season. If head coach Ron Quarterman can get all of his stars to play together the Lightning are my favorites to come out of the West.

-Bellingham has proved switching leagues is no big deal. The former ABA team has adapted nicely to the free wheeling IBL style and has put up an 11-2 record just percentage points ahead of the surprising Vancouver Volcanoes. The Slam have a very balanced offense with seven players averaging in double digits.

-Vancouver has been the #1 surprise in the IBL so far. The previous three seasons the Volcanoes had never had more than five wins. They sit at 13-3 and are almost a shoe in to be in the West playoffs. Head coach Theo Evans has done a nice job of getting his veteran roster to play together. I am curious to see how a veteran team, which has been together all season, would fare against the all-star team put together only recently in LA.

-The Central Oregon Hotshots can score points, there is no doubt about that. They also play "red carpet" defense so every game is 160-155. The Hotshots have offensive talent, they have nine players averaging in double figures, but it seems like most nights they couldn't guard my grandmother. The Hotshots are 6-9 and if they start playing some "D" they could be a factor in the West playoffs.

-Snohomish County has had a very up and down season...by their standards. SnoCo is one of the better run franchises on and off the court so an 8-6 start does not please Head coach Randy Redwine or team owner Nathan Mumm. SnoCo has been hurt by it's two best players still playing overseas. Rashaad Powell and Justin Murray are still expected to join the team for a late season playoff push. The Explosion are in Canada playing the expansion Edmonton Chill this weekend and a very interesting wager was made between the two owners. SnoCo owner Nathan Mumm said, "We have wagered that the losing owner will wear the other teams' jersey during the Western Conference Playoff's and when we win he will be sending over 10lbs of Alberta's best beef. If the Explosion some how do not come up with a win then Washington Best Apples will be shipped out to Troy Barns. The only qualifier to the bet is the game is officiated correctly so more than a five foul discrepancy between any of the teams voids the wager. The IBL officiating for both teams have been a concern during the year. I know some people don't like talk and wagers between owners but I think it's great.

The expansion Edmonton Chill have already proven to be a team to be reckoned with. They are off to an impressive 5-2 start and has shown it can play with anyone in the IBL. The Chill have a very nice inside-outside combo in guard JR Patrick and inside force Teon Knox. No one has been able to shut down Patrick and I have not seen anybody in the IBL who can guard big Teon Knox when he gets the ball down low. The West is wide open so don't count out the Chill.

The Portland Chinooks have been a bit of a disappointment this season with a 8-10 record. Some of this can be attributed to the late arrival of IBL 2007 player of the year David Lucas. Lucas has been in uniform for four Chinooks' games this season and is averaging 30.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Larry Smith has been on a tear of late for the Chinooks, averaging 31.8 points per game in his last five outings. Smith scored 44 points including nine 3-pointers in a May 9 win over the Vancouver Volcanoes. The Chinooks look forward to the return of former NBA first round pick Shammgod Wells and 2007 IBL all-star David Jackson. The Chinooks best basketball is still ahead of them, I look for them to challenge for the team to come out of the West.

-It's hard to get a gauge on China after only two games. They are 0-2 but once they get accustom to the IBL and the time change I think they will be just fine.

I look for Gary and Elkhart to duke it out in the East playoffs with Elkhart coming out on top. Elkhart is looking for it's third IBL title in a row. That kind of motivation is very powerful. Out West it's wide open between many teams but I am going to predict LA and Portland will play for the West crown with LA coming out on top. I think Bailey, Vinson, Murrray, and Knight want to get some revenge for being knocked out by Portland in last years West playoffs when all four played for the Santa Barbara Breakers.

I am involved with a group called "Own My Team" We are looking to bring several thousand people together to purchase a basketball team and play in the IBL. Check out the website at www.ownmyteam.com This is a very cool idea so please join us.



International Basketball League Stories from May 24, 2008


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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