IBL Notebook
by Jeff Duncan
Published on April 10, 2007 under International Basketball League (IBL)
-All good things must come to an end. The Marysville Meteor quest to equal the Battle Creek Knights undefeated 2005 season came to an end at the hands of none other than the Battle Creek Knights. It was a nail bitting 113-112 victory for Battle Creek on April 7th. Bobby Madison lead the way for Battle Creek with 28 points.
-If Marysville finds a consistent third scorer, possibly Larry Drake, watch out, they may not lose another game. The dynamic duo of Michael Brownlee and Estaban Weaver still form the best one two punch in the IBL. Weaver is averaging 33 points a contest and Brownlee chips in at 28 points a game.
-David Lucas is putting up huge numbers for the Portland Chinooks. He has already eclipsed the 40 point mark three times this season. Lucas was an all Pac-10 player at Oregon State University. If he continues to play this well, look for him to get a serious look from an D-League team. Lucas is 6-8 and very mobile.
- Have you seen the poll on www.usbasket.com? It asks who will win the 2007 IBL championship. Not one team from the Western Conference is listed in the poll. Do not discount the Everett Explosion, Portland Chinooks, or the Salem Stampede. The Explosion are one of the best run teams in the IBL and have a very deep roster featuring AJ Stallworth and former University of Washington standout, Donald Watts. Yep, the son of Slick Watts!. The Chinooks feature IBL player of the year candidate David Lucas and former NBA 2nd round draft choice, God Shammgod. The Salem Stampede roster includes, sharp shooter Jeff Dunn, and a group of former Portland State standouts, Will Funn, Blake Walker, and Antone Jarrell.
-My biggest disappointment so far has been the no show of Cedric Ceballos of the Phoenix Flame. The Flame have him listed on their roster plus he is the featured player on the Phoenix Flame website. Ceballos has not played in either of the first two Flame home games. Ming Ming Sun may have been signed by the Grand Rapids Flight to put fans in the seats, but at least he plays. I know the minor leagues use "name players" to get fans out to games, but shouldn't the "name players" actually play as well? Like I said in my last column, I am old school.
-The Vancouver Volcanoes won four games in 2005. In 2006, they won four games. How many wins will they have in 2007? So far, they are 0-4.
-Ex IBL players doing well overseas are former Salem Stampede Star Eric Fiegi and Jovan Harris, formally of Tri-Valley. Fiegi is starring for CS Otopeni in Romania, averaging 18 points and 6 boards a game. Harris played very well for the CBA's Great Falls Explorer's this past season, averaging 11 points and 3 assists per game.
-If you have any comments, good or bad, about my IBL Notebook, or if you have something you would like me to write about, shoot me an email at sportsmammal@nwlink.com.
International Basketball League Stories from April 10, 2007
- Explosion routs Volcanoes in home opener - Snohomish County Explosion
- IBL Notebook - OSC Original by Jeff Duncan
- Explosion ranked fourth in IBL - Snohomish County Explosion
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.
