Slam Center Poole Heading to New Destination Overseas
September 17, 2014 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Bellingham Slam all-star center Blake Poole will be heading overseas for the fourth time to play basketball professionally this winter, but this time will be competing in a new locale.
After spending three seasons playing in Germany, Poole will be heading to Portgual for the first time after signing with SC Lusitania, a team based in the city of Angra do Heroismo, located in the Azores tropical island chain. Lusitania competes in the highly-regarded Portugal Basketball League, the country's top men's league.
Poole, who completed his fourth season with the Slam this summer, has been an impact player in the International Basketball League since first arriving in Bellingham in 2011. Despite standing just 6-foot-5, Poole had led the Slam in rebounding all four seasons, and led the entire IBL in 2014 with an average of 15 boards per game. He also finished in the top five in the league in assists, steals and blocked shots.
A testament to his balanced skill set, Poole picked up the IBL's Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2014 season.
Poole has played a significant role in each of the Slam's three consecutive IBL title wins. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2013 IBL Championship in Portland, averaging 25 points and 9 rebounds in two playoff games.
Between his stints with the Slam, Poole became a mainstay in Germany's ProB league, suiting up two seasons for BG Dorsten and one with the Herten Lions. Averaging at least 15 points and 12 rebounds in each year, he earned the league's Center of the Year award during his 2013-14 season with Herten.
Poole originally joined the Slam after completing a superb collegiate career at Saint Martin's, where he was named the 2010-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year and also an NCAA Division-II All-American after ranking first in the league in rebounding and fourth in scoring as a senior.
Poole has already departed for Portugal, where he will join his new team in preparation for his first regular season game on October 25.
For more information, contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.
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International Basketball League Stories from September 17, 2014
- Slam Center Poole Heading to New Destination Overseas - Bellingham Slam
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