Slam Heading to New York for IBL Championship Game
July 6, 2010 - International Basketball League (IBL)
Bellingham Slam News Release
BELLINGHAM, Wash.- If the Bellingham Slam are to win their second International Basketball League championship, they are going to have to do it without the benefit of home-court advantage as they will travel to New Yorkto play the Albany Legends in the 2010 IBL title game. The game is set July 16 at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany.
In 2008, the Slam captured the IBL championship on their home court of Whatcom Pavilion with a 118-111 win over the Elkhart Express, then the two-time defending league champions. Guard Paul Hafford and Tyler Amaya were named co-MVP's in the game after Hafford led all scorers with 30 points and Amaya contributed 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Both Hafford and Amaya are still on the Slam roster, along with six other players from the 2008 championship team. Hafford has been a key contributor lately for Bellingham, as he led his team with 26 points in a second-round upset victory over Los Angeleson July 2. The Slam advanced to the final after easily defeating the Yamhill Highflyers on July 3, 136-105.
But the Slam's most dominant player in 2010 has been guard Jacob Stevenson, a hometown product who played collegiately at WesternWashingtonUniversityin Bellingham. Stevenson, who has played for the Slam since their first season in 2005, is the team's leading scorer, averaging 25.8 points per game, best in the league among players who appeared in at least 20 games. He also ranks fifth in the league in assists, at 6.7 per game.
For several years a key to the Slam's success has been the inclusion of former collegiate standouts from Western Washington, and the 2010 campaign has been no different. The team has eight ex-Vikings on their roster spanning several recruiting classes. This season, the Slam have received significant contributions from rookie guards Morris Anderson and Derrick Webb. Anderson proved to be one of the top point guards in the IBL this season, averaging 12.9 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. Webb has demonstrated to be a reliable option off the bench as of late for Bellingham, averaging 17.8 points in the team's last four games.
Albany, on the other hand, is enjoying great success in their first season of existence. The Legends finished the regular season with a 16-3 record and entered the IBL playoffs at the top-ranked team, but received a scare in the second round by the eighth-seed Battle Creek Knights, and required a buzzer-beating lay-in at the end of regulation before dispatching the Knights in overtime. Albanyhad no trouble eliminating the Vancouver Volcanoes in the semi-final on July 3 to reach the championship game.
Albany's roster features seven former NCAA Division-I athletes, led by ex-Cincinnati standout guard Kenny Satterfield. Satterfield was drafted by the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and later played for the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia76ers. He is averaging 19 points and 8.2 assists per game, while forward Gordon Klaiber leads the team with 19.5 points per game.
The IBL Championship game will tip-off at 8 p.m.local time on Friday, July 16 at the Washington Avenue Armory in Albany. The Slam will depart for New Yorkin preparation for the game on July 14.
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International Basketball League Stories from July 6, 2010
- Slam Heading to New York for IBL Championship Game - Bellingham Slam
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