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Portland completes IBL sweep in Bay Area
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By Joe Hansen, Sports Writer
Thursday, May 01, 2008 | No comments posted.
Portland’s Marc Williams leaps against the defensive pressure of Phillip Freeman, of the Central Oregon Hotshots, during their International Basketball League game Tuesday night in Coos Bay. The Chinooks beat the Hotshots on Tuesday and an all-star team on Wednesday. World Photo by Lou Sennick.
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Fans watching Wednesday night’s International Basketball League matchup got a good idea of what the league is like right away, as the Portland Chinooks squad tossed up 3-pointers on five of its first six possessions against the West Coast High Flyers.
The Chinook continued to lob 3-pointers throughout the game at Southwestern Oregon Community College, eventually going 19-for-49 from behind the arc and shooting 53 percent overall en route to a 146-119 win.
Those are the kinds of scores fans can expect from the IBL, a minor league professional league that’s set up as a good training ground for former college players who hope to make it into overseas leagues.
“It’s pretty much guys that are trying to get looked at this time of year, when there’s no ball being played anywhere else,” said Chinooks forward Kenny Tate, who logged 20 points and 13 rebounds in the game.
Tate, now in his fourth season in the IBL, is a good example of the kind of player the league attracts. Hailing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, he’s played in Europe and the Middle East, spending some time in Saudi Arabia.
“It was cool, man, a lot better than I thought it would be,” he said. “It was lit up like Vegas.”
There are currently 18 IBL teams around the United States and internationally — a Chinese team was scheduled to play last night but had to cancel due to visa problems — and IBL founder and Commissioner Mikal Duilio said he’s looking to expand. Given the turnout he saw for games played at Southwestern last night and Tuesday, and the fact that fans stayed for the entire game, Duilio said he’s looking seriously at Coos Bay as a possible site for a team.
“It’s amazing the fans stuck around for a team they’re not really connected with,” said Duilio. “Imagine if it was their team.”
A Coos Bay IBL squad would practice in Portland but spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, coming down more than a week before their hometown opener to do a tour of local schools and otherwise get to know the community.
Duilio says what eventually happens is that cities hosting IBL teams — the league is geared toward small towns — come to identify with the players and accept the team as local.
“We’d really be based here, and make an effort to connect with the community. They’d get to know the players,” he said.
If the IBL does come to the Bay Area, people expecting knock-down, drag-out defensive battles may want to stay home. Wednesday’s game, which was predictably lop-sided given that the High Flyers were hastily thrown together using players from other squads when the Chinese team had to cancel, was all offense, all the time, with the 3-pointer and dunk prominently featured. The two teams put up 217 shots throughout the four, 12-minute quarters, played with a 22-second shot clock.
The Chinook struggled at first, falling behind 10-5 early. Portland coach Terrance Dickens called a time out to get his team fired up.
“This is too long of a game, and we know they don’t have the talent to keep up with us,” he said.
Dickens was right. Later in the first quarter, the Chinooks’ shots started to fall, and the team’s guards began taking advantage of driving lanes the bigger High Flyers couldn’t close fast enough. Portland drew even with the High Flyers midway through the first quarter at 18 points apiece, and built a 71-53 lead at the half. Portland held 20 and 30-point leads throughout the second half.
The West Coast team’s big men, 6-foot-11-inch Eze Samuals and 6-foot-10-inch Shawn Hampton, caused Portland some trouble early, particularly on the offensive boards, where the High Flyers out-rebounded the Chinooks 27-14. But eventually Portland’s superior outside shooting and guard play won the day, as Portland guards Larry Smith and Chris Stephens tallied 30 and 29 points, respectively.
Terry Horton had 30 points for the High Flyers, and Hampton added 23 points and 14 rebounds.
After the game, Hampton said the high energy of the IBL stems from the players’ desire to get noticed.
“You’ve gotta bring it every night. You never know who’s watching,” he said.
For more information about the IBL and the potential for a team in Coos Bay, those interested can contact Duilio at 1-866-IBL-GAME or (541) 350-8939.
The Chinook continued to lob 3-pointers throughout the game at Southwestern Oregon Community College, eventually going 19-for-49 from behind the arc and shooting 53 percent overall en route to a 146-119 win.
Those are the kinds of scores fans can expect from the IBL, a minor league professional league that’s set up as a good training ground for former college players who hope to make it into overseas leagues.
“It’s pretty much guys that are trying to get looked at this time of year, when there’s no ball being played anywhere else,” said Chinooks forward Kenny Tate, who logged 20 points and 13 rebounds in the game.
Tate, now in his fourth season in the IBL, is a good example of the kind of player the league attracts. Hailing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, he’s played in Europe and the Middle East, spending some time in Saudi Arabia.
“It was cool, man, a lot better than I thought it would be,” he said. “It was lit up like Vegas.”
There are currently 18 IBL teams around the United States and internationally — a Chinese team was scheduled to play last night but had to cancel due to visa problems — and IBL founder and Commissioner Mikal Duilio said he’s looking to expand. Given the turnout he saw for games played at Southwestern last night and Tuesday, and the fact that fans stayed for the entire game, Duilio said he’s looking seriously at Coos Bay as a possible site for a team.
“It’s amazing the fans stuck around for a team they’re not really connected with,” said Duilio. “Imagine if it was their team.”
A Coos Bay IBL squad would practice in Portland but spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, coming down more than a week before their hometown opener to do a tour of local schools and otherwise get to know the community.
Duilio says what eventually happens is that cities hosting IBL teams — the league is geared toward small towns — come to identify with the players and accept the team as local.
“We’d really be based here, and make an effort to connect with the community. They’d get to know the players,” he said.
If the IBL does come to the Bay Area, people expecting knock-down, drag-out defensive battles may want to stay home. Wednesday’s game, which was predictably lop-sided given that the High Flyers were hastily thrown together using players from other squads when the Chinese team had to cancel, was all offense, all the time, with the 3-pointer and dunk prominently featured. The two teams put up 217 shots throughout the four, 12-minute quarters, played with a 22-second shot clock.
The Chinook struggled at first, falling behind 10-5 early. Portland coach Terrance Dickens called a time out to get his team fired up.
“This is too long of a game, and we know they don’t have the talent to keep up with us,” he said.
Dickens was right. Later in the first quarter, the Chinooks’ shots started to fall, and the team’s guards began taking advantage of driving lanes the bigger High Flyers couldn’t close fast enough. Portland drew even with the High Flyers midway through the first quarter at 18 points apiece, and built a 71-53 lead at the half. Portland held 20 and 30-point leads throughout the second half.
The West Coast team’s big men, 6-foot-11-inch Eze Samuals and 6-foot-10-inch Shawn Hampton, caused Portland some trouble early, particularly on the offensive boards, where the High Flyers out-rebounded the Chinooks 27-14. But eventually Portland’s superior outside shooting and guard play won the day, as Portland guards Larry Smith and Chris Stephens tallied 30 and 29 points, respectively.
Terry Horton had 30 points for the High Flyers, and Hampton added 23 points and 14 rebounds.
After the game, Hampton said the high energy of the IBL stems from the players’ desire to get noticed.
“You’ve gotta bring it every night. You never know who’s watching,” he said.
For more information about the IBL and the potential for a team in Coos Bay, those interested can contact Duilio at 1-866-IBL-GAME or (541) 350-8939.
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