POOLE CONTINUES TO BE A FORCE IN GERMANY

Slam big man Blake Poole is continuing to impress in his first season overseas, picking up his third Player of the Week award in Germany's ProB league last week.

Through 20 games with BG Dorsten, Poole is average 15.4 points and a league-leading 14.5 rebounds per game.

In addition to his Player of the Week accolades, Poole was also named the ProB League's Player of the Month back in November. So far, Poole has helped lead his Dorsten team to a 11-9 record and sixth place in the ProB North Division standings.

In 2011 for the Slam, Poole averaged 12.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and was named an IBL All-Star.

2012 SEASON TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE!

Season tickets for the Bellingham Slam's 2012 International Basketball League season are now on sale.

The Slam will play a ten game home schedule starting in early April, with a full schedule to be announced later this winter.

Season ticket holders receive a host of benefits, including a savings of 50% off the cost of their tickets compared to single game ticket prices.

The Slam offer both reserved courtside and general admission seating options at their home games. A general admission season ticket package costs $50 for adults and $40 for students and seniors 65 and over.

Fans with children ages 12 and under can also take advantage of the savings by signing their child up with the Slam Kids Club, which will get them many great benefits and admission to every home game for just $25 per season.

Comfortable reserved courtside seating is available in two locations, costing $100 for sideline seating and $75 for baseline seating.

As an added incentive to buy your tickets early, anyone who purchases their season tickets before the end of the year will be entered into a contest to win a free round-trip flight on Allegiant Air from Bellingham to any of their vacation destinations!

TYLER AMAYA NOW HOOPING IN SAUDI ARABIA

The Slam's most well-traveled player is on the road again. Forward Tyler Amaya has signed with Al Jubail, a team in Saudi Arabia, the eighth country in which he has played basketball professionally.

The club, which plays as a member of Saudi Arabia's Premier League, is located in Jubail, a city of over 150,000 people located in the eastern portion of the country along the shores of the Persian Gulf.

Amaya was signed by Al Jubail after participating in the 2011 FIBA Africa Club Basketball Tournament in Tunisia last month as a member of a Benghazi, Libya, based team.

Amaya has traveled the globe playing professionally, making stops over the years in China, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Syria.

In 2011 for the Slam, Amaya returned from Syria late in the season and helped Bellingham clinch the IBL's best regular season record at 14-5. In four games, Amaya averaged 13.5 points and 8.5 assists.

Between his stints abroad, Amaya has played portions of the last four seasons for the Slam. In 2008, he helped lead Bellingham to the IBL Championship and was named the title game's co-Most Valuable Player.

THREE SLAM PLAYERS NAMED IBL ALL-STARS

Three players from the Slam have been named as International Basketball League all-stars for the 2011 season as selected by league officials. Guards Morris Anderson and Jacob Stevenson and center Blake Poole each earned the honor this season.

For Stevenson, it is the fourth consecutive season that he has been named a league all-star, earning the title every season the Slam has been a member of the IBL.

Stevenson, who has competed with the Slam since the franchise started in 2005, was the team’s scoring leader for the second straight year. After enjoying his most productive season in 2010 with a 25.4 points per game scoring average, Stevenson averaged 19.5 points per game in 2011 as Bellingham featured a more balanced offense. He scored in double figures in all but one game last season and twice scored a season-high of 32 points.

Anderson followed up a fine rookie season in 2010 with another solid performance in 2011, averaging 15.7 points and a team-leading 6.4 assists per game. His assist total ranked him fourth-best in the IBL and he set a new Slam record by dishing out 15 assists in the team’s home opener on April 15. This summer, Anderson helped lead a team to the championship of the Jamal Crawford Summer League in Seattle.

Poole, who joined the Slam after finishing his senior season at Saint Martin’s, was a valuable asset at both ends of the court, averaging 10.9 rebounds per game to rank first on the Slam and fourth in the IBL. Offensively, he averaged 12.5 points per game and finished 2011 with eight double-doubles, including a 25 point, 14 rebound outing against Edmonton on May 20. Poole is currently playing overseas in Dorsten, Germany.

The Slam trio highlights a group of 30 IBL players named as all-stars by the league.