BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Bellingham Slam have announced that forward Tyler Amaya has signed a contract to play overseas this winter. Amaya will play with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a first-division team in China. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Amaya joined the Slam eight games into the 2008 season after playing with the Düsseldorf Magics in Germany last winter. Amaya’s impact with the Slam was felt immediately, as he scored 24 points in his first game and the team went on to win 14 of their next 16 games with him in the lineup. Bellingham went on to capture the International Basketball League championship against the Elkhart Express on July 18. Amaya was named co-MVP of the championship game with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and finished the season with averages of 21.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
A standout at Mount Vernon High School, Amaya played one season each at Gonzaga and Dixie State, before settling in at Western Washington, where he helped lead the Vikings to back-to-back NCAA-II West Regional Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006. Amaya averaged 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game during his senior season at WWU.
Guangdong is considered one of China’s elite teams, having won the Chinese Basketball Association title in four of the previous five seasons. The Southern Tigers are the former team of Yi Jianlian, who was selected sixth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks at the 2007 NBA Draft and now plays for the New Jersey Nets.
The Chinese Basketball Association’s season runs from October to March, making Amaya eligible to potentially re-sign with the Slam for the 2009 season.
For more information, contact the Slam at (360) 734-SLAM or visit their website at www.bellinghamslam.com.