The Bellingham Slam are a semi-professional basketball team that formerly competed for seven seasons in the International Basketball League . Before joining the IBL, they played two seasons in the American Basketball Association . They were originally expected to play in Everett, Washington , but were relocated to Bellingham, Washington under the ownership of John Dominguez. The team currently competes in the annual Seattle Pro–Am basketball tournament organized by Seattle, Washington native and former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jamal Crawford .
31-510: The head coach from 2005 to 2013 was Rob Ridnour, father of former NBA guard Luke Ridnour . On March 31, 2014, the team announced that Ridnour was stepping down as coach and former assistant Tyler Amaya was named as his replacement. In their third season of existence, the team won an IBL championship in 2008 and repeated again as league champions in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The Slam have found success by primarily utilizing lesser-known NCAA Division II players rather than Division I players. Each season
62-860: A 8-15 record and was eliminated by the Salem Capitals in the play in game. Guard Jaylyn Richardson made All TBL 2nd Team and made 1st Team All Western Conference. In 2024 the Volcanoes finished the regular season 1st in the Pacific North West Division with a 16-4 record. The Volcanoes were eliminated by The Seattle Super Hawks in the Pacific Northwest Finals. Guard Markus Golder made the TBL All Star Game. Markus Golder made 2nd team All TBL and 1st team All TBL Western Conference. Forward Tyshon Pickett
93-715: A professional basketball team based in Vancouver, Washington that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the International Basketball League The team has played at several arenas throughout their existence and will play in the O'Connell Sports Center . The team's 2005 inaugural season was a huge disappointment. The team started 0–7, and went on to go 4–18. The Volcanoes were led in scoring by Charles McKinney (20.7 ppg). Despite high hopes in 2006,
124-717: A season-high 27 points during a 101–96 loss to the Toronto Raptors . On July 21, 2010, Ridnour signed a four-year, $ 16 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves . On February 22, 2012, he scored a buzzer-beater with a floater against the Utah Jazz. On July 11, 2013, Ridnour was reacquired by the Bucks in a three-team transaction that brought Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Kevin Martin to
155-764: A three-team, six-player deal involving the Sonics (which had become the Oklahoma City Thunder ), the Milwaukee Bucks , and the Cleveland Cavaliers , that sent Milwaukee's Mo Williams to Cleveland, Cleveland's Joe Smith and Milwaukee's Desmond Mason to Seattle, Cleveland's Damon Jones and Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee, which ended Ridnour's five-year run with the Sonics/Thunder. On January 22, 2010, Ridnour scored
186-847: The International Basketball League and third overall with a 19–4 record, winning the West Division during the regular season's final weekend. At the Western Conference Tournament at the Monroe Sports Arena , they received a first round bye, won their conference semi-final game 129–101 over the Edmonton Chill , and won their conference final game over the Vancouver Volcanoes 120–106. The Slam hosted
217-547: The Minnesota Timberwolves . On February 20, 2014, Ridnour was traded to Charlotte along with Gary Neal in exchange for Ramon Sessions and Jeff Adrien . On July 25, 2014, Ridnour signed with the Orlando Magic. His final NBA game was played on April 1, 2015, in a 91–103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs where he recorded six points and one assist. In June 2015, Ridnour garnered national attention as he
248-708: The National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks . Ridnour was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho , and grew up in Blaine, Washington . His father, Rob, was his basketball coach during high school. His father gave him the keys to the gym during his sophomore year; he was able to practice during the day and late into the night. Subsequently, he was on two state title-winning teams at Blaine High School , and
279-830: The Tacoma Navigators , 134–116 in the first round and over the Pittsburgh Xplosion , 122–115 in the second round) in 2005, but lost in the Great Eight Tournament in Rochester to the San Jose SkyRockets by a score of 138–119 on March 22, 2006. The team averaged 529 fans per game, with a high of 1,078 when Dennis Rodman and the Tijuana Dragons came to Bellingham. The Slam finished their second season 21–10, which
310-546: The Vancouver Volcanoes , Bryan Hunter sold the team's image and rights to Curtis Hill, who relocated his Portland Storm to Vancouver Washington. In 2022 The team was coached by Head Coach Jeff Perrault and Assistant Coach Curtis Hill and the team finished 7-17. Guard Jaylyn Richardson made All TBL Western Conference 1st team while Guard Andre McCowan made 2nd team. In 2023 the Volcanoes were coached by Associate Head Coaches Curtis Hill and Calvin Hampton. The team finished with
341-526: The 2008 IBL Championship Game against the Elkhart Express at Whatcom Pavilion on July 18. Bellingham defeated Elkhart 118–111 in front of a sell-out crowd of 1,100 to claim their first championship. [1] , [2] . With the championship game included, the Slam set a franchise record of 621 fans per game. The Slam were unable to repeat as IBL Champions in 2009, as they were defeated in the third round of
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#1732797167043372-557: The 2009 season with a 17–5 record. The 2009 season also saw the Slam's home court winning streak of 19 games broken in their season opener to the Seattle Mountaineers , although following the loss the Slam went on to win their remaining nine home games. The Slam averaged 524 fans per home game and 240 fans per road game in 2009. The Bellingham Slam made a playoff run defeating the Los Angeles Lightning in
403-643: The 2011 season with a three-game win streak and finished the season with a 14–6 record. They had three different three game win streaks throughout the season. The Bellingham Slam had a solid regular season but then on July 2, they went to Vancouver, WA, and played the Vancouver Volcanoes. They suffered a 105–96 loss in the Semi-Finals of the International Basketball League Playoffs. During the 2011 season,
434-602: The 2013 and 2014 seasons before the IBL ceased operations in 2014. The Volcanoes played in the 2015 Portland Pro-Am before also ceasing operations. On November 2, 2020, The Basketball League (TBL) announced the Portland Storm was approved as expansion franchise for the 2021 season owned by Curtis Hill. The team decided to sit out for the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Prior to the 2022 season, former team owner of
465-555: The 2013 season. Despite a slow start to the season, the Bellingham Slam once again finished first in the IBL with a 13–3 regular season record, which included a record-tying 12 game winning streak. In the 2014 IBL Championship game, the Slam dominated the Vancouver Volcanoes on their home floor, winning 143–126, to capture their third straight league title. Austin Bragg was named the game's MVP with 27 points and 12 rebounds. For
496-596: The Seattle Pro-Am with a 7–3 record and reached the semi-finals of the playoffs. Paul Hafford finished as the Slam's leading scorer with 22.4 points per game, and Anye Turner was the leading rebounds with 10.5 rebounds per game. Hafford was selected to compete in the 2016 Seattle Pro-Am All-Star game on August 14, 2016. Luke Ridnour Lukas Robin Ridnour (born February 13, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in
527-747: The Second Round, 112–94, and the Yamhill Highflyers in the Conference Final, 136–105. Then, on July 16, the Slam played the Albany Legends in the Championship Game and suffered a 126–111 loss. The Slam finished the regular season with a record of 13–7 and with the playoffs included, they had a 15–8 record. The Bellingham Slam allowed an average of 105.8 points per game during their fifth season. The Slam opened
558-665: The Semi-Finals of the IBL Playoffs and finished the season by defeating the Portland Chinooks, 142–109. This victory gave the Slam their second IBL Championship. Three players on the Bellingham Slam, as well as their head coach, received end-of-season league accolades. Morris Anderson received the Defensive Player of the Year award and Paul Hafford earned the IBL's Most Improved Player award. Also, Rod Ridnour,
589-498: The Slam set the record for most points in a single game with 179 points against the Kankakee Soldiers on June 26. They also set the team record for free throw percentage with 77% shooting on the year. The Bellingham Slam finished their seventh season with an overall record of 17–3. The Slam finished the regular season with a 14–3 record, including an eleven-game win streak. They defeated the Vancouver Volcanoes 127–98 in
620-404: The Slam's head coach, was named the league's Coach of the Year. The Bellingham Slam finished the 2013 regular season with a 16–2 record, their best winning percentage in team history, and won consecutive IBL titles for the first time in league history, defeating the Vancouver Volcanoes in the championship game, 117–114. Morris Anderson, Blake Poole and Jacob Stevenson were named IBL All-Stars for
651-555: The Slam's roster features several players who played collegiately in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference . They play their home games at Whatcom Pavilion on the campus of Whatcom Community College . The Slam finished their inaugural season 18–14, good for second place in the Red Conference's Ron Boone Division and a #10 seed in the playoffs. They won their first two playoff games (over
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#1732797167043682-403: The Volcanoes were mediocre again, posting a 4–21 record. Brad Lechtenberg led the team in scoring at 25.0 ppg. He and Kevin "Pip" Bloodsaw (19.6 ppg) were IBL All-Stars in 2006. During the 2011 season, the Vancouver Volcanoes began to show signs of success both on and off the court for team owner Bryan Hunter. The team won its first IBL title, defeating Edmonton. The franchise were runners-up in
713-477: The conference semifinals, where Ridnour averaged 10.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.3 rebounds as they were eliminated by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in a six-game series. On November 13, 2006, Ridnour scored a career-high 32 points, including four made free throws to seal the victory, while leading Seattle to a 119–113 win over the New Jersey Nets . On August 13, 2008, Ridnour was involved in
744-530: The playoffs by the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lightning . The Slam reached the third round by finishing the regular season first in the IBL's North Division with a 16–4 record and earning a first round bye in the playoffs. Bellingham defeated the Tacoma Tide in the second round, 116–111, before losing to Los Angeles 132–121. With their two playoff games included, the Slam finished
775-442: The second straight season, the trio of Morris Anderson, Blake Poole and Jacob Stevenson were named 2014 IBL All-Stars. On February 16, 2015, the Slam announced that the team would be suspending operations. After a one-year hiatus, the Slam returned to action by accepting an invitation to compete in the Seattle Pro-Am summer league, organized by NBA veteran and Seattle native Jamal Crawford . The team finished their first season in
806-489: The two-week period. On September 21, 2015, Ridnour announced his decision to sit out the 2015–16 season. On June 22, 2016, Ridnour announced his retirement from professional basketball. Ridnour is a Christian . Ridnour has spoken about his faith saying, "Even though I now have more success, fame, and money than I ever dreamed, my relationship with God is the only thing that brings me true peace and satisfaction." Vancouver Volcanoes The Vancouver Volcanoes are
837-609: Was Pac-10 Player of the Year . Luke was picked 14th in the 2003 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. Ridnour played sparingly during his rookie season, but became the starting point guard for the Sonics in the 2004–05 season. He participated in the 2005 All-Star weekend, playing in the Rookie Challenge and in the Skills Challenge . During the 2005 NBA Playoffs , Ridnour and the Sonics reached
868-539: Was good for first place in the Red Conference's North Division, a #8 seed in the playoffs, and a first-round bye. They won their first playoff game 137–103 over the Hollywood Fame before losing to the Vermont Frost Heaves by a score of 119–103 in the league quarterfinals. The Slam averaged 437 fans per game, with a high of 960 coming in their home opener. The Slam finished their first season in
899-761: Was named a high school All-American by both McDonald's and Parade in 2000, his graduation year. Ridnour went on to star at the University of Oregon , where he teamed with Luke Jackson and Fred Jones to take the Ducks to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament twice including the Elite 8 in 2002. He set the school season record for assists (218) and made a conference-record 62 consecutive free throws. Ridnour averaged 19.7 points per game and 6.6 assist per game. Ridnour left Oregon after his junior year, when he
930-605: Was traded four times in the span of six days. On June 24, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights to Jānis Timma . On June 25, the Grizzlies sent him to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Matt Barnes ; later that same day he was traded, along with a 2016 second-round draft pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jeremy Lamb . Lastly, on June 30, Ridnour
961-530: Was traded to the Toronto Raptors along with cash considerations in exchange for the draft rights to Tomislav Zubčić . Ridnour later stated in an interview with USA Today that he found the whole situation rather "funny", as he and his family were present at their home in Seattle while the moves were unfolding. On July 9, 2015, he was waived by the Raptors, adding to the list of teams he never visited during