TJ Cotterill // THE WESTERN FRONT
Coming off a return to the International Basketball League Finals, the Bellingham Slam began its 2011 season Friday, April 15, at Whatcom Pavilion. The Slam added Michael Duty, Western’s leading scorer this season, as well as Blake Poole, the 2010-11 GNAC most valuable player.
I sat down with Bellingham Slam coach Rob Ridnour to speak with him about his expectations for this season and what his new players will be able to bring.
TC: Having been able to see what Michael Duty can do in practice, what do you expect to see from him this season?
RR: Duty is athletic and fits the mold of an ideal player in this league in terms of athletically and what he can do. He is active offensively, and attacks around the basket. I think he will fit in with the team nicely in terms of how the game is played.
TC: What do you see his role being at the start of the season?
RR: I expect him to be able to score, rebound and defend. Those three things are going to be huge because he is in that 3-4 combo area. We need that athleticism, but a lot of his ability is going to come on the defensive rebounding end. We have a lot of guys who can score and we are hoping he can score inside and so forth, but the bottom line is being able to rebound and defend.
TC: Is having so many guys from the Western basketball team a benefit or a detriment to the team?
RR: I think having all Western guys definitely gives us an advantage because they know each other so well. That is the advantage we have had from day one and this is our sixth year playing professional basketball. The guys Western men’s head basketball coach Brad Jackson is bringing in are good guys. I think that carries over to what we are doing.
They know how to play within Jackson’s system. We don’t do the same thing he does, but he likes to play an open game. He likes to get up and down, and we definitely like to get up and down.
TC: What is going to be the most challenging part for Duty when transitioning from the college game to the IBL?
The biggest thing for Duty is learning the style of the game and fitting in. I think that comes from experience. That will happen with time. I think the key is he gets along with the guys and fits in real nice.
TC: Have you noticed guys from Western’s team last year such as Derrick Webb or Mo Anderson who have took it upon themselves to show Duty the ropes?
RR: It’s funny, but I think it took Anderson and Webb a while to adjust to the game. I think the same will be for Duty and Poole. It is just going to take them time to learn how to play at this level and this style of basketball. There is no question—talent-wise they can play. It is just getting used to the speed of the game. With the 22-second shot clock, you don’t have a lot of set up time. You might get one ball reversal and shots are going to go up early. There are a lot of shots in transition and sometimes you don’t get touches when you are big. It is just a different game and they are just going to have to get used to it when they play.
TC: I guess you get a lot of guys who are used to being the best player on the team and now they aren’t. So when they get a touch they want to quickly show what they can do.
RR: That is exactly right. It’s like the NBA. You have to mold all these really good players together and get them to accept their roles. It is just getting them to do certain things to be able to win at this level. If we can accomplish that we will be competitive. From what I’ve seen already we like where we are, I think we will be fine this year.
