Former Catamount Marqus Blakely dunks on Gavin Edwards (formerly of UConn) of the Springfield Armor on January 22, 2011 at the Mass Mutual Center, Springfield, MA
This weekend when there was a large slate of interesting Vermont high school games, I found myself cruising down I-91 on the way to Springfield, MA to watch a couple of NBA D-League games. Usually I don’t photograph D-League events but former UVM Catamount Hoop Star Marqus Blakely was down in Springfield with his NBA D-League team the Bakersfield Jam (an affiliate of the LA Clippers and LA Lakers).
On Day 1, Blakely showed some nerves and saw limited minutes while scoring only 4 points. However, on Day 2, Blakely was looking sharp scoring a team high 25 points while dazzling the crowd with over a half dozen dunks. It was quite exciting for the Catamounts fans who made the trip down to Springfield. Blakely is having a good first year in the D-League. He is averaging 13.0 points a game and 6.1 rebounds for the Jam who are currently in third place of the West Conference of the D-League with a 16-10 record. While it is fun to watch Blakely put up dazzling dunks, in order to reach his dream and get into the NBA, he will need to continue to show growth in hitting some jump shots. We will continue to follow his career as he hopes to someday reach the NBA. Vermont Scoreboard staff and fans wish Marqus luck on his journey.
To check out some more photos from Blakely’s performance click here –> Marqus Blakely – Bakersfield Jam