Courtesy: Vermont Athletic Communications
LOS ANGELES – Former University of Vermont men’s basketball standout Marqus Blakely
‘10 will open training camp today with the Los Angeles Clippers at the
Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, Calif. Blakely signed a
partially-guaranteed two-year contract with the Clippers this summer and
is one of 18 players invited to camp. Training camp goes through
October 3 and is followed by the preseason opener at Portland on October
5.
Blakely was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers’ entry in the NBA
Summer League, which took place in Las Vegas, Nev. this past summer. He
made three starts in four games played for a Clippers squad that
included a pair of first round draft picks from the 2010 NBA Draft.
Blakely had his best performance when he scored a team-high 14 points to
lead the Clippers to a 72-71 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on
July 15. He earned his first of three straight starts in the game,
playing just over 30 minutes and added six rebounds, two steals, two
assists and a block in the team’s only win.
One of the top players in America East history, Blakely had worked out
for the Clippers prior to the 2010 NBA Draft. The two-time Kevin
Roberson America East Player of the Year and three-time America East
Defensive Player of the Year, Blakely paced the Catamounts in the
America East Championship Game this season with 24 points, 18 rebounds
and five assists on his way to earning the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding
Player honor. He finished the regular season by leading the league in
steals (2.6 pg) and blocks (1.9 pg), finishing second in points (17.4
pg), rebounds (9.1 pg) and field goal percentage (54.1%), and came in
fourth in assists (3.7 pg).
The 2010 State Farm College Slam Dunk Champion, Blakely finished his
Catamount career ranked fifth all-time at Vermont in scoring (1,875),
second in rebounding (1,044) and steals (226), third in blocks (254),
and 10th in assists (304). He helped lead Vermont to a 25-10 record as a
senior and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Following the season Blakely
was also one of only 64 seniors in the nation to take part in the
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, helping lead his team to a
championship.
Blakely hopes to join former three-time All-America East selection Jose Juan Barea in the league. Barea averaged 7.6 points and 3.3 assists for Dallas last season.