Marqus Blakely
Encyclopedia
Marqus Austin Blakely is an American professional basketball
player with the Houston Rockets
of the NBA.
by winning the Kevin Roberson America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
twice and the America East Defensive Player of the Year Award three times. He earned national recognition by winning the 2010 State Farm
Division I College Basketball
Slam Dunk Contest
and by performing three dunks that appeared on ESPN
SportsCenter's
Top Plays.
He finished his senior season at Vermont by leading the America East
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). He finished his career with the Catamounts ranked fifth all-time 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 attended the NBA Summer League
with the Los Angeles Clippers and later signed a two-year partially guaranteed contract worth $473,604 per year. He was released by the Clippers on October 25 at the end of training camp. He was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam as the 12th overall pick in the 2010 NBA D-League Draft.
Blakely was acquired by the Iowa Energy
for a first-round pick.
On April 12, 2011, Blakely signed a multi-year non-guaranteed contract with the Houston Rockets
.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player with the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
of the NBA.
College
Blakely gained a reputation at VermontVermont Catamounts men's basketball
The Vermont Catamounts Basketball team is the basketball team that represent the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont. The school's team currently competes in the America East Conference and plays its home games at Patrick Gym. The team has reached the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball...
by winning the Kevin Roberson America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the America East Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1979–80 season, the first year of the conference's existence . Seven players have earned the award multiple...
twice and the America East Defensive Player of the Year Award three times. He earned national recognition by winning the 2010 State Farm
State farm
State farm can refer to:*Sovkhoz, a type of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union*Volkseigenes Gut, a type of state-owned farm in East Germany*Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, a type of state-owned farm in People's Republic of Poland...
Division I College Basketball
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
Slam Dunk Contest
Slam Dunk Contest
The Slam Dunk Contest is an annual National Basketball Association competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The contest was inaugurated by the American Basketball Association at its All-Star Game in 1976 in Denver, the same year the slam dunk was legalized in the NCAA...
and by performing three dunks that appeared on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
SportsCenter's
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
Top Plays.
He finished his senior season at Vermont by leading the America East
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
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). He finished his career with the Catamounts ranked fifth all-time 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
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
.
Following the season Blakely was also one of only 64 seniors in the nation to take part in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
Portsmouth Invitational Tournament
The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, or "PIT", is the United States' oldest amateur basketball tournament and the only postseason camp conducted for the top NCAA seniors only....
, helping lead his team to a championship.
Pro career
Despite going undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
, Blakely attended the NBA Summer League
NBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
with the Los Angeles Clippers and later signed a two-year partially guaranteed contract worth $473,604 per year. He was released by the Clippers on October 25 at the end of training camp. He was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam as the 12th overall pick in the 2010 NBA D-League Draft.
Blakely was acquired by the Iowa Energy
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
for a first-round pick.
On April 12, 2011, Blakely signed a multi-year non-guaranteed contract with the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
.