Marqus Austin Blakely (born October 22, 1988) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who is currently playing for the

Kumamoto Volters is a Japanese professional basketball team in Kumamoto, Kumamoto. The team competes in the B.League. Volters hosted the B.League All-star Game in 2018. Roster Notable players * Paul Butorac * Josh Duinker * Joel James *Lamont ...

of the B.League. He played college basketball for

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

College career

Blakely gained a reputation at

by winning the Kevin Roberson

America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year The America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, known also as the Kevin Roberson America East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year, is a basketball award given to the America East Conference's most outstanding player. Th ...

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 The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

. He performed a dunk invented by then teammate Evan Fjeld that had never been done before. The dunk is now widely known as the "Double Dunk" where Fjeld dunked the ball from the right side and Blakely caught the ball out of the bottom of the net and dunked it back in mid-air. He also performed three dunks that appeared on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

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 The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft ( ...

, helping lead his team to a championship.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the

2010 NBA draft The 2010 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2010, at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National ...

, Blakely joined the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

for the 2010 NBA Summer League. On July 26, 2010, he signed with Clippers on a reported two-year partially guaranteed contract worth $473,604 per year. He was later waived by the Clippers on October 25, 2010.

Bakersfield Jam (2010–2011)

After his release from the Clippers, Blakely was acquired by the

Bakersfield Jam Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...

with the 12th overall pick in the 2010 NBA D-League Draft. He appeared in 25 games for the Jam, before a mid-season trade with the Iowa Energy.

Iowa Energy (2011)

In January 2011, Blakely was traded to the

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. Blakely averaged 17.2 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game for the Energy.

Houston Rockets (2011)

On April 13, 2011, Blakely signed with the Houston Rockets. He suited up for the Rockets in their final game of the regular season, but did not play. Blakely entered training camp with the Rockets following the resolution of the NBA Lockout for the 2011–12 preseason, but was released on December 19, 2011.

Returned to Iowa Energy (2011–2012) / Sioux Falls Skyforce (2012)

On December 27, 2011, Blakely was re-acquired by the

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Dev ...

, appearing in 14 games before being traded to the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

in February 2012, where he averaged 16 points per game and 7 rebounds per contest while also being named an

All-Star.

B-Meg Llamados (2012)

After the

season was completed, Blakely signed as an import player for the B-Meg Llamados of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA) for the 2012 PBA Governors' Cup. While with B-Meg, Blakely averaged a double-double (22.3 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per game), guiding the team to the Governors' Cup final, falling 4–3 in a seven-game series.

Los Angeles Clippers (2012)

In September 2012, Blakely signed with Los Angeles Clippers. He appeared in three preseason games, but failed to score a point. On October 27, 2012, Blakely was waived by the Clippers.

Telekom Baskets Bonn (2012)

On December 26, 2012, Blakely signed with

Telekom Baskets Bonn Telekom Baskets Bonn, also known as Baskets Bonn, is a German professional basketball club that is based in Bonn, Germany. The club plays in the Basketball Bundesliga, which is German basketball league system, the highest level pro basketball le ...

of the Basketball Bundesliga. After failing some medical tests, he was waived on January 1, 2013.

Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg (2013)

In January 2013, he signed with Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg of Germany.

San Mig Coffee Mixers / Purefoods Star Hotshots (2013–2015)

After his season in Germany ended, Blakely signed to play as an import in his return to B-Meg (this time renamed as the

San Mig Coffee Mixers The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...

). Blakely helped the San Mig Coffee Mixers defeat

Petron Blaze Boosters The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...

in the 2013 Governor's Cup

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. He was expected to return the following year as the import for the Mixers. Blakely signed again as San Mig's import, now renamed as the

San Mig Super Coffee Mixers The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Pure Foods Company, Inc., San Miguel Food and Bever ...

for the third time. He led the Mixers to clinch a historic

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

. It was also San Mig Coffee's fourth consecutive championship. Along with the Mixers' "Big 3" of

James Yap James Carlos Agravante Yap Sr. (born February 15, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known by his nickname Big Game James, he had played for ...

Marc Pingris Jean Marc Prado Pingris Jr. (born October 16, 1981) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. Known as one of the best defenders and rebounders in PBA history, he was named one of the league's 40 Greatest Players. He spent 14 season ...

and PJ Simon, they defeated the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on a do or die game at a best-of-5 championship series of the

2014 PBA Governors' Cup The 2014 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup, also known as the 2014 PLDT Home TelPad-PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third and last conference of the 2013–14 PBA season. The conference began on May 18 a ...

. He came back again as the team's import for the fourth time for the franchise, this time again renamed as the

Purefoods Star Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migu ...

for the 2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup, serving as their temporary import while Purefoods Star could find a suitable fit for the team. However, Blakely still stayed with the team as a practice player when the team was able to find a suitable replacement for the team and played as the team's regular import in the following conference, the 2015 Governors' Cup.

Busan KT Sonicboom (2015–2016)

Blakely was signed by

Busan KT Sonicboom Suwon KT Sonicboom () is a professional basketball club based in Suwon, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. Their home games are played at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based in Gwan ...

of the Korean Basketball League.

Star Hotshots (2016)

Blakely returned to the Philippines, this time playing again for the renamed-again

Star Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migu ...

as the team's import for the

2016 PBA Governors' Cup The 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors' Cup, also known as the 2016 Oppo-PBA Governors' Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third and last conference of the 2015–16 PBA season. Due to the preparations of the Philippines m ...

. This will be Blakely's sixth conference playing in the PBA and for the team. On August 6, 2016, Blakely was released by the team due to the team's disappointing performance with him. He was replaced by Joel Wright.

TNT KaTropa (2018)

In 2018, he signed with

TNT KaTropa The TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fr ...

. In his debut with the Katropa, Blakely almost recorded a triple-double after posting 26 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists in a 110–104 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.

Japan (2018–19)

After his stint with the

TNT Katropa The TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The fr ...

, he signed a deal with the Japanese team

Shiga Lakestars Shiga Lakes (滋賀レイクス) is a Japanese men's basketball team playing in the Western Conference of the B.League. They are based in the Shiga Prefecture. Coaches * Bob Pierce (2008–10) *Takatoshi Ishibashi * Hirokazu Nema *Al Westover ...

. However, he left the team after just appearing for them for 13 games. After leaving, he signed a contract with another Japanese team, Fukuoka Zephyr. In his second game with Fukuoka, he recorded a triple-double of 37 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists in a 105–108 loss to the

Kawasaki Brave Thunders The Kawasaki Brave Thunders are a Japanese professional basketball team located in Kanagawa, Japan. The team currently competes in the B.League. The team was the 2016 Champion of the now dissolved Japanese National Basketball League.

Blackwater Elite (2019)

During the Governors Cup back in 2019, he signed with the Blackwater Elite. He scored a conference-high 37 points to go along with 17 rebounds and 6 assists in a 117–120 loss to the Phoenix Fuel Masters.

Kumamoto Volters (2020–Present)

After his stint with the Blackwater Elite, he signed with the Japanese team,

of the Japanese Basketball League. On January 29, 2020, Blakely recorded a triple-double of 24 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists against

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

Player Profile

With the height of 6'5, Blakely can play either the position of Shooting guard or the

Small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

. He is known to be a versatile player, as he could score, rebound and create opportunities for his teammates. He is an exceptional rebounder for his size as he could overpower his opponents, hence he averaged 9.5 rebounds per game for his career. As a testimony of his all-around play, Blakely recorded 4 triple-doubles throughout his entire career.

Professional Career Statistics

, - , align="left" , 2010–11 , align="left" ,

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, 49 , , 25.2 , , .625 , , .167 , , .636 , , 6.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 15.0 , - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" ,

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...

, 35 , , 31.1 , , .522 , , .231 , , .566 , , 6.4 , , 2.7 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" , B-Meg , PBA , 22 , , 41.0 , , .437 , , .362 , , .641 , , 13.4 , , 3.3 , , 2.7 , , 2.6 , , 22.4 , - , align="left" ,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, align="left" , San Mig Coffee , PBA , 21 , , 42.8 , , .488 , , .239 , , .459 , , 15.5 , , 4.5 , , 2.1 , , 2.2 , , 23.9 , - , align="left" , 2012–13 , align="left" ,

MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

, 11 , , 23.6 , , .516 , , .429 , , .544 , , 6.5 , , 2.2 , , .7 , , 1.2 , , 11.5 , - , align="left" , 2013–14 , align="left" , San Mig Coffee , PBA , 20 , , 39.4 , , .483 , , .008 , , .547 , , 15.7 , , 3.9 , , 1.8 , , 2.4 , , 19.2 , - , align="left" , 2014–15 , align="left" ,

, PBA , 19 , , 38.5 , , .543 , , .143 , , .635 , , 12.7 , , 4.3 , , 2.9 , , 2.7 , , 21.9 , - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" ,

, KBL , 53 , , 20.9 , , .540 , , .172 , , .589 , , 6.9 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , 2015–16 , align="left" ,

, PBA , 4 , , 41.0 , , .482 , , .000 , , .529 , , 17.5 , , 4.5 , , 2.5 , , 1.8 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , 2016–17 , align="left" , Hyundai Mobis Phoebus , KBL , 11 , , 26.2 , , .525 , , .200 , , .510 , , 9.8 , , 5.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" ,

, PBA , 5 , , 41.0 , , .575 , , .364 , , .614 , , 15.2 , , 6.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 23.0 , - , align="left" , 2017–18 , align="left" , Hyundai Mobis Phoebus , KBL , 58 , , 25.8 , , .571 , , .235 , , .562 , , 8.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , 14.4 , - , align="left" , 2018–19 , align="left" ,

Blackwater Elite The Blackwater Bossing is a professional basketball team owned by Ever Bilena, Inc. that is playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) beginning in the 2014–2015 season. The franchise began as one of the founding teams in the PB ...

, PBA , 10 , , 36.7 , , .504 , , .400 , , .632 , , 13.1 , , 5.6 , , 3.5 , , 2.9 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , 2018–19 , align="left" ,

Shiga is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...

, B.League , 25 , , 35.2 , , .426 , , .333 , , .610 , , 9.6 , , 5.8 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , 17.3 , - , align="left" , 2019–20 , align="left" ,

, B.League , 14 , , 35.6 , , .554 , , .290 , , .612 , , 9.4 , , 5.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.8 , , 21.4 , - , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , All Leagues , 357 , , 30.6 , , .524 , , .270 , , .575 , , 9.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.8 , , 1.4 , , 16.9

References

External links

NBA.com ProfileYahoo! Sports ProfileESPN.com ProfilePBA Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakely, Marqus 1988 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American men's basketball players Bakersfield Jam players Basketball players from New Jersey Blackwater Bossing players Suwon KT Sonicboom players Iowa Energy players Kumamoto Volters players Magnolia Hotshots players Metuchen High School alumni Riesen Ludwigsburg players People from Metuchen, New Jersey Philippine Basketball Association imports Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka players Sioux Falls Skyforce players Shiga Lakes players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Middlesex County, New Jersey TNT Tropang Giga players Vermont Catamounts men's basketball players