Photo courtesy of College Hoops Journal

Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) will join first round draft selections Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe as part of the Los Angeles Clippers’ entry in the 2010 NBA Summer League, which opens play against the Washington Wizards entry on July 12th in Las Vegas.

One of the top players in America East history, Blakely had worked out for the Clippers prior to the 2010 NBA Draft. The team will hold a three-day mini-camp at the Los Angeles Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, Calif. on July 9th, 10th and 11th prior to leaving for Las Vegas.

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.

NBA Position: Small Forward
Ht: 6-5
Wt: 225
Hometown: Metuchen, NJ
High School: Metuchen HS

Strenghts: An outstanding athlete … He put himself on the college basketball map when he had one of the year’s most exciting dunks in 2007 as a freshman during the American East Championship game vs. Albany which was nationally televised … As a sophomore, he garnered both the America East Player of the Year and America East Defensive Player of the Year, which had never been accomplished before in league history .. A quick leaper as his 2.9 blocks per game will attest to … Able to guard both wing and post players effectively … Offensively, he attacks the rim with an attitude and as a result he gets to the free throw line quite often … He is very crafty around the rim and finishes most of his shots (58.3% from the field) … He could be intriguing to some NBA teams looking for defensive help, where Blakely could be very effective guarding a couple different positions.

Weaknesses: His offensive perimeter skills are very raw … He is uncomfortable handling the ball on the wing … He rarely puts the ball to the floor more than once or twice … Also, he has yet to show any consistency shooting the ball outside of 12 feet … Ball handling and outside shooting are two aspects of his game that must improve if he is going to have any shot at making an NBA roster … At the college level, his game resides strictly in the paint. At only 6-5, he will not be able to have continued success down in the post as he will be extremely undersized. Poor free throw shooter as well (59%).

Source: nbadraft.net