MONROE — The Snohomish County Explosion is getting both beat down and beefed up.
Owing to injuries and the up-and-down start to their second International Basketball League season the Explosion on Friday signed several players in a bid to be at full strength when they take on the Portland Chinooks (2-4) tonight at Monroe High School.
Center David White’s sprained left ankle, the uncertainty surrounding high-flying forward Jermaine Blackburn’s sore knees, the departure of little-used power forward Tywan Gonzales and the generally disappointing performance of the team overall led to the addition of 6-foot-11 center Chris Adams and three others.
“We have had to make some changes that reflect some nagging injuries to some (of) our players, as well as addressing deficiencies on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball,” Explosion General Manager Brad Sturlaugson said in a press release. “Some of these changes are temporary and some will be permanent. We will see how everyone responds.”
White’s injury, suffered in the second quarter of last Saturday’s bruising 97-95 victory over Tacoma, will likely keep him sidelined for three games.
“It’s still very swollen and black and blue and he’s limping pretty badly,” Explosion coach Randy Redwine said of the 6-foot-11 White. “He can walk, but he can’t get up and down the floor.”
Blackburn scrubbed himself out of the lineup for the Tacoma game. The former Boise State standout did not practice this week and his status for tonight is questionable.
Other key players have taken their licks as the team approaches midseason.
Guard Milton Wright limped through recent practices after playing his best game against Tacoma, sacrificing his body time and again.
Point guard Jamal Miller suffered a bruised elbow after running into a brick wall of a mid-court pick set by the Jazz’s Alex Adediran, but has iced his way back to relative health.
“A lot of people don’t realize how incredibly physical this league is,” Redwine said. “You can’t just come out and run around.”
Redwine speculated the physical demands of practices and games led to the unexpected departure of Gonzalez.
“Some of these guys come in with googled eyes about getting to the next level,” Redwine said. “But, once we get to working they’re not willing to do what it takes to get into condition to take the bumps and grinds.”
White’s absence will likely mean more minutes tonight for backup Mike Jones, a 6-foot-10 product of Cascade High School and the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
“Mike is Steady Eddie,” Redwine said. “He’s a guy I can put in to bang people around.”
If sufficiently recovered from an illness that kept him out of practices this week Jackie Jones, the oldest player on the roster at 40, may be available to spell Mike Jones.
Jackie Jones has used his size (6-foot-8, 260-pounds) and veteran savvy to average nearly six rebounds per game in limited minutes.
Notes
Welcome to Monroe: In addition to Adams who played at Fresno State, the Explosion brought in 6-foot-5 small forward Justin White (Seattle University). Also signed were 6-foot-5 small forward Troy Gwynn and 6-foot-7 power forward Tyrell Curry who both played at LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tenn.
Sizing up Chinooks: After winning the Western Conference championship in 2007 Portland is off to a slow start, but Redwine remains wary.
“They’re always tough,” Redwine said. “They’re even bigger than Tacoma.”
In addition to chief scoring threats Chris Nixon and Kenny Tate, Portland features 6-foot-11 Eze Samuels (Western Illinois) inside.
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