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Park Grad Bledsoe Starting Pro Hoops Career in Argentina

Phil Bledsoe has always subscribed to the idea of never giving up on your dream.

It’s now paying dividends for the former Wheeling Park Patriot.

Last week, Bledsoe signed a one-year contract with the Lanus Buenos Aires basketball club in Argentina.

“I feel extremely blessed to get this opportunity,” Bledsoe said during a phone interview just a few hours before he departed for South America. “Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to play professional basketball and this is a great opportunity.”

Bledsoe doesn’t have much time to get acclimated with his new surroundings since training camp opens this week in preparation for the season, which begins next month.

“I’ve spent a lot of time doing research on this ever since I was first approached with this,” Bledsoe said. “I took a few days to talk it over with my parents and my agent (Jerry Dianis) did a great job of researching it and helping us through the process.”

The toughest part — or actually the most bittersweet part — for Bledsoe was the fact that he has to leave the team he’d been playing for the last couple of seasons since completing his career at Glenville State.

Bledsoe was a 13 points per game scorer for the Ohio Bruins, which are based in Columbus and play in the American Basketball Association.

“It was a tough decision because the Bruins have been really good to me since I joined the team,” Bledsoe admitted. “Ultimately, though, the goal for the Bruins to see their guys succeed as much as possible and they really pushed me to the next level. They were nothing but supportive of me making this move to Argentina.”

Basically, the Lanus squad simply stumbled across some of Bledsoe’s film from his stint with the Bruins and reached out.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for Phil to play to his strengths and get acclimated as a professional basketball player,” Dianis said via text message. “Phil is a very high-character person who has good size and skill. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him flourish at the higher levels in basketball ultimately.”

Bledsoe, who is just 24 years old, feels as if he’s “just scratching the surface” of his basketball peak.

“I still have a lot of room to improve and I believe my game will flourish even more as I continue to grind and play,” Bledsoe admitted.

When he joins his new squad, Bledsoe has been projected to play either the small or power forward spot. He believes his versatility on both ends will be a perfect fit for those positions.

“I feel like I can be a tough matchup and play multiple positions on both ends of the floor,” Bledsoe said. “I can really guard anywhere from the two (guard) down to the five (center). Obviously, schemes are different, and I’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”

Offensivley, Bledsoe has been able to score the ball both from the mid range with his jumper and as well as from the post with his size and athleticism. Both skillsets fit well into his league.

“My game has continued to grow from the work I’ve been putting in,” Bledsoe said. “My jumper has gotten better and more consistent. My ball handling is much better and I’m a lot quicker and more explosive.”

As excited as Bledsoe is for his new opportunity, he’s not satisfied.

“Every time I step on the court, I want to dominate,” Bledsoe admitted. “I want to help lead the team to a championship and, personally, I think this could be a great stepping stone for me to get some pro experience under my belt and help with the ultimate goal of reaching the NBA.”

SETH’S SCOOPS

THE FIRST WEST Virginia state champions of the school year will be crowned this week at Oglebay Park when the state golf championships unfold at the Jones Course at the Spiedel Golf Club. Action begins on Tuesday and the trophies will be passed out on Wednesday.

STARTING TO see some basketball schedules for the upcoming season trickle in. Hard to believe Ohio girls teams begin official practice in less than three weeks on Oct. 21. The boys begin on Oct. 28.

SPEAKING OF hoops, the pairings for the annual Buckeye 8 Challenge at Harrison Central have been set. The four-game card will begin at 1 p.m. with St. Clairsville taking on Meadowbrook. Union Local and Wheeling Central will play at 2:45. Linsly will meet Medina at 4:30 p.m. and the host Huskies will take on Caldwell in the nightcap at 6:15.

THE PAIRINGS for the annual Sam Andy Classic, which will be held on Dec. 9 at WesBanco Arena, have also been set. The action begins at 4:30 p.m. with Magnolia taking on Union Local. The Wheeling Park girls will take on Ohio small-school power Hiland at 6:15 p.m. and the Wheeling Park boys will meet Zanesville at 8 in the finale.

OAK GLEN grad Skye Stokes, who is a volleyball player at West Virginia, was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after she set a career high in digs (31) and assists (9) in WVU’s game against Texas Tech. Stokes is ranked seventh in the Big 12 with 3.62 digs per set and her 31 digs is a single-game high in the conference this season.

Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com

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