BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Former Western Washington University men’s basketball standouts Jeffrey Parker and Taylor Stafford will be competing alongside some of the region’s best talent this summer after the pair earned invitations to compete in the 2017 Seattle Pro-Am league.
Parker and Stafford will both be suiting up for the Bellingham Slam at the Pro-Am, bolstering a deep roster which already features a number of notable former Vikings.
The pair recently completed their senior seasons at WWU this spring, helping lead the Vikings to a berth in the NCAA Division-II West Regional playoffs.
Parker, a four-year starter at forward for WWU, finished his collegiate career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,867 points, maintaining a 15.9 points per game average during his senior season. He also finished just shy of breaking Western’s school record for career three-point shooting with 277 total makes. Parker was named first-team all-GNAC following both his junior and senior seasons.
Stafford, considered to be one of the best point guards in program history, led the Vikings last season in scoring (22.8 points per game), assists (3.5 per game) and steals (1.7 per game). He earned countless post-season honors, including being named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a NABC Division-II First-Team All-American. He also participated in the Division-II All-Star game in March.
Parker and Stafford will join a Slam roster which includes seven other former WWU athletes, including Tyler Amaya, Austin Bragg, Kyle Impero and Anye Turner. In addition, center Mike Palm, who graduated from WWU in 2003 and has been competing professionally in Sweden for the past 14 seasons, will return stateside this summer to join Bellingham’s squad at the Pro-Am.
The 2017 Seattle Pro-Am tips off on Saturday, July 1 at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle, with the season running through the end of August.
