The Vancouver Volcanoes reached the semifinals of the International Basketball League playoffs last year.
That wasn’t good enough for Bryan Hunter.
“We’ve made some huge improvements this year,” said Hunter, the co-owner and coach of the IBL franchise. “I believe we’ve put together a team — and a lot of other people do, as well — that this is the team to win the championship this year.”
That quest begins tonight, as the semipro squad opens its seventh season with a visit to the Bellingham Slam. The Volcanoes’ home opener is the following night, when they host the Slam at 7 p.m. at Clark College.
Vancouver returns Andre Murray and Devin Uskoski — the top two scorers from last year’s 16-7 team. Uskoski, a Prairie High School graduate, also led the IBL in rebounds with 11.8 a game.
Adding to that nucleus, Hunter highlighted two newcomers:
• Point guard Antwan Williams was fourth in the league in assists last year, averaging 6.9 for the Tacoma Tide, along with 19.6 points.
“He’s an extremely talented point guard, a good distributor,” Hunter said. “He ended up moving down to Portland in the offseason. I recruited him, and he came to play for us.”
• Lawrence Blackledge, a product of Marquette University, averaged 16.6 points and 8.7 rebounds for the B.C. Titans a year ago.
“He has long arms; he’s extremely talented,” Hunter said. “He reminds me of Kevin Durant, that kind of game.”
Not that anybody in the IBL is on the verge of becoming an NBA All-Star. The league brings together former college players — primarily from small schools — who typically spend a portion of the year playing overseas.
It’s the overseas part that will affect the start of the season for the Volcanoes. Uskoski will miss tonight’s opener as he returns from playing in Germany, but is expected to be available for Saturday’s game. Mac Hopson, a product of the University of Idaho, is concluding a season in Argentina.
In addition, Hunter said, the Volcanoes will bring in a couple of centers next week for tryouts.
“We’re ready,” Hunter said, “but we’re still waiting on some key people.”
