The Holland Dream was a semi-professional basketball team in the

Independent Basketball Association The Independent Basketball Association (IBA) was a semi-professional men's basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete ...

based in

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

. The team began as the Holland Blast, and changed its name when the team entered the IBA. The team was last owned by Tom Moore. The Dream played at the Holland Civic Center, former home of

Hope College Hope College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, United States. It was originally opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled. The first freshman coll ...

, who moved into the new

DeVos Fieldhouse DeVos Fieldhouse is a 3,400-seat indoor arena in Holland, Michigan. It was built in 2005, at a cost of $22 million. It is home to Hope College's men's and women's basketball teams, the Hope Flying Dutchmen and the Hope Flying Dutch and Hope ...

. They were members of the

International Basketball League The International Basketball League (IBL) was a semi-professional men's basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States. In 2010 the Albany Legends became the first team in the Northeastern United States to join. The ...

from 2005 to 2011.

History

The Holland Blast produced two IBL Hall of Fame players: * Jared Bledsoe, a 6'2" guard originally from

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, averaged a league-best, 43 points per game in the 2006 IBL playoffs and is the Holland Blast all-time leading scorer. The 6’2” guard scored a career and IBL playoff high 49 points vs Elkhart Express in the IBL Semifinals Playoffs. He was twice an All-NSIC selection while playing at

Moorhead State University Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) is a public university in Moorhead, Minnesota, across the Red River of the North from Fargo, North Dakota. The school has an enrollment of 7,534 students in 2019 and 266 full-time faculty members. MSUM ...

, Bledsoe accepted the women's assistant coach position at Concordia College in 2012. * Dennis Springs from

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

. Ranked 3rd in the IBL in scoring at 27.9 points per game and 1st in the IBL in Assists with 10.9 assist per game. Both have enjoyed successful careers playing basketball overseas. Former assistant coach Terry Smith took over as head coach for the 2007 season after Mike Ahrens submitted his resignation. Coach Smith was

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan, Allendale, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on ...

’s Men's Basketball Coach from 1997-2004 where he won 110 games. Smith has received many professional honors including the 1996

NABC Coach of the Year The NABC Coach of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top head coach in men's college basketball across the four largest college athletic associations in the United States. ...

Season by season

IBL All-Stars

2006

* Jared Bledsoe * James Jackson * Dennis Springs

2007

* Jared Bledsoe * Dennis Springs

References

External links

Holland Dream on USbasket.com@HDream24
{{IBA teams Independent Basketball Association teams Basketball teams in Michigan Holland, Michigan Basketball teams established in 2005 2005 establishments in Michigan