Blake Stepp

Blake Roy Stepp (born February 4, 1982) is an American retired professional basketball player. After a standout prep career at South Eugene High School and college career at Gonzaga University, he was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Stepp spent two seasons playing overseas, before retiring due to chronic knee injuries at the age of 24. After his basketball career, Stepp also played poker professionally.

Blake Stepp
Personal information
Born (1982-02-04) February 4, 1982
Eugene, Oregon
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolSouth Eugene (Eugene, Oregon)
CollegeGonzaga (2000–2004)
NBA draft2004 / Round: 2 / Pick: 58th overall
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career2004–2006
PositionPoint guard
Career history
2004–2005Partizan
2005–2006Valencia
Career highlights and awards
  • Consensus second-team All-American (2004)
  • 2× WCC Player of the Year (2003, 2004)
  • 2× First-team All-WCC (2003, 2004)
  • 2x Honorable Mention All-WCC (2001, 2002)
  • WCC Newcomer of the Year (2001)
  • WCC Freshman of the Year (2001)

Basketball career

A native of Eugene, Oregon, Stepp attended South Eugene High School. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University. In his four-year career with the Bulldogs, from 2000 to 2004, Stepp averaged 13.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He was named the WCC Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. In 2012, Stepp was inducted into the WCC Hall of Fame.[1]

In the 2004 NBA Draft, Stepp was selected 59th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves.[2] Stepp appeared in a handful of preseason games with the Wolves, but did not manage to make the final cut.[3] Near the end of 2004, Stepp joined Partizan of Serbia and Montenegro, spending there the rest of the 2004–05 season. After playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the NBA Summer League, Stepp spent the 2005–06 season with Valencia in Spain.

Stepp had represented the United States at the 2003 Pan American Games.[4]

In the summer of 2017, Stepp played in The Basketball Tournament on ESPN for team A Few Good Men (Gonzaga Alumni). He competed for the $2 million prize, and for team A Few Good Men, he averaged 10.5 points per game. Stepp helped take team A Few Good Men to the Super 16 round, where they then lost to Team Challenge ALS 77-60. [5]

Poker career

Upon his retirement from basketball, Stepp became a professional poker player, competing at the 2008, 2009 and 2010 World Series of Poker.

References
  1. "Former Great Blake Stepp Inducted Into WCC Hall of Honor". gozags.com. March 3, 2012. Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  2. "Stepp Drafted By Timberwolves". gozags.com. June 24, 2004. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  3. "Timberwolves Waive Stepp". gozags.com. October 27, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  4. "Stepp Named To Pan American Games Team". gozags.com. July 25, 2003. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  5. "Bracket | The Basketball Tournament". www.thetournament.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
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