January 20, 2015
Contact:   Craig Fata, Vice President
(844) THE-MPBA / craig.fata@theMPBA.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Over the course of three seasons, a few players certainly had flashier games offensively for the Bloomington Flex, but over the course of the club’s history, no one scored more points than Nate Fuqua, an athletic, hard-nosed guard from suburban Chicago.

                    Add a Defensive Player of the Year award in 2013 to his 711 career points and two championships, and it can be argued that Fuqua was perhaps the biggest key to the team’s success since its inception.

                    Now, Fuqua is wearing a different uniform.  Playing for the Windy City Groove (1-1) in 2015 in order to be closer to his family and its business, he will play his former team four times this season, the first of which will take place Wednesday at the Kroc Center in Chicago at 7:00 p.m.

                    “Nate is a great player, and we wish he were still with us,” said Flex owner Scott Henderson.  “He’s a great young man, and we understand his desire to be closer to home.  He made tremendous contributions while he was here, he was fantastic with the community, and we genuinely appreciate all his efforts.”

                    Fuqua is currently second in scoring and rebounding average for the Groove, at 15.5 points/9.5 rebounds per game, behind reigning Midwest Professional Basketball Association Player of the Week Christopher Dillard (20.0/13.5).  Dillard scored 24 points and pulled down 19 rebounds in last Thursday’s win over the Chicago Force.  Dillard’s 13.5 per-game rebound average leads the MPBA.

                    Justin Bocot leads the Flex and the MPBA in scoring average, at 30.3 per game, while Anthony Slack is fourth in the MPBA in total rebounds and rebounding average, at 30 and 10.0, respectively.

                    Fuqua looks back at his time with the Flex fondly, but will be all business when he faces his former teammates.

                    “Bloomington treated me great.  The fans were awesome, and I learned a lot playing under Coach [A.J.] Guyton.  But this Wednesday it will be a dog fight!” Fuqua said.

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