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Armor Invite 11 Players to Training Camp

October 31, 2013 - NBA G League (G League)
Springfield Armor News Release


Springfield, Mass. - The Springfield Armor today announced eleven players set to attend the team's 2013 training camp in November. Among the eleven are two players who will be joining the Armor as Affiliate Players, forward Gary Forbes and forward Adonis Thomas. NBA D-League teams are permitted to protect up to three players waived from their NBA parent club's training camp roster. Centers Jeff Foote and Willie Reed, forwards Dennis Horner, Damian Saunders and L.D. Williams, as well as guards JamesOn Curry, Lance Hurdle and Justin Johnson will be returning to the Armor this season.

The Armor also announced today a three-team trade that will bring guard Lorenzo Brown and the sixth overall selection in tomorrow's NBA D-League Draft to Springfield. The Armor acquired the rights to Brown, who was an affiliate player for the Iowa Energy, and the sixth overall draft pick from Iowa and sent the third overall selection in tomorrow's draft to Iowa and guard Ben Uzoh to the Tulsa 66ers. To complete the trade, Tulsa acquired the first overall pick in tomorrow's draft from Iowa and sent guard Diante Garrett and the 11th pick in the draft to Iowa.

The Armor also swung a separate deal with the Santa Cruz Warriors, sending the returning player rights of forward/center Chris Taft to Santa Cruz in exchange for the 47th overall selection (third round) in tomorrow's draft. Taft was originally acquired by the Armor with the first pick in the fourth round (48th overall) in the 2011 NBA D-League Draft, but never appeared in a game in Springfield. The pick was originally acquired by the Warriors from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

The Armor now have a total of 8 draft picks in tomorrow's 8 round 2013 NBA D-League Draft. The Armor do not own a 2nd round pick as it was traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors in a March 2013 deal that brought Edwin Ubiles to the Armor.

Armor training camp is scheduled to start November 8 in advance of the team's first game on November 22 at Maine.

Lorenzo Brown: Brown (6-5, 186, North Carolina State) was selected 52nd overall as an early entrant in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He appeared in three preseason games with the Timberwolves, averaging 4.0 points in 12.6 minutes per game before being waived on October 25. Brown was a three-year starter at NC State, leading the Wolfpack to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2013. He earned All-ACC Second Team honors after averaging 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and an ACC-best 7.2 assists per game.

JamesOn Curry: Curry (6-4, 200, Oklahoma State) rejoins the Armor after spending the 2012-13 season plying his trade for the Guaiqueries de Margarita of the Venezuelan-LPB. Curry, a 5-year veteran of the D-League, has spent his career with the Iowa Energy and Springfield Armor after being drafted 51st overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2007 NBA Draft. Curry went on to average 20.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in his rookie year with the Energy. The Armor acquired his rights in the 2009 D-League Draft making him the team's first ever draft pick. In three seasons with the Armor, Curry has appeared in 111 games (72 starts) averaging 16.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals highlighted by a 2012 D-League All-Star Game Selection and 2012 All D-League Honorable Mention honors. Curry also became the first call-up in Armor history when he was signed to a 10-day contract by the LA Clippers during the 2009-10 season, but appeared in only 1 game before rejoining the Armor. Curry has also spent time on the Brooklyn Nets 2011 Training Camp and Preseason rosters.

Jeff Foote: Foote (7-0, 265, Cornell) rejoins the Armor for the upcoming season. In 2012-13, Foote played overseas for Zalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian LKL. In the 2011-12 season, Foote played in 39 games (38 starts) for the Armor averaging 15.1 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 32.6 minutes per game on his way to earning All D-League 2nd Team honors and was named an All-Star starter. For his high-level of play, Foote was called up on March 9th, 2012 by the New Orleans Hornets (now Pelicans) and appeared in 4 games highlighted by a 4 point-4 rebound game against the Denver Nuggets. Foote's professional career began as an undrafted rookie in the Portland Trail Blazers 2011 training camp.

Gary Forbes: Forbes (6-7, 220, Massachusetts) joins the Armor as an affiliate player, having attended the Brooklyn Nets 2013 training camp. Forbes recorded 16 points and 7 rebounds in 31 minutes over 3 preseason games with the Nets. Forbes spent the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons playing for the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors, respectively, averaging 5.8 points, 2 rebounds, and .9 assists in 13.5 minutes over 111 games (13 starts). In college Forbes spent two seasons at Umass-Amherst averaging 19.4 points and 7.5 rebounds while earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team honors during his senior season.

Dennis Horner: Horner (6-9, 230, N.C. State) returns to the Armor for his third season in Springfield. Horner was acquired in the third round of the 2011 NBA D-League Draft. He averaged 17 points during his first season with the Armor which earned him two call-ups to the Brooklyn Nets, averaging two points, two rebounds and 11.1 minutes in eight games. Horner was back with the Armor for the 2012-13 season where he put up 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Lance Hurdle: Hurdle (6-2, 195, Miami) rejoins the Armor after spending the 2012-13 season playing for the Wollongong Hawks of the Australian NBL. Hurdle earned an All-Star Selection for the Hawks on the strength of 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. In 2011-12, Hurdle appeared in appeared in 49 games (18 starts) for the Armor, averaging 13.2 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals in 31.8 minutes per outing. The Armor acquired Hurdle in a midseason trade with the Stampede to add additional depth to the team's backcourt. Originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 D-League Draft by the Bakersfield Jam, Hurdle has appeared in 139 career NBA D-League games sporting averages of 11.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Jam, Stampede, and Armor.

Justin Johnson: Johnson (6-2, 175, Concordia-Irvine) rejoins the Armor for the upcoming season. Johnson was drafted in the third round (47th overall) of the 2011 D-League Draft by the Dakota Wizards. He appeared in 45 games and put up 7.6 points. He started the 2012-13 season with the Santa Cruz Warriors before being acquired by the Armor in February of 2013 from the available player pool. He played in 20 games in Springfield, hitting .507 from the field for 9.2 points per game.

Willie Reed: Reed (6-9, 220, St. Louis) returns to Springfield for his second season with the Armor. Willie played in 48 games during the 2012-13 season, averaging 14.8 points on .557 shooting while grabbing 7.8 rebounds. In just one season, Reed posted 12 double-doubles and holds the Armor franchise record for blocks with 85. He earned a Gatorade Call Up to the NBA when he was signed by the Memphis Grizzlies on April 17th, 2013. Reed played five preseason games with the Grizzlies, averaging 2.6 points and one rebound in 6.4 minutes per game.

Damian Saunders: Saunders (6-8, 214, Duquesne) was acquired by the Armor from the available player pool on April 5, 2013 and is returning to the Armor. Saunders spent the 2012-13 offseason playing for the Miami Heat's Summer League team. In the2012-13 season, Saunders split time between the Sioux Force Skyforce and Rio Grande Valley Vipers appearing in 38 contest (12 starts averaging 8.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. In 67 career NBA D-League games, Saunders has posted 9.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks over 2 seasons. Saunders has also played professionally for the Factum Sport (Hungarian NBIA) and the BG Gottingen (German BBL) after starting his career as an undrafted rookie in the Houston Rockets 2011 training camp.

Adonis Thomas: Thomas (6-7, 240, Memphis) joins the Armor as an affiliate player after attending the Brooklyn Nets 2013 training camp. Thomas was signed by the Nets as an undrafted free agent after being waived from the Atlanta Hawks' training camp roster. The rookie forward out of the University of Memphis averaged 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds while in college. He appeared in five preseason games with the Nets this year, putting up 5.6 points and two rebounds before being signed to the Armor training camp roster.

L.D. Williams: Williams (6-4, 215, Wake Forest) rejoins the Armor after spending the 2012-13 offseason with the San Antonio Spurs Summer League team. Williams spent the 2012-13 season playing for JL Bourg-en-Bresse of the French LNB Pro B posting averages of 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing. Williams, drafted in the 2nd round of the 2010 D-League Draft by the Armor, has played 72 games (67 starts) for the Armor over two seasons highlighted by his 2011-12 season in which he averaged 15.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36 minutes per contest. Selected as a participant in the 2012 D-League Slam Dunk Contest, Williams out jumped the other contestants to secure his first Slam Dunk championship.



NBA G League Stories from October 31, 2013


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