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Columbus Riverdragons Announce 2003 NBDL Draft Results

November 6, 2003 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, GA-The Columbus Riverdragons have announced the results of the 2003 National Basketball Development League Draft. With the #2 pick overall, the Riverdragons selected forward Terence Morris, formerly of the NBA's Houston Rockets and the University of Maryland.

The Riverdragons other selections include 6-9 power forward Courtney James (8th pick, 2nd round), 6-10 power forward Kevin Lyde (14th pick, 3rd round), and 6-3, point guard Derrick Zimmerman (38th pick, 7th round) out of Mississippi State, who competed in 2003 NBA training camps with the Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons.

"I think we addressed what we needed to", said Riverdragons Head Coach Jeff Malone. "We went big early to do that. I know Courtney, Kevin, and know a lot about Zimmerman because of his ties to my alma mater, Mississippi State. Derrick is certainly a talented player who can really compete in this league."

Morris, 24, spent two seasons in the NBA with the Houston Rockets from 2001-2003, appearing in 117 games. In two NBA seasons, Morris averaged 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, while shooting 42% from the field. During the 2002-03 NBA campaign, Morris averaged 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and shot 47% from the field in 12.9 minutes per game for the Rockets. Originally a second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft, Morris's draft rights were traded to Houston.

Morris finished his four-year college career as the 10th all-time leading scorer in University of Maryland history with 1733 points. Morris also currently ranks as Maryland's fifth all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading shot blocker. As a senior starter with the Terrapins in 2001, Morris averaged 12.2 points, 7.7 boards, and 2.2 blocked shots for head coach Gary Williams. As a junior in 2000, the 6-9 forward tallied a college career best 15.8 points per contest while finishing third in the ACC in rebounding with 8.6 rebounds per game.

"We are very excited about this year's draft results," said Team President J. Barry McMullin. "These players have what it takes to succeed in this league, and hopefully in the NBA. This year will be exciting, both in terms of professional basketball on the court, and affordable family entertainment off-court."

The 10 players selected by the Columbus Riverdragons join the team's two allocated players (Derrick Bird and Jermaine Hall), three players picked from local tryouts (Tabari Brown, Kevin Crosby, Vernon Jennings), and second-year Riverdragon Sean Peterson for two weeks of training camp before the season opener.

The following are the selections made by the Columbus Riverdragons in the 2003-04 NBDL Draft. The entire 12-round NBDL Inaugural Draft list is available at NBDL.com.

2003 Columbus Riverdragons NBDL Draft Selections

Round Pick Name Height Position College Last Played
1 2 Terence Morris 6-9 F Maryland ‘01 Houston (NBA)
2 8 Courtney James 6-8 PF Minnesota '97 Dakota (CBA)
3 14 Kevin Lyde 6-10 PF Temple '02 Greenville (NBDL)
4 20 Matt Laur 6-11 C McKendree '03 College
5 26 Germaine Chase 6-7 SF Angelo State '03 College
6 32 Patrick Doctor 6-9 PF American U. '02 Sioux Falls (CBA)
7 38 Derrick Zimmerman 6-3 PG Miss. State '03 College
8 44 Erron Maxey 6-6 SF Providence '01 Finland
9 50 Tahric Gosley 6-8 SF Cleveland St. '03 College
10 56 Tai Crutchfield 6-6 G/F Philadelphia U. '01 Fayetteville (NBDL)

The Riverdragons home opener will be November 28th against the Huntsville Flight.

The NBDL, the NBA's minor league, includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Charleston Lowgators (S.C.), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.), and Asheville Altitude (N.C.).

The league offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Eighteen NBDL players representing 22 callups, three coaches and three game officials have been called up to the NBA since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the NBDL serves as a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and as a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.

The Riverdragons open their 2003-04 home schedule on Friday, November 28th at the Columbus Civic Center against the Asheville Altitude. For more information, log on to www.columbusriverdragons.com or call Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at 706-225-1104.

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