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Dazzle Pair Sign NBA Contracts

September 30, 2002 - NBA G League (G League)
Roanoke Dazzle News Release


ROANOKE, Va., September 30, 2002 – Anthony Pelle and Danny Earl have become the first Roanoke Dazzle players to sign NBA contracts, and have joined Detroit and New Jersey, respectively, as NBA teams open training camp Tuesday.

Pelle, a 7-foot center from Fresno State who led the Dazzle in rebounding in the first National Basketball Development League season, is on the roster of PistonsÂ’ hopefuls as Coach Rick CarlisleÂ’s defending Central Division champions begin workouts in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Earl returns to his home state Nets – coming off an NBA Finals appearance -- for a second straight training camp in East Rutherford, N.J. The 6-foot-3 point guard from Medford, N.J., and Penn State played 29 games for the Dazzle, but is bouncing back from a deep abdominal strain that finally ended his NBDL season on February 22.

"ItÂ’s exciting when a player like Anthony, who has toiled in the minor leagues for a while, gets an opportunity to reach the NBA," said Dazzle Head Coach Kent Davison, who is attending the Cleveland CavaliersÂ’ camp for three days before heading to the PistonsÂ’ workouts for a short visit. "For Danny, itÂ’s great to see that a guy who battled to play for us is now getting healthy enough to have another shot."

Pelle, 29, ranked third in the NBDL in blocked shots (1.7 bpg), and averaged 6.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 25.2 minutes per game. He started 24 of 29 games after joining the Dazzle in mid-January.

He played four seasons in Europe (in Greece, Spain and Italy) after being DenverÂ’s second-round selection (No. 44 overall) in the 1995 NBA Draft. Besides the Nuggets, he also has been in NBA training camp with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Earl, 27, was the DazzleÂ’s No. 2 pick in last yearÂ’s NBDL Supplemental Draft after he was one of the last players released by the Nets in preseason. He was the Dazzle starting point guard for 19 of his 29 games, and had back-to-back 20-point games in the first month of the season before injury limited his playing time. He averaged 6.9 points, and his eight assists on December 27 against Fayetteville shares a Roanoke record with Andre McCollum.

The Dazzle will open its second NBDL season at the Roanoke Civic Center on November 15, with a 7 p.m. tipoff against the Huntsville Flight.

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