Dragons To Host 2004 NBDL Draft Party At The Draft This Friday

Published on November 2, 2004 under NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga., November 2—The Columbus Riverdragons will be hosting their third annual NBDL Draft Party this Friday, November 5th from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at The Draft, American Grill & Tap, located at 1st Avenue and 32nd Street, next to the Johnston Mill Lofts.

The event will provide fans, season ticket holders, corporate partners, and local media with an inside look at a draft day "War Room", where Head Coach Jeff Malone and new Assistant Coach Dean Murray will make their selections during the 2004 NBDL Draft. Riverdragons mascot Rivvy D, along with members of the River Rage Dance Team, and members of the Riverdragons front office staff will be on hand to meet and greet attendees.

Starting at 6:30 p.m., the draft will be conducted via telephone conference call and will take place over 10 rounds. Riverdragons Draft Party attendees will have a chance to watch and listen to the Riverdragons coaching staff make their selections, as Columbus holds the #1 pick overall.

Headquarters for the 2004 NBDL Draft will originate from the Holiday Inn Atlanta Airport North, where all players who have signed NBDL Standard Player Contracts for the 2004-05 season will assemble November 4-5 for player programs orientation, physicals, drug testing and the selection process.

NBA assistant director of scouting Ryan Blake will team up with NBDL director of basketball operations Chris Alpert to offer commentary to NBDL draft parties and in-market media via the conference call. The streaming audio can be heard by logging on to NBDL.com.

The Riverdragons will have the first selection in the draft, followed by the Roanoke Dazzle, Fayetteville Patriots, Huntsville Flight, Florida Flame and 2004 NBDL champion Asheville Altitude.

The selection process will operate with each team having one pick in each of the 10 rounds. Teams will have up to three minutes to make a selection in each round. No trades will be permitted during the draft and only players signed to an NBDL Standard Player Contract are eligible to be selected.

Huntsville took center Ken Johnson with the first pick of the 2003 NBDL Draft. Mikki Moore was the first pick in the 2002 NBDL Draft. Moore, taken by Roanoke, went on to earn NBDL Defensive Player of the Year honors and is currently with the Los Angeles Clippers. New Orleans Hornet forward Chris Andersen was the first pick in 2001.

Fourteen players were called up to the NBA 17 times last year, boosting the three-year NBDL total to 39 callups spread over 28 players. Fifty-two former NBDL players were in NBA vet camps this year.

The NBDL, the NBA's minor league, includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), 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. Twenty-eight (28) players have been called up the NBA on 39 separate occasions. Nine former NBDL coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 29 front office executives have also been called up 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 league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The NBDL is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is 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 2004-05 home schedule on Saturday, November 20 versus the Huntsville Flight at the Columbus Civic Center. For more information, log on to www.columbusriverdragons.com or contact Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at (706) 225-1104, or tbecwar@nba.com .

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