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East Kentucky Miners select six in CBA Draft

September 24, 2008 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
East Kentucky Miners News Release


PIKEVILLE, KY. - The East Kentucky Miners professional basketball organization made six selections Tuesday night in the 23rd Annual CBA Draft. This year's CBA Draft originated from Albany, N.Y., home of the professional basketball league.

The East Kentucky Miners selected the following players (overall pick number listed first): 2. Roy Bright (6-6, 225, Guard), Delaware State; 7. Emmanuel Little (6-5, 200, Guard), North Dakota; 12. Charles Rhodes (6-8, 245, Forward), Mississippi State; 17. Rashad West (6-1, 190, Guard), Hampton; 22. Terrance Whiters (5-11, 175, Guard), Arkansas Tech; 27. Brandon Cotton (6-0, 190, Guard), Detroit Mercy.

Miners Coach Kevin Keathley did his homework on each of the six players drafted.

"I'm very happy with the six picks," said Keathley. "I feel that the players we selected could come in and do some really good things. We got scorers, finishers, runners and defenders.

Overall, we got who we wanted and will now continue to build our team through the free-agency market and get ready for the upcoming season."

Five teams - East Kentucky, Albany, Pittsburgh, Lawton-Fort Sill and Minot participated in this year's CBA Draft.

Albany selected Winthrop guard Michael Jenkins with the first pick in the 23rd Annual CBA Draft.

The CBA is gearing up for its 63rd season. Lawton Fort-Sill is the defending CBA champion.

In 2007, East Kentucky participated in its first CBA Draft. The Miners - an expansion team at the time - made six selections in 2007, including DePaul forward Marcus Heard. One of the league's top rookies, Heard played for East Kentucky throughout the 2007-08 season. The DePaul product earned a spot on the CBA's All-Rookie Team.

The Miners ended the 2007-08 regular-season 26-22. East Kentucky reached the CBA Playoffs in its first season.

Miners fans showed their support for East Kentucky professional basketball Tuesday night during a CBA Draft Party held at Applebee's of Pikeville. A breakdown of East Kentucky's six draft picks follows.

1ST ROUND

ROY BRIGHT (6-6, 225), FORWARD, DELAWARE STATE: Roy Bright comes from basketball hotbed North Carolina. Bright - a powerful player who can excel inside or out - starred at Mt. Zion Christian Academy before college, averaging 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and one block per game as his team posted a near-perfect 30-1 record.

The versatile Bright averaged 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for NCAA power Cincinnati during the 2004-05 season. Following one season with the Bearcats, Bright moved on to Delaware State. He made an immediate impact for MEAC school, averaging 15.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Hornets during the 2006-07 season. Bright emerged as a NBA Draft candidate in 2007. During the 2007-08 season, Bright averaged 19.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 28 games.

Bright participated in a pre-draft workout with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers in June. The North Carolina native signed with Reales, a Dominican team, earlier in the year. Bright was a high school All-State and All-America selection in 2003. He was named the North Carolina High School Gatorade Player of the Year and participated in the EA Sports All-American Game in 2004.

Bright garnered several MEAC honors, including MEAC All-Tournament Team in 2007 and 2008. He was named to the All-MEAC First Team in 2008. Bright led Delaware State to the MEAC Tournament Finals in 2007.

2ND ROUND

EMMANUEL LITTLE (6-5, 200), GUARD, NORTH DAKOTA: One of the most athletic players in this year's CBA Draft, Emmanuel Little is a very athletic swing player that can play the 1, 2 and 3 positions. He has excellent ball handling skills and attacks the basket relentlessly. Little is a natural scorer and an aggressive defensive player. He possesses the ability to grab rebounds from the guard position.

Little played his high school hoops at national powerhouse Farragut Academy in Illinois. After high school, Little starred at two junior colleges - Connors State (13.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Kandkaskia (16.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.5 apg). The Chicago native starred at North Dakota after his two-year junior college stint. Little averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for North Dakota during the 2006-07 season. As a senior at North Dakota during the 2007-08 season, Little averaged 15.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Little's collegiate honors included the following: All-NCC Team (07, 08), NCC All-Tournament Team (07, 08) and NCC Tournament Finalist (08). Little gained added experience earlier in the year, playing in the Eurobasket Summer League in both Chicago and Salt Lake City where he started for London and Team Munich, respectively.

3RD ROUND

CHARLES RHODES (6-8, 245), FORWARD, MISSISSIPPI STATE: A native of Jackson, Miss., Charles Rhodes averaged a team-high 17.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for Rick Stansbury-coached Mississippi State during his senior season. He scored 30 or more points twice during his senior season, ranking as one of the SEC's top players. Rhodes is a proven go-to-player. Ranked among the SEC's top 10 in scoring, rebounding, blocks (1.35 bpg) and field-goal percentage (.562) in 2007-08, Rhodes averaged 22.6 points and 9.2 rebounds an outing over the last nine contests of his college career. The brilliant late-season run including a career-high 34 points on 10-of-12 field goals and 14-of-18 free throws in the Bulldogs' first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Oregon at the Little Rock-hosted South Regional.

A three-time all-SEC selection and two-time finalist for the Cellular South Howell Trophy, Rhodes concluded his 110-game MSU career ranked 11th on both the school's all-time scoring and rebounding charts with 1,451 career points and 691 career rebounds, respectively. The former Jackson Lanier High School product also owns Mississippi State's all-time standard with 183 career dunks, including a school-record 68 slams as a senior. Rhodes, who averaged doubles figures in the scoring column for three straight seasons in a Mississippi State uniform, participated in the 2008 Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. As a junior, Rhodes averaged 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game for the Bulldogs. The Mississippi-born basketball player averaged 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds as a sophomore for SEC member Mississippi State. Rhodes, a highly-recruited player during his high school career, contributed for Mississippi State as a freshman, averaging 2.9 points per game in 16 games. ESPN ranked the powerful Rhodes No. 84 on the list of players eligible for the 2008 NBA Draft.

4TH ROUND

RASHAD WEST (6-1, 190), GUARD, HAMPTON: Rashad West left a lasting impression on the Hampton University men's basketball program. A guard who leads and shoots extremely well, West averaged 5.9 points for Hampton during his freshman season (2004-05). West's role for the Pirates grew in his second season as he averaged 9.8 points and nearly two rebounds and two assists per game, becoming a reliable contributor. He averaged a team-high 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 80.3 percent from the free throw line and 39.3 percent from beyond the three-point arc. West ended his career at Hampton with a 17.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists average during his senior season. The steady guard led Hampton to the MEAC championship in 2006, claiming the MEAC Tournament MVP Award along the way. He was a member of MEAC runner-up teams in 2005 and 2008.

Rose made the MEAC All-Tournament Team in 2006. He garnered an All-MEAC First Team honor in 2007 and was named to the conference's second team in 2008. Before college, West attended tradition-rich Maine Central Institute.

5TH ROUND

TERRANCE WHITERS (5-11, 175), GUARD, ARKANSAS TECH: Terrance Whiters is a point guard with the ability to set teammates up. He is also a talented scorer and has the quickness to get where he wants on the court. Whiters averaged 20 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game for Arkansas Tech in half of a season during the 2007-08 campaign.

A Baltimore basketball legend, Whiters lit up the legendary D.C. Barry Farms league last summer, earning MVP honors in front of several NBA players. He put up 44 points against Gilbert Arenas in one game Whiters started his college career at Loyola of Chicago. In five years, Whiters played for five different high schools. He has one of the most extensive AAU careers of any player.

6TH ROUND

BRANDON COTTON (6-0, 190), GUARD, DETROIT MERCY: Detroit native Brandon Cotton has excelled at both guard positions throughout his career. In 2003, Cotton was a member of the McDonald's All-American West Team. He was also a Parade All-American Second Team honoree in 2003 following a standout career at Detroit DePorres. Cotton signed with Michigan State out of high school before finishing his career close to home at nearby Detroit Mercy. The Detroit native and his Michigan State teammates reached the Big 10 Conference Tournament semifinals in 2004.

Cotton made an immediate impact at Detroit Mercy, averaging 18-plus points for his career. His accolades while at Detroit Mercy included three straight All-Horizon League Second Team honors ('05, '06, '07). He was named to the Horizon League ALl-Newcomer Team in 2005. Cotton claimed the All-Horizon League Newcomer of the Year award.

Cotton is an above average three-point shooter. He averaged 18.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for Detroit Mercy during his first year with the Titans in the 2004-05 season. During the 2005-06 season, Cotton averaged 17.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.5 points per game. Cotton scored an averaged of 18.1 points per game and nailed 38.5 percent of his shots from beyond the three-point arc during the 2006-07 season. He sat out the 2007-08 season, tending to family matters.

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