Flight to Hold Draft Party
October 23, 2002 - NBA G League (G League)
Huntsville Flight News Release
GREENVILLE, S.C., October 22, 2002 â Commentary between selections from venerable National Basketball Association Director of Scouting Marty Blake will compliment the excitement surrounding the second annual National Basketball Development League player draft scheduled for Oct. 31.
"Our Player Personnel Director Milt Newton has done a fine job signing players for the 2002 draft," NBDL Executive Director Karl Hicks said. "The talent reflected in the draft runs from players who are sure to be NBA callups, to those who will really benefit from the developmental aspect of our league."
The league's second annual draft will take place over 14 rounds and be conducted via conference call from locations in each of the eight NBDL markets beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Halloween. Blake will join Hicks and Newton at NBDL draft headquarters in the Azalea Room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Duluth, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. He will comment to NBDL draft parties and in-market media via the conference call on players selected through the first two rounds.
"This is the best crop of young players I've seen in years, and some of these players are what the Development League is all about," Blake said. "Sometimes even future stars take time to develop and the NBDL offers that opportunity, an opportunity to play."
The Roanoke Dazzle will have the first selection in the draft, followed by the Fayetteville Patriots, Asheville Altitude, Huntsville Flight, Mobile Revelers, Columbus Riverdragons, North Charleston Lowgators and the 2002 NBDL Champion Greenville Groove.
The selection process will operate in like fashion to last year's draft, with each team having one pick in each of the 14 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 will be eligible to be drafted.
After being the first player ever selected in NBDL Draft history, current Denver Nuggets forward Chris Andersen was also the first NBDL player to earn a call-up to the NBA. The Nuggets gave Andersen the call after he had played just two games with the Fayetteville Patriots last year.
Rounding out last year's first round were forward Terrance Roberson (Huntsville), forward Rahim Lockhart (Greenville), forward Gabe Mouneke (Columbus), guard Johnny Hemsley (Asheville), center Neil Edwards (North Charleston), guard Rashad Phillips (Mobile) and guard Artie Griffin (Roanoke).
In its first season the NBDL had more players called up to the NBA than any professional basketball minor league. After just one season of operation, 22 NBDL players were in NBA vet camps when the preseason opened earlier this month.
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NBA G League Stories from October 23, 2002
- Huntsville Flight to host local try-outs - Huntsville Flight
- Flight to Hold Draft Party - Huntsville Flight
- Greenville Groove Set To Launch Read To Achieve Program - Greenville Groove
- NBDL Draft Coming Up - G League
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