Haakim Johnson Is First Pick In 2009 PBL Draft

Published on October 30, 2009 under Premier Basketball League (PBL) News Release


Chicago, IL...With a pair of lovely ladies escorting him to the stage at the ESPN Zone in downtown Chicago, 6'7" guard Haakim Johnson became the first pick of the 2009 PBL draft. Johnson was selected by the Puerto Rico Capitanes, one of three new franchises to join the PBL for the league's third season.

A star of the Mid-South Conference, Johnson excelled for the Pikeville Bears, earning player of the week honors after finishing a 3-game road trip averaging 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. In addition, Johnson had four steals and a blocked shot while shooting 68.3 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from the arc. Haakim finished his time in Pikeville by averaging 12.7 points per game. In 2009, Johnson was named to the All-Tournament Team of the Orlando Invitational Tournament, averaging 23.3 ppg during the 3-day event. He also had a 36-point game in the tournament.

The Capitanes, based out of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, will play in both the Premier Basketball League and in Puerto Rico's professional BSN league. They, along with the Lawton-Fort Sill (Okla.) Cavalry and the Maryland GreenHawks, will join six other PBL franchises this year.

Each PBL team will play a 20-game schedule, with playoffs to take place in April, and the league's first All-Star Classic, hosted by the Halifax (N.S.) Rainmen, will be played after the playoffs have finished.

The Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry, two-time champions of the defunct Continental Basketball Association, selected Cameron Benison in the first round, and Wade Dunston in the second round. Benison, a 6'7" forward from Ventura Junior College, played for several seasons in the Puerto Rico Professional Basketball League (BSN), where he averaged 19 points and 12 rebounds per game for the Santurce Congregeros. He was also a star on the BSN Puerto Rico 25-Under League, where he scored 40 points a game for Barcoleneta. Cameron also played for the Brooklyn Kings in the USBL and for the ABA's New Jersey Flyers (16 ppg, 9 rpg) and West Chester Phantoms (17 ppg, 14 rpg). In 2005, he was part of the Nike Battlegrounds one-on-one tournament, and appeared in a Nike commercial.

Joining Benison on the Cavalry is Wade Dunston, a 6'4" guard from St. Bonaventure. During his time as a Bonnie, Dunston led the team in steals in his junior year. He also notched 25 points, his career best, against then-ranked #21 George Washington. Dunston transferred to Iowa Western after playing at Daytona Beach (FL) CC as a freshman. He averaged 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists as a high school senior at Washington (DC) Bullis. He had 41 points, 11 rebounds, 12 steals and 8 assists in his final high school game. Dunston was a All-Met and All-Conference selection and was invited to play in the Jordan Capital Classic and Nike All American Camp. As a professional, Dunston led Rol De Faraones to the championship, as he averaged 26 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Dunston also played in America with the Eastern Basketball Alliance's NoVA Hawks.

The State of Maryland returns to the PBL with the new Maryland GreenHawks, one of the first professional sports teams to bring a full commitment to recycling and reducing its carbon footprint. The GreenHawks selected Byron Mouton in the first round, and followed it up with Travis Lay in the second round.

Mouton, a 6'6" guard-forward from Maryland, scored a total of 1,473 career points at the NCAA Division I level. He previously played for the PBL's Wilmington (N.C.) Sea Dawgs during the 2007-08 season. Joining Mouton on the GreenHawks is Travis Lay, a 6'5" forward from American University. During his time at American, Lay led the Eagles to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

Hoping to improve on last year's painful 1-19 season, the Buffalo Stampede fortified their roster with the selection of Maurice Smith in the first round, and following that with Elzie Bibbs in the second round. Smith, a 6'5" guard-forward, averaged 21.3 points per game for Rockford College, including shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three-point range. His previous PBL experience includes significant time spent with the Rockford Fury (2007-08) and the Battle Creek Knights (2008-09). He also averaged 15 points per game for the Illinois Truth of the IBL. Elzie Bibbs, a 6'5" guard from Ferris State, has been touted by Eurobasket.com as a "Big time athlete with pro body with a nice jump shot and got to basket all week, leading scorer of the Eurobasket Summer League in Chicago. Great prospect."

Kebs de Quebec added some veteran leadership to their team with the drafting of Milton Bell in the first round, followed by Joseph Flegler in the second round. After two seasons with Georgetown, Bell, a 6'7" forward, began his pro career in 1993 with the Tri-City Chinook of the CBA. Since then, he has spent 15 seasons in overseas ball, excelling in Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico. Joseph Flegler, touted by Florida head coach Billy Donovan as "the best unknown point guard in the country," led his collegiate team, Savannah State in scoring in his last two college seasons. He also helped the Tigers earn the most wins in school history in both the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. He also played professionally with the NoVA Hawks of the Eastern Basketball Alliance.

The Halifax Rainmen added strength to their lineup, picking up veteran Omar Weaver in the first round, and following up that selection with Devon Norris in the second round. Weaver, a 6'7" forward from Riverside CC, previously played in the PBL with the Maryland Nighthawks (2007-08), where he led the team in several statistical categories. Devon Norris, a 6'3" guard from Dalhousie, will be a familiar face to the Halifax faithful, as he stared for four years for the Dalhousie Tigers in Canada's CIS collegiate league.

The Vermont Frost Heaves hope to build on their solid debut season in the Premier Basketball League, as they selected Ken Ottrix in the first round, and chose Marcus Hall in the second round. Ottrix, a 6'9" forward-center from Slippery Rock University, averaged 9.4 points per game in his collegiate career, he also led the Rock with 21 blocked shots in 2007-08. He impressed many scouts at the PBL's D.C. combine with his dedication and hard work. His professional career included a stint with the Seattle Mountaineers of the IBL. Marcus Hall, a 6'5" guard from Robert Morris (Ill.), helped the Eagles reach the NAIA Final Four in 2009.

After winning the Atlantic Division in the 2008-09 season, the Manchester Millrats hope to return to championship glory. With that in mind, the Millrats snapped up a pair of University of New Hampshire Wildcats for their draft picks - claiming Eric Gilchrese in the first round, and chose Tyrece Gibbs in the second round. Gilchrese, a 6'0" point guard from the University of New Hampshire, will be a familiar face to Granite State basketball fans.

Eric attended the PBL combine in D.C. and was nominated as one of the outstanding draft eligible players there. By the 2008-09 season, Gilchrese was a member of the Wildcat starting five, helping New Hampshire reach the tournament semifinals of the America East Conference. Tyrece Gibbs, a 6'3" guard, became only the second Wildcat in school history to amass at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds, 200 assists, 80 steals and 40 blocked shots. He averaged 14.5 points per game in his final two seasons at UNH, helping his school reach the semifinals of the America East (NCAA) tournament in 2006 and 2009.

As for the Rochester RazorSharks, the two-time PBL champions hope to reload for a third run at the top. To that effort, the Sharks picked up 7'3" center Jermaine Middleton in the first round, and tapped PBL veteran David Bailey in the second round. Middleton, a 275-pound center from Northwood, was a force under the basket for the Seahawks. In his junior year at Northwood, Middleton appeared in 19 games with one start before ending the season with a shoulder injury. His high game was 10 points, eight rebounds, and three blocked shots against Clearwater Christian (12/8/07). David Bailey, a 6'9" forward-center from Prince George's CC, spent two seasons PBL with the Maryland Nighthawks (2007-08) and Halifax Rainmen (2008-09). During the summer of 2005 he was featured on the ESPN AND1 Mixtape Tour where he earned the nickname "Da Aggressor" because of his hard play when he steps on the court.

The Premier Basketball League season begins in January 2010. League exhibition games and exhibition invitational tournaments will commence in December 2009, including the league's second Champlain Cup tournament between the Manchester Millrats, Kebs de Quebec and last season's champion Vermont Frost Heaves, who will host the tournament.

PBL 2009 DRAFT BREAKDOWN

First Round

1. Capitanes de Puerto Rico Haakim Johnson

2. Lawton-Fort Still Cavalry Cameron Benson

3. Maryland GreenHawks Byron Mouton

4. Buffalo Stampede Maurice Smith

5. Kebs de Quebec Milton Bell

6. Halifax Rainmen Omar Weaver

7. Vermont Frost Heaves Ken Ottrix

8. Manchester Millrats Eric Gilchrese

9. Rochester RazorSharks Jermaine Middleton

Second Round

10. Maryland GreenHawks Travis Lay

11. Lawton-Fort Still Cavalry Wade Dunston

12. Capitanes de Puerto Rico PASS

13. Buffalo Stampede Elzie Bibbs

14. Kebs de Quebec Joseph Flegler

15. Halifax Rainmen Devon Norris

16. Vermont Frost Heaves Marcus Hall

17. Manchester Millrats Tyrece Gibbs

18. Rochester RazorSharks David Bailey

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Premier Basketball League Stories from October 30, 2009


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