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Lasme and Sene Named D-League Co-Defensive Players of the Year

April 10, 2008 - NBA G League (G League) News Release


NEW YORK, April 10, 2008 - Forward Stephane Lasme, who earned the D-League's 19th GATORADE Call-Up of the year to the Miami Heat from the Los Angeles D-Fenders, and Mouhamed Sene, the Seattle SuperSonics center who played with the Idaho Stampede while on assignment, have been selected as the NBA Development League's Co-Defensive Players of the Year by a vote of the League's head coaches.

Prior to his Call-Up to Miami, Lasme played in 37 games (12 starts) for the D-Fenders and averaged 10.6 points, shooting 52 percent from the field, to go with 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in 28.9 minutes. Lasme recorded double-figure rebounding efforts nine times, including five double-doubles (points/rebounds). Lasme tallied five or more blocks on six occasions, including a season-high eight blocks on Dec. 10, 2007 at Utah.

"Stephane did a great job for Los Angeles this season in the D-League, and very much deserves this award," said D-Fenders head coach Dan Panaggio. "He was our strongest defender all season, and it's clear that his hard work and keen understanding of defensive strategy paid off because he earned a spot in the NBA."

In 11 games for Miami this season, Lasme is averaging 4.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 19.7 minutes, including an eight-point outing on March 27 at Detroit and a seven-point, three-block performance on March 22 at Charlotte.

Sene, who was assigned to Idaho from Seattle twice this season (Dec. 23 - March 3, April 3 - 8), averaged 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 27.5 minutes in 27 D-League games. He recorded nine double-doubles (points/rebounds) and eleven games with double-figure rebounds for Idaho this season.

"Mouhamed protected the paint very effectively and did a fantastic job of controlling the defensive boards when he was in the game," said Stampede head coach Bryan Gates. "He did a great job not only blocking shots, but also of adjusting shots."

In his second season with Seattle, Sene has played in 13 games for the SuperSonics and is averaging 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.8 minutes. He holds NBA career averages of 2.0 points, 1.5 rebound and 5.7 minutes in 41 games with Seattle.

"We are pleased that the D-League has chosen to recognize Mo's contributions to the Stampede's success this season," said Sam Presti, SuperSonics General Manager. "This award is a credit to Mo's focus on his developmental goals during his assignment, and we are pleased with his progress."

Lasme and Sene join Renaldo Major (Dakota, 2006-07), Derrick Zimmerman (Austin 2005-06, Columbus 2004-05), Karim Shabazz (Charleston 2003-04), Mikki Moore (Roanoke 2002-03) and Jeff Myers (Greenville 2001-02) as winners of the Defensive Player of the Year Award.

"It is nice to see the coaches recognize Stephane and Mouhamed for their hard work and determination on the defensive end of the floor," said Chris Alpert, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Player Personnel. "Stephane's passion and dedication to shot-blocking and help defense make him a valuable player for any team while Mouhamed's terrific footwork, long arms and anticipation make him a formidable presence in the paint."

The NBA Development League is the NBA's official minor league, and the first-ever basketball league with direct affiliations to NBA teams. Now in its seventh season the D-League's goals are to provide affordable, NBA-caliber entertainment to fans of its 16 teams, as well as continue to develop players, coaches, referees and front-office personnel for the NBA. As the single source for in-season player "call-ups" to the NBA, fans of the D-League enjoy the highest caliber of basketball played outside the NBA. In fact, former D-League players represented 10 percent of NBA players on 2007-08 opening day rosters, numbering 44 in total. In addition, the D-League has produced 25 percent of current NBA referees and 17 current NBA coaches, including head coach Sam Vincent with the Charlotte Bobcats. The D-League is an innovative and rapidly growing sports property that also serves as an experimental testing ground for new initiatives like NBA Futurecast, which is the live web-streaming of all games available free to fans at d-league.com. The League also provides continuing education and professional development resources for its players, and is committed to serving its local communities through D-LEAGUE CARES and grassroots efforts.

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