NBDL Daily Developments 4-17-04...The Classic Starts Today
Published on April 17, 2004 under NBA G League (G League) News Release
NBDL DELTA AIR LINES POSTSEASON CLASSIC BEGINS TODAY
NBA Players Predict the Classic: Former NBDL players Jason Collier (Fayetteville now Atlanta), Ronald DuPree (Huntsville now Chicago) and Mikki Moore (Roanoke now Utah) were kind enough to lend their insight into the NBDL Postseason Classic. What follows are their predictions and thoughts.
Q: Who will win the NBDL postseason title?
Collier: "I believe Asheville should be considered the favorite, because they've had several NBA call-ups and despite that, the team is playing very well. They have a lot of talent, and Desmond Penigar has turned in a nice season for them.
Dupree: "The Huntsville Flight. I have to pick my former team."
Moore: "I think Asheville is going to win it. They have the leading scorer, Desmond Penigar. He has great talent. And everybody on the team plays pretty good. Kris Lang plays good and their big men play great. They rebound and they fight hard---I had bad, bad games against them because they bang; they hustle. If it's not going to be them, it's going to be Charleston."
Q: Who should fans watch for?
Collier: "Desmond Penigar. He's the league's leading scorer and Fayetteville's Bryan Lucas has posted the most double-doubles in the short history of the NBDL. Fans should be on the lookout for them."
DuPree: "Mateen Cleaves, Rod Grizzard, Phil Ricci, and Ken Johnson." (all Flight, of course).
Moore: "Penigar, Lang, Karim Shabazz (Charleston). I wish Roanoke was in it because you could see Marque Perry and Terrence Shannon. Karim Shabazz, he plays hard on defense, he blocks shots, rebounds. He has the whole, total package on defense....If he plays good, the whole team plays good around him."
THE FORMAT: Single-elimination. The top two seeds, Asheville and Charleston, host Fayetteville and Huntsville, respectively. The winners play at the site of the highest remaining seed April 24.
TELEVISION: NBA TV will televise two games on a tape delayed basis. The semi-final game between Asheville and Fayetteville will be Monday, April 19 at 4 p.m. ET. The championship game will also be aired on a tape delayed basis.
FIRST TIMERS: Huntsville and Asheville are in the NBDL postseason for the first time.
OLD HAT: Charleston has qualified for postseason work in each of the league's three years, but has yet to win a title.
RECORDS TO FALL: Look for postseason single game and series records to fall since the NBDL is now playing 48-minutes games, the same as the NBA. The league played four 10-minute quarters in its first two seasons.
POSTSEASON COACHING: Fayetteville coach Jeff Capel is the winningest active coach in the NBDL postseason at 3-2. Doug Marty of Charleston is 0-2. Asheville's Joey Meyer and Huntsville's Ralph Lewis will be coaching in the postseason for the first time.
NBDL CONTACT: Kent Partridge (843) 460-1001 or (843) 810-1778
NBA G League Stories from April 17, 2004
- NBDL daily developments - G League
- Altitude advances to NBDL championship game - Asheville Altitude
- Huntsville Advances to NBDL Final with 108-100 Win at Charleston - G League
- NBDL Daily Developments 4-17-04...The Classic Starts Today - G League
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
