Opening Day D-Leaguers Have International Basketball Ties
Published on November 18, 2004 under NBA G League (G League) News Release
GREENVILLE, S.C., November 18 â The NBA's National Basketball Development League announced season-opening rosters for its six teams today and one-third of the league's 60 players have ties to the international game of basketball.
Seven opening-day D-Leaguers are international players and 16 current NBDL players last played internationally before signing with the NBDL in an effort to take a more direct route of fulfilling their dream of playing in the NBA.
International players include Fayetteville's Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (Cameroon), Steve Ross (Canada) and Ousmane Cisse (Mali), Roanoke's Sung-Yoon Bang (South Korea), Huntsville's Mengke Bateer (China), Florida's Carl English (Canada) and Asheville's Kirk Penney (New Zealand).
Bateer and Penney are Olympians, while Bang won a gold medal in the Asian Games. Bateer was named MVP of the 2002 Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Game and is a three-time Olympian. Penney has played in the Olympic Games twice.
In addition to those seven, the following players last played on the international stage before coming to the NBDL:
Player NBDL Team Last Played
Cory Alexander Roanoke Dazzle Virtus Roma -
Italy
Sung-Yoon Bang Roanoke Dazzle Yonsei
University â S. Korea
Kevin Braswell Florida Flame Cimberio Novara
- Italy
DeAngelo Collins Florida Flame Barako -
Philippines
Kendall Dartez Florida Flame Anyang SBS
Stars - Korea
Derrick Davenport Asheville Altitude Dijon - France
Antwan Jones Fayetteville Patriots Solna - Sweden
Bernard King Huntsville Flight Fenerbahce -
Turkey
Tony Kitchings Asheville Altitude TSK Wurzburg -
Germany
Byron Mouton Florida Flame Braunschweig -
Germany
Kirk Penney Asheville Altitude Auna Gran Canaria -
Spain
Steve Ross Fayetteville Patriots Urcuit - France
Ed Scott Huntsville Flight Furstenfeld
Panthers - Austria
Joe Shipp Huntsville Flight Verviers-Pepinster -
Belgium
Ron Slay Asheville Altitude Galatasaray - Turkey
Isiah Victor Roanoke Dazzle Golbey-Espinal
â France
The NBDL, the NBA's minor league, includes the Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.) and Asheville Altitude (N.C.).
The league offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Twenty-eight (28) players have been called up the NBA on 39 separate occasions. Nine former NBDL coaches, five athletic trainers, 11 referees and 29 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.
NBA G League Stories from November 18, 2004
- Patriots announce 2004-2005 regular season roster - Fayetteville Patriots
- Riverdragons release 2004-2005 regular season roster - Columbus Riverdragons
- Flight make final cuts - Huntsville Flight
- Opening Day D-Leaguers Have International Basketball Ties - G League
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