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Patriots go large in D-League draft

November 3, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Fayetteville Patriots News Release


FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. November 3 - Fayetteville Patriots coach Mike Brown spent five of his 10 picks in Thursday's NBA Development League draft on players 6-8 or taller in what he deemed a 'very Successful' night as the franchise assembled its fifth anniversary team.

"We had six guys who are ones, twos and threes from allocation and open tryouts," Brown said. "We came in tonight thinking big because we had no fours or fives at all."

Brown, picking second in the order, selected Nigel Dixon of Western Kentucky five minutes into the first round. Dixon, a 6-11, 320 lb. Center, averaged nearly 16 points per game during his senior season in 2004. He played last season in Greece and participated in training camp this year with the Denver Nuggets

"He's a big fellow who just finished up vet camp in Denver and he's lost 25 or 30 pounds," Brown said. "And he had a great preseason game against the Lakers where he had 13 rebounds in 20 minutes. He's a tough presence down in the post."

Erik Daniels, a 6-8 forward from Kentucky, was Brown's next pick. Daniels averaged 14.5 points shooting almost 60 percent from the floor during his senior season with the Wildcats. He appeared in 21 games for the Sacramento Kings last season.

"Erik is a proven NBA player," he said. "He understands the game and he's able to put the ball on the floor. I like that. And Sacramento coaches tell me he's a good passer, too."

After taking 6-5 guard Norman Richardson from Hofstra with the third pick, Brown followed with 7-1 Robb Dryden of Georgia, 6-5 small forward Mark Kartcher of Temple and 6-5 point guard Darnell Mitchell of Western Georgia.

The Patriots went back to the paint for their next two picks, 6-11, 320 lb. Roderick Riley of Prairie View A&M and 6-11 Anthony Coleman of Long Beach State. Brown closed out the draft by taking a pair of guards, Steven Barber of Texas-Arlington and Carlos Hurt of Robert Morris.

The number one pick overall was Seton Hall point guard Andre Barrett, selected by the Florida Flame, who are coached by former point guard and Boston Celtic great, Dennis Johnson.

A crowd of more than 250 gathered at Fort Bragg's Sports U.S.A. to listen to the conference call over the P.A. system as all of the league's coaches made their picks and NBA director of scouting Marty Blake and assistant director of scouting Ryan Blake offered their opinions on the selectees.

The NBA Development League includes the Albuquerque Thunderbirds (N.M.), Arkansas RimRockers (Little Rock), Austin Toros (Texas), Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), Florida Flame (Ft. Myers), Fort Worth Flyers (Texas), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.) and Tulsa 66ers (Okla.).

The D-League offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. Thirty-four (34) players have been called up to the NBA on 50 separate occasions. Eleven (11) former D-League coaches, six athletic trainers, 14 referees and 30 front office executives have also been called up since the start of the league's inaugural season in November 2001.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The D-League is a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 30 teams and is a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions.



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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.

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