Riverdragons Add Rhymer, Lowgators Pick up Bangura
January 22, 2003 - NBA G League (G League) News Release
GREENVILLE, S.C. (January 22, 2003) - A pair of National Basketball Development League teams made player personnel moves today, according to an announcement by NBDL Executive Director Karl Hicks.
The Columbus Riverdragons swapped out post players, while the North Charleston Lowgators acquired a shooting guard to fill the roster spot vacated when Corey Benjamin signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.
Columbus acquired center Kitwana Rhymer, a 6-foot-10, 256-pound Massachusetts ('02) product. To make room on the roster the Riverdragons waived center Jonathan Kerner. North Charleston picked up shooting guard Alpha Bangura, who will join the team in time for tonight's game at Greenville and wear temporary jersey number 3.
Rhymer, born May 22, 1978 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, averaged 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds as a senior at UMass. A product of St. Raymond's High School in the Bronx, he played briefly with the Brooklyn Kings of the USBL and was also a three-year member of the U.S. Virgin Islands National Team. Rhymer was the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2001.
Kerner played in just two games for the Riverdragons, averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.5 minutes played per game.
Bangura, 6-6 and 215, was a ninth-round selection (66th overall) of the Fayetteville Patriots in the 2002 NBDL Draft. He was released from the Patriot's training camp and has been in the NBDL available player pool.
Bangura finished his collegiate career at St. John's ('02), where he averaged 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 20 games as a senior. Born Feb. 4, 1980 in Lanham, Md., he began his college career at Monmouth, averaging 18.0 points and 5.5 rebounds over 26 games during the 1998-99 season.
Like Rhymer, Bangura also played for the USBL Brooklyn Kings where he averaged 13.3 points and 3.4 rebounds over 12 games during the summer of 2002.
Rhymer will temporarily wear jersey number 3 for Columbus when the Riverdragons travel to Asheville Friday before switching to #54 for the remainder of the season.
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