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Riverdragons Ricky Minard Named NBDL Player of Month

January 4, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


GREENVILLE, S.C., January 4 –Columbus guard Ricky Minard has been named National Basketball Development League player of the month for games played during December 2004.

Minard, a rookie from Morehead State, averaged 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists while leading the Riverdragons to a perfect 9-0 mark during December. For the season, Minard is averaging 32.8 minutes, 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Minard, the top pick in the 2004 NBDL Draft, is second in the league in scoring and his 33-point outburst against the Florida Flame on December 2 is the second-highest single-game scoring performance of the season.

Other players nominated for NBDL player of the month included Ron Slay of Asheville, Scott Merritt of Columbus, Ernest Brown of Fayetteville, Hiram Fuller of Florida, Joe Shipp of Huntsville and Cory Alexander of Roanoke.

Minard is the fourth Columbus player to receive player of the month honors since the NBDL began play in November 2001. Sedric Webber earned the honor in March 2004, Tang Hamilton in December 2002 and Tremaine Fowlkes in November 2001.

The Riverdragons return to action this Thursday night, January 6, as they host the Fayetteville Patriots at the Columbus Civic Center at 7 p.m. . Columbus (12-1) is off to the best start in NBDL history and will try to earn its eleventh straight win overall. It will be another Thirsty Thursday, with all beers just $2.25 at the Columbus Civic Center. Tickets are available at the Columbus Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, including Publix Supermarkets, online at Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 1-800-4-NBA-TIX.

For additional information, please visit columbusriverdragons.com or contact Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at (706) 225-1104 and tbecwar@nba.com. For additional information on the NBDL please visit NBDL.com.

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-nine (29) players have been called up the NBA on 40 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. Six additional front office executives have earned positions with other major league sports.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the league also offers fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. The NBDL 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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