Steelheads Score in USBL Draft
April 11, 2007 - United States Basketball League (USBL)
Gary Steelheads News Release
GARY, Indiana (April 10, 2007) - Benefiting from a favorable draft position, the Gary Steelheads made the most of their first USBL Draft. The team drafted second in the first round and first in the second round, giving the Steelheads two of the first 11 picks.
With the second pick in the draft, the Steelheads picked power forward Chris Richard from the University of Florida. Richard played an integral role on back-to-back NCAA champions with the Gators. The SEC selected him as its Sixth Man of the Year for 2007. As a senior, he averaged 6.2 ppg, while grabbing 3.7 rpg and hitting at .690 from the field. The 6-foot-9 forward helped lead the Gators to three straight SEC Tournament championships.
With the first pick of the second round (11th overall), the Steelheads grabbed center James Hughes from Northern Illinois University. A native of Silvis, Illinois, the 6-foot-11 Hughes was a defensive force for the Huskies. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid American Conference, as well as being named to the league's All-Academic team. As a senior, Hughes was second on the team in scoring at 12.1 ppg, while leading the Huskies in rebounding at 6.1 rpg. Hughes also averaged 2.1 blocked shots per game.
In the third round, the Steelheads chose center Courtney Sims from the University of Michigan. The 6-foot-11 Sims helped lead the Wolverines to the NIT championship in 2004, as well as the NIT Finals in 2006. He was Michigan's second leading scorer at 11.5 ppg, while leading the team in rebounding at 6.2 rpg.
The Steelheads selected Colin Falls from Notre Dame in the fourth round of the draft. The 6-foot-5 Irish guard ranked 2nd on the team in scoring with a 15.2 ppg average. He shot .396 from three point range, while hitting .833 percent of his free throws. A product of Loyola Academy in suburban Chicago, Falls established a new career record for three point field goals with the Irish.
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