Skyforce Open Camp With Seventeen on Roster
The NBA Development League Draft is over. Teams will now take their rosters, open up fall camp and start the season on November 22.
The Sioux Falls Skyforce will have sixteen players vying for ten roster spots after selecting six players in the November 1 event. No trades among teams were allowed during the draft, however Sioux Falls and the Iowa Energy pulled off a deal to send Jarvis Varnado to the energy for pick number three overall and a third round choice which amounted to number thirty nine on the board.
An electrifying scorer Quincy Douby a guard out of Rutgers was the first choice of head coach Pat Delany and General Manager, Basketball Operations Adam Simon as they made good on the use of Varnado as a bargaining chip. For the assigned pick at number seven, Kentucky guard DeAndre Liggins joined the cast. Both of the first round picks are veterans of the NBA. Douby was a first round pick in 2006 of the Sacramento Kings, but has not played in the NBA since 2009. Liggins was drafted by Orlando in 2011 and with Oklahoma City last season with frequent assignments to the Tulsa 66ers.
The other component of the pre-draft trade with the Energy was the selection of swingman A.J. Davis a rookie out of James Madison University. Davis finished his season on a high note as the Most Outstanding Player of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament and 20 points in the NCAA First Four win over LIU Brooklyn.
Forward Jamine Peterson was taken in the fourth round and is no stranger to the NBADL with stints with the former New Mexico Thunderbirds and the Texas Legends. Fifth rounder Lewis Jackson is a 5-10 guard who played internationally last year after graduating from Purdue. The last choice for the Skyforce was center Phil Jones who in training camp with the Timberwolves last year and played with the Los Angeles Defenders for a portion of the 2012-13 campaign.
One more addition was made to the roster on Monday with the rights for Mychel Thompson traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors for Wisconsin forward Ryan Evans. The move is not surprising as Mychel is from the west coast, attending Pepperdine in college and his brother Klay is starting for the Golden State Warriors.
The six players selected by the Skyforce will join training camp invitees Chris Ayer, Joe Davis, Larry Drew II, Justin Hamilton, Grant Johnson, Robert Martina, Anthony Mason Jr., Jeffrey Remmington, Bill Walker and Roshun Wynne in Sioux Falls for the start of training camp on Thursday, Nov. 7. The Skyforce will have four home games to start the season including back to back games November 22 and 23 at the Sanford Pentagon against the Reno Bighorns.