# News 12/26



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Arsenal Beat 14ers in OT

*Anaheim, Calif., December 21, 2007 - On Friday night at the Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center, the Anaheim Arsenal came back to defeat the Colorado 14ers in overtime after being down the entire second half and ending the game with only 4 players left on the court. 
Coming into the game the Colorado 14ers had the best record in the D-League at 8-3, while the Arsenal were struggling to get back on the winning track after dropping their last 2 games on the road. 

Elton Brown, and 07-08 NBA D-League call up Eddie Gill, led the Colorado scoring attack with 28 and 27 points, respectively. Throughout the night the 14ers took advantage of the Arsenal's weak interior defense, pounding away at the smaller Arsenal lineup. 

In the fourth quarter Steven Smith had a rim rattling slam dunk that energized the Arsenal and brought the team within seven points. Arsenal defensive play soon picked up. A momentum changing shot block by Steven Smith with 4:23 left in the game led to a three pointer by Jamaal Thomas that brought the score to 103-106.

With 2.6 seconds left in regulation Thomas made the most crucial play of the game. Down by 3 points, 115-118, Arsenal guard Will Blalock was shooting free throws after being fouled by Colorado's Eddie Gill. After making the first free throw, Blalock intentionally missed the second shot which allowed Jamaal Thomas a tip-in that would eventually send the game into overtime, 118-118.

In the extra period, the Arsenal capitalized on Colorado's poor ball control with a 3-pointer by Marquis Webb giving the Arsenal a four point lead at 128-124. However, with 1:10 to go and a 130 -124 lead, Kedrick Brown committed his 6th personal foul which left the Arsenal with only 4 eligible players to finish the game. Marquis Webb tipped in the ball off a Yuta Tabuse missed shot with 33 seconds left in overtime bringing the score to 132-127. 

On Colorado's ensuing possession, Mo Charlo completed a 3-point play that brought the 14ers within 2 points of the Arsenal. On the inbounds pass, Jamaal Thomas was fouled and sent to the free throw line, making 1-of-2 free throws. Clinging onto a 133-130 lead, the Arsenal's 4 man defense made a key play when Yuta Tabuse knocked an up court pass out of bounds. Coming off of a screen, Colorado's Eddie Gill had a chance to send the game into double overtime with a 3-point attempt, but missed, and in so doing gave the Arsenal their 4th win in an extraordinary fashion. 

After the game, Arsenal Head Coach Reggie Geary said, "What a fantastic win to have going into the holiday season. The crowd was fantastic. We're so proud of our guys; they never quit and never gave up, even when it was our 4 against their 5."

Arsenal Power Forward Steven Smith said after the game, "That was unbelievable the way it ended. We never gave up, Jamaal had a huge tip-in, Yuta had a huge deflection, it was a huge comeback, having only 4 guards left on the court. It was a great game and we're all ready for a great Christmas."

A total of 25% of NBA draft choices have played in the D-League over the past two seasons. During the 2006-2007 season 24 NBA players were assigned to play in the D-League since the creation of the affiliation system in 2005. Assigned players have included 2006 lottery picks Patrick O'Bryant (Ninth overall selection by Golden State, assigned to Bakersfield Jam) and Mouhamed Sene (10th overall pick by Seattle, assigned to Idaho Stampede). Many of the players utilized their time in the D-League to work on various aspects of their game which needed improvement, and then returned to the NBA where they made an impact. Gerald Green, for example averaged 5.2 points per game with the Boston Celtics during his rookie season of 2005-2006. During that season he was sent to the D-League twice, where the high-flier worked on his outside shot, his ball handling and other skills which the club felt needed seasoning. Green utilized the D-League to improve his game drastically, and the result was evident the following year when he posted averages of 10.4 points and 2.6 rebounds, which doubled his output from his rookie campaign. 
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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Utah Flash Game Notes*

Utah is 6-5 and in third place in the West Division, Bakersfield is 2-12 and in fifth place in West division.- Utah leads the series 1-0 after winning 102-99 on a four-point play by Michael Cuffee in the waning seconds on Nov. 29 at the McKay Events Center.
- Playing back-to-back on Friday and Saturday for the third straight weekend, the Flash will be gunning for its first win in the Saturday portion of the double dip tonight. Saturday loses have followed Friday victories in each of the last two weekends. 
- The Flash are 3-0 in games played on Friday and 1-2 in Saturday games this season.
- On assignment from the Utah Jazz, Morris Almond tied the NBA D-League single-game record with 51 points in a Flash victory over Austin on Friday. The rookie from Rice converted 18-of-35 field goal attempts and 12-of-16 free throw tries.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Sammy Mejia added to Mad Ants roster*

The NBA D-League's Fort Wayne Mad Ants have officially added former DePaul guard Sammy Mejia to their active roster. Mejia was the #56 draft pick of the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 NBA Draft, and he played in three preseason games for the Pistons before being waived and picked up by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Mejia had been sidelined with an ankle injury since he arrived in Fort Wayne for training camp back in mid-November. During the 2006-07 season, Mejia earned Second Team All-Big East Conference honors as a senior at DePaul University. He finished his collegiate career as DePaul's ninth all-time leading scorer with 1,494 points, averaging 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game during his senior season. 
Mejia is expected to play this Saturday December 22nd as the Mad Ants take on the Iowa Energy at 7:30 p.m. at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Pistons recall Samb*

The Detroit Pistons announced that they have recalled 7'1" center Cheikh Samb from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League. Samb, who was injured in his second game with the Mad Ants, averaged 13.5 points, 9.5 assists and 4.0 blocks in 31.5 minutes per game.Samb was acquired by the Pistons on draft day from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Maurice Evans on June 28, 2006. He drafted by the Lakers with the 51st pick in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft. Samb spent the 2006-07 season playing overseas with WTC Cornella in the Spanish LEB2 League. 
In two NBA games this season, Samb is averaging 1.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 10.5 minutes per game for the Detroit Pistons.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Trail Blazers Recall Taurean Green From Idaho Stampede of NBA D-League*

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Trail Blazers recalled guard Taurean Green from the NBA Development League's Idaho Stampede, it was announced today by Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard. Green, who was assigned to the Stampede on Dec. 10, averaged 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 37.8 minutes in four games (all starts) with the Trail Blazers' D-League affiliate. Prior to joining the Stampede, Green posted averages of 2.3 points, 1.3 assists and 6.0 minutes in four games with the Trail Blazers this season after being selected by Portland with the 52nd overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. The 6-0, 177-pounder spent three seasons at the University of Florida, where he guided the Gators to back-to-back NCAA National Championships as the team's starting point guard.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*D-Fenders extend win streak to six games*

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sean Banks scored a game-high 27 points and Lakers assignee Coby Karl chipped in with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) to lead the visiting D-Fenders to a 97-86 victory over the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Sioux Falls was down to eight players following the departure of Damone Brown and could not stop the hottest team in the D-League from winning their sixth straight contest."(Sean Banks) is doing a great job and he can really score the basketball," said D-Fenders head coach Dan Panaggio. "We rested him in the fourth quarter and got on a roll otherwise he would have scored some more points."
Despite being shorthanded Sioux Falls was in striking distance through three quarters as they trailed 79-72 heading into the final stanza. However, with Banks resting the entire fourth quarter Los Angeles (9-3) increased the lead to as many as 14 points. Karl had an amazing alley-oop dunk with just over two minutes to play that brought the D-Fenders bench to their feet as they celebrated another win.
"We have good talent and are playing very well together," said D-Fenders head coach Dan Panaggio. "When you get on a win streak you just have to enjoy it because you never know when it is going to end."
Carl Elliott played well on both ends of the floor for Sioux Falls (3-7) as he scored a season-high 25 points to go along with a season-high four steals. Kasib Powell added 17 points in a losing effort.
Sioux Falls hosts Fort Wayne on Christmas night at 7 p.m. CT. Los Angeles will travel back home to take on the Bakersfield Jam on Friday at 3:30 p.m. PT.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Vipers Lose Third Straight; Fall to Wizards 133-123*

Bismark, ND: The Rio Grande Valley Vipers lost their third straight game and fourth in five games on Saturday night as they fell 133-123 to the defending NBA Development League Champion Dakota Wizards at the Bismarck Civic Center. The Vipers were still without forward Kevin Bookout who is still out with a shoulder injury. The Vipers fell behind by as many as 25 points in the first half after a furious first quarter by the Dakota Wizards in which they outscored the Vipers 38-16. The Vipers did not let up despite being down as they scored the Wizards 42-31 in the second to cut the halftime defecit to 11 at 69-58. The Vipers would cut the Wizards lead down to six points in the third quarter, but Dakota's three-point shooters kept Vipers at bay. 
"There aren't many teams in the world that would fight back after what happened to us in the 1st quarter," Vipers Head Coach Bob Hoffman said. "We didn't quit and that's whats important." 
Dakota shot 52 percent from the field and made 11 3-pointers in the game. The dynamic duo of David Palmer and Blake Ahearn went a combined 10-19 from three point range for 18 and 23 points respectively. Carlos Powell led all scorers with 35 points and was just two rebounds shy of a triple double as he added 10 assists. Mo Baker also added a double-double for the Wizards with 23 points and 12 rebounds. 
The Vipers were paced by CJ Watson's 32 points and a season high 15 assists and missed a triple-double by one rebound. Kenny Taylor was red-hot from three point land for Rio Grande Valley as he scored 29 points including eight three-pointers on 13 attempts. 
The Vipers will continue their eight game road swing in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on Friday when the face the Mad Antz. Tip Off is scheduled for 6:30 PM.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Mad Ants defeat Energy in OT*

The Fort Wayne Mad Ants snapped a four game losing streak by topping their Central Division rivals, the Iowa Energy, 115-111 in a see-saw battle. Indeed, it was an even contest throughout regulation, as the Mad Ants and Energy found themselves tied 15 times with nine lead changes. 
The Iowa Energy went into the locker room up by three at half time, and they came out strong after the break by scoring the first eight points of the third, which put Iowa up by 11. The Mad Ants, however, would bounce back and tie the game up with two minutes left in the third quarter. The game remained even throughout the fourth quarter, and the teams went into overtime tied at 94. 

The Mad Ants finally took control of the game at the beginning of extra time by going on an 11 point run. Earl Calloway led the way for the Ants by scoring 9 of his 26 points in overtime. 

Despite having seven players in double figures, the Iowa Energy could not outlast the Ants. Chicago Bulls assignee Demetris Nichols led the way for the Energy with 23 points. 

Walker Russell Jr. and Corey Minnifield helped lead the Mad Ants to victory by chipping in 22 points apiece. 

This was the fourth meeting between the two teams, with the Mad Ants now leading the season series 3-1. The Mad Ants improved their record to 4-6 while the Energy dropped to 6-6.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Wizards charm the Vipers*

BISMARCK, N.D.: The Dakota Wizards started where they left off last night beating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 133 - 123 at the Bismarck Civic Center Saturday night and grabbing a game and a half lead first place in the central division. 
Led by forward Carlos Powell, who scored 12 of his 35 points in the first quarter, the Wizards jumped out to a 40 - 16 lead. The Vipers then went on a 15 - 3 run to cut the lead to 12 with eight mins remaining in the half. Dakota answered with a run of their own after a three pointer by guard Blake Ahearn off the bench gave the Wizards a 19 point advantage and the they never looked back. 

"We were fortunate in the first half to hit our shots from the perimeter," said Wizards head coach Duane Ticknor. " When we do that it really opens the floor for guys like Carlos and Moe to get in the paint and make plays". 

Powell had his first double-double of the year when he added a season high 10 assists to go along with his 35 points and eight rebounds. Guard Maurice Baker also grabbed a double-double scoring 21 of his 23 points in the second half and pulled down a game high 12 boards and dished seven assists, while rookie guard Ahaern connected on six of nine attempts from long distance finishing with 23 points. 

The Vipers, now 7-5 were carried by guards Kenny Taylor and CJ Watson who scored a combined 61 points. Taylor connected on 8 of 13 three-point attempts and finished with 29 points, while Watson flirted with a triple-double with 32 points 15 assists and nine boards. 

The Wizards, now 7-4 travel to Des Moines for a Christmas Day match up with the divisional rival Iowa Energy. Tip off is set for 7:30 pm CT and can be heard on KFYR 550 AM along with www.dakotawizards.com. The Vipers get to spend the Christmas holiday with their families before meeting up again in Fort Wayne on Friday for a battle with the Mad Ants.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Flash overcome Bakersfield in second consecutive overtime victory*

OREM, Utah - The Utah Flash earned its first weekend sweep of the season, overcoming a 13-point Bakersfield third-quarter lead to force overtime and eventually defeat the Jam, 117-109, in NBA Development League action Saturday night at the McKay Events Center. The Flash won for the second time in three straight overtime games to improve to 7-5 at the Christmas break. Bakersfield dipped to 2-13 with the loss.
"I don't prefer that we go into overtime, but if we have to go into overtime to win games then I will take it." Utah Flash coach Brad Jones said. "I am proud of our guys for gutting it up in the fourth quarter. We left a lot on the floor against Austin, but we are learning that to be a good pro we have to fight through adversity."
Morris Almond followed a 51-point performance on Friday with 36 against Bakersfield. James Lang notched his best scoring effort of the season with 28 points and also grabbed nine rebounds. Kevin Kruger had 16 points and 11 assists for his second straight double-double and third of the season. Michael Cuffee came off the Flash bench to score 10. 
"James (Lang) has had a terrific week of practice and he really came in and stepped up in the second half tonight." Jones said. "We needed a presence inside and James laced up his shoes and went to work."
All five Bakersfield starters finished in double digits, with Scooter McFadgon leading the way with 31 points. Kosta Perovic added 18 points while Brandon Bowman and Andre Barrett finished with 13 and 15 points, respectively. James Peters added 11 points in the loss for Bakersfield. 
The Flash travel to Albuquerque Friday to take on the Thunderbirds before heading back to Utah for a Dec. 29 matchup in a back-to-back home-and-away with the Thunderbirds. Bakersfield continues its three-game road trip Wednesday at Idaho before heading to Los Angeles for a Friday matchup with the D-Fenders.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Colorado's Second Half Rally Tops the T-Birds*

DENVER - Dec. 23, 2007 - The Colorado 14ers completed a big second half comeback to beat the Albuquerque Thunderbirds 109-94 at the Broomfield Event Center on Sunday night. After trailing by 20 points in the second quarter, Colorado completed a 40 point turnaround early in the fourth period, and cruised to the 15 point victory. The 14ers improve to 9-4 on the season with the win, while the Thunderbirds fall to 4-5 with the loss. 
Brian Greene returned to the Colorado line-up after missing seven games due to injury and led the way with 18 points and four steals. Kaniel Dickens added 17 points, and Lou White came off the bench to add 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the win.

"Brian did a nice job defensively inside returning from his injury," said 14ers Head Coach Joe Wolf. "And Lou White came off the bench to run the show playing good, solid defense and leading his team which we needed from the back-up point guard tonight."

Albuquerque ran out to a double-digit lead after starting the game on a 24-5 run. The Thunderbirds led by as many as 20 points in the first half before Colorado began its comeback. The 14ers outscored Albuquerque 34-15 in the third quarter led by nine points from Kaniel Dickens and eight from Mo Charlo in the period. Colorado expanded the lead to 20 points in the fourth quarter to complete a 40 point turnaround from the first half.

D.J. Strawberry made his debut for Albuquerque on assignment from the Phoenix Suns. Strawberry finished with 26 points, four rebounds, and three assists in the loss. Abdul Mills scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half to match Strawberry for game-high honors.

Colorado's next game comes Friday night in Sioux Falls when they will visit the Skyforce. Albuquerque returns home to take on the Utah Flash Friday night.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Colorado's Billy Thomas Signs with New Jersey Nets*

NEW YORK, N.Y., Dec. 24, 2007 - The New Jersey Nets have signed the Colorado 14ers Billy Thomas, making him the fifth GATORADE Call-Up of the 2007-08 season, and the 95th overall since the league began play in November, 2001. Thomas returns to New Jersey having played 25 games with the Nets during the 2004-05 season when he averaged 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. During the 2005-06 season, Thomas appeared in 17 games with the Washington Wizards. In total, Thomas recorded NBA career averages of 3.1 points and 1.2 rebounds in 42 games. 
In 12 games this season for the 14ers, Thomas, a 6-5, 220-pound guard, averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds. In two previous stints in the D-League, during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Thomas appeared in 94 games and averaged 15.0 points and 3.0 rebounds with the Greenville Groove. 
Thomas will be available on Wednesday, Dec. 26, when the Nets host the Detroit Pistons.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Morris Almond Named D-League.com Performer of the Week*

NEW YORK, Dec. 24, 2007 - Morris Almond of the Utah Flash today was named D-League.com Performer of the Week for games played during the week of Dec. 17. In two games, Morris averaged 43.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals while shooting 32-of-68 (.471) from the field. A first-round selection in the 2007 NBA Draft (25th overall) by the Utah Jazz, Almond tied Clay Tucker's D-League regular season record on Dec. 21 when he scored 51 points in a win over the Austin Toros. The following night, Morris netted 36 points and nine rebounds as the Flash defeated the Bakersfield Jam for their second win of the week. 
A product of Rice University, Almond, a 6-6 guard, was assigned to the Flash on Dec. 6 and leads the D-League with 32.0 points along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists during six games in the D-League. Prior to his assignment, Almond appeared in four NBA games for the Jazz. 
Other top performers in the D-League last week included Colorado's Elton Brown, who averaged 24.0 points and 12.8 rebounds in four games; Taurean Green who finished the week with Idaho averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 12.0 assists during a two-game assignment from Portland; Rio Grande Valley's Gabe Muoneke who averaged 28.0 points, 9.0 rebounds in two games for the Vipers; Carlos Powell who finished the week averaging 31.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists in two wins with Dakota; and C.J. Watson who averaged 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 9.5 assists in two games with Rio Grande Valley.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Lakers Recall Coby Karl from D-Fenders*

EL SEGUNDO, CA - The Los Angeles Lakers have recalled guard Coby Karl from the NBA Development League's Los Angeles D-Fenders, it was announced today. 
Karl, who became the 11th NBA player assigned to a D-League affiliate this season on November 28, played 10 games (10 starts) with the D-Fenders, averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 38.5 minutes while shooting .435 from three-point range and .492 from the field. 

In two games with the Lakers this season, Karl, an undrafted rookie out of Boise State, has posted two points, one rebound and two assists in four total minutes.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Skyforce Crushes Mad Ants*

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Dec. 25 - J.C. Mathis posted his first double-double of the season with 29 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Sioux Falls Skyforce to an easy 116-88 victory over the visiting Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Mathis easily had his best game in a Skyforce uniform as he scored from everywhere on the floor to lead Sioux Falls to their third straight Christmas night victory in front of a festive crowd of 4,236 fans."(J.C. Mathis) played a great game," said Skyforce head coach Nate Tibbetts. "With guys going overseas everyone else gets a chance to step up and he did that tonight."
Sioux Falls came out with a lot of energy and built a 13-point lead towards the end of the first quarter. Mathis was hot early on as he surpassed his season average (3.6 ppg) just two minutes into the game as he finished the opening quarter with 14 points. The Skyforce never trailed in a game that they led by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter.
Fort Wayne struggled to make baskets all night as they finished the night shooting 34.5% (30-of-87) from the field. The lone bright spot for Fort Wayne was the play of newly acquired guard Sammy Mejia who scored a team-high 26 points and grabbed nine rebounds in only his second game with the team.
The Skyforce had seven players score in double figures including all five starters. Chris Alexander had a solid debut with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
Sioux Falls travels to Iowa to take on the Energy Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. CT. Fort Wayne travels back home to take on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.


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