# News 1/14



## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Vipers Acquire Desmond Farmer And Kris Collins

*McAllen, Texas, January 12, 2008 - The Rio Grande Valley Vipers today announced the acquisition of guards Desmond Farmer and Kris Collins. 
Farmer is a 6-4 guard from the University of Southern California. After being signed and eventually cut before the season started by the NBA's Indiana Pacers in 2004, he played professionally in Greece, Poland and Spain before returning to the U.S. to play for the Tulsa 66ers in 2005-06, averaging 16.4 points per game. Farmer was signed to a contract by the Seattle SuperSonics in October 2006 and was waived by the SuperSonics on January 4, 2007 and was most recently back with the Pacers for summer league in 2007. 

Collins is a 6'2" guard from San Antonio who averaged 5.2 ppg his senior year at the University of New Mexico. He was in training camp with the Albuquerque Thunderbirds this season and released before the season started. 

Farmer and Collins will join the Vipers tonight in Tulsa as they take on the 66ers on Saturday night. The Vipers return to the Dodge Arena on Sunday January 13th where they will host the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at 7:00 PM CT. 
Entering its seventh season, the NBA Development League - the NBA's minor league established to develop talent across all disciplines for the NBA - has relocated its headquarters from Greenville, S.C. to New York City to help foster the D-League's continued growth by giving it direct access to the support and resources of the NBA and WNBA. During the 2006-07 season, 19 NBA teams assigned 24 players to D-League rosters, and 14 NBA teams called-up 16 players ('Gatorade Call-ups') while 31 D-League alumni participated in the NBA Playoffs. Additionally, every referee hired by the NBA since 2002 has worked in the D-League, while coaches, athletic trainers and front office executives are also being developed. The 2007-08 NBA season will also include the first-ever D-League coach to be promoted to the NBA with Sam Vincent taking over head coaching duties for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the D-League offers NBA-quality basketball and fun, family entertainment at affordable prices. 
For more information on the NBA Development League or tryouts with other D-League teams, visit www.d-league.com.
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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Vipers torched by 66ers*

Tulsa, OK - With new faces and little practice time, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (9-9) struggled to find a rhythm offensively as they were outscored 41-18 in the third quarter and suffered their worst loss in franchise history with a 117-92 setback to the Tulsa 66ers Saturday night at Expo Square Pavilion. The Vipers were without starting point guard Quannas White who left the team to deal with a family issue. Before the game Rio Grande Valley added former USC standout Desmon Farmer and former New Mexico point guard Kris Collins to their roster.In what was a tight game early the Vipers struggled to shoot the ball from the outside. The Vipers, who are tops in the league in three-point shooting percentage shot just 11% from behind the arc as they converted just two from long range all night. The Vipers trailed by six points at half time but could not find a consistent scoring threat until the fourth quarter when they put up 35 points. 
The Vipers were led in scoring by Desmon Farmer's 17 points. Farmer, who played the last two seasons for the 66ers was acquired in the D-League expansion draft and became available for activation on Friday. Cleveland assignee Shannon Brown struggled to find his shot as he tallied just nine points on four-for-twenty shooting from the field. Jesse Smith had the game's lone double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Vipers loss. 
Adam Harrington torched the nets for Tulsa scoring 27 points in just 25 minutes of action. Harrington shot six-for-seven behind the three-point arc and missed just five shots in the game. Forward Glen McGowan added 19 points off the bench.
The Vipers will play at Dodge Arena for the first time in 29 days as they face the Albuquerque Thunderbirds Sunday night. The Thunderbirds are the only team in the D-League the Vipers have yet to face this season. The game time for Sunday has been changed to 7:00 pm from its originally scheduled 5:00 pm tip.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Tucker helps T-Birds end Toros home win streak*

AUSTIN, TX - The Albuquerque Thunderbirds held off a late surge by the Austin Toros in the fourth quarter to hold onto the 123-117 victory on Saturday night at the Austin Convention Center. The Toros were unable to overcome an 18-point deficit and saw their franchise record 11 game home winning streak come to an end.The Toros had no answer the entire night for newly assigned Phoenix Suns forward Alando Tucker, who scored a team-high 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tucker was red hot in the first half, scoring 20 of his points before halftime on 8-of-12 shooting. Albuquerque used a 14-0 run to begin the third quarter and pushed the lead 78-60 following a pair of free throws by Alando Tucker with 9:16 remaining in the quarter.
Austin would get the lead down one point twice early into the fourth quarter but could not get any closer to the Thunderbirds, who improved their record to 7-8 on the season. With the loss to Albuquerque, Austin fell to 13-5 and had their six game winning streak snapped.
Keith Langford scored a season-high 36 points along with six rebounds and three assists. San Antonio Spurs assignee Ian Mahinmi was plagued with foul trouble throughout the game and was held to four points and five rebounds. Cheyne Gadson added 22 points and nine assists and Justin Reed pitched in a season-high 13 points.
The Thunderbirds finished the game with five players scoring in double figures including 19 points from Daniel Horton and Kevin Pittsnogle. Josh Gross added 12 and Ali Berdiel had 11 points along with four rebounds. Albuquerque travels to the Rio Grande Valley to take on the Vipers tomorrow night at 7 p.m.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*66ers claim fourth consecutive victory*

TULSA, OK - The Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League made a strong third quarter surge in tonight's game at Expo Square Pavilion against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers to seal the deal, winning their fourth straight victory 117-92. Tonight marks the 66ers first win back at home after a three game winning streak on the road. 
Tulsa outrebounded the Vipers 51-48 and shot 55 percent from the pine and 79 from the line, compared to Rio Grande's 37 field goal percentage and 64 percent from the charity stripe.

"The Vipers obviously had a lot of new players and were not quite the same team," said Tulsa head coach Joey Meyer. "We had one great stretch that opened up the game, Adam just got on fire and our guys did a great job of finding him." 

Tulsa placed five players in double-figures. Adam Harrington led the way with a game-high of 27 points. Glen McGowan added 19 points, Nick Fazekas, on assignment from the Dallas Mavericks, finished with 15, while Dwight Brewington chipped in with 14. Ramon Sessions, from the Milwaukee Bucks, finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Former Tulsa 66er Desmond Farmer led Rio Grande in scoring with 17 points. Three other Vipers also scored in double-figures including Jesse Smith with 14, Craig Winder for 13 and Trent Strickland with 10.

Tulsa travels to Boise on Wednesday, January 16 to take on the Albuquerque Thunderbirds at 2:45 p.m. in the D-League Showcase. The 66ers will return back to the home court on Saturday, January 19, to meet with the Anaheim Arsenal at 6 p.m.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Nine in a row is divine for Idaho*

BOISE, Idaho - The Idaho Stampede, wearing Portland jerseys on Trail Blazers Affiliate Night, utilized two double doubles from Lance Allred and Randy Livingston to defeat the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, who sported Detroit Pistons gear, 97-92 Saturday in Boise. 
Allred scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Livingston shot 6-for-9 from the field for 17 points and dished out 14 assists. The victory extends Idaho's overall winning streak to nine games, while keeping them undefeated at 10-0 at home this season.

The Stampede started the first quarter in their usual fashion, shooting 14-for-20 from the field while holding Fort Wayne to 45%. Allred contributed 12 points, and Ernest Scott shot 4-for-4 including three three-pointers, scoring 11 points, as Idaho took advantage of a 15-10 run to finish the quarter up 35-21.

"We had a balanced attack tonight," said Stampede Head Coach Bryan Gates. "When one guy is not shooting well, our strength is that other players will step up and pick up the slack."

Sammy Mejia helped the Mad Ants chip away at Idaho's lead through the second and third quarters, scoring 15 of his game-high 23 points in the two periods, though the Stampede still held a 76-69 lead. Mejia also finished with a game-high 14 rebounds. 

The Mad Ants went on a bit of a run of their own to start the fourth quarter, and after two Corey Minnifield jump shots, a foul by Idaho's Cory Violette, and two Roderick Wilmont free throws, Fort Wayne took their first lead of the game with 5:47 left at 82-81 since leading to start off the contest 4-2. In Idaho's next possession, Livingston drained a three-pointer to put them back up two, which was answered by a Wilmont three-pointer to put Fort Wayne back on top at 85-84 with 4:16 left. The Stampede then went on a 8-0 run on free throws alone after costly fouls hurt the Mad Ants, and held on for the victory.

Including Mejia, the Mad Ants finished with four players with double digit scoring. Minnifield finished with 20 points, while Wilmont and Walker Russell each pitched in 12 points off the bench.

Idaho finished the game shooting 51.5% from the field, making 35 field goals on 29 assists in the contest. Along with Allred and Livingston, the Stampede had four total players with double figures. Scott had a team-high 19 points, while Violette finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Mouhamed Sene, on assignment from the Seattle SuperSonics, pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with his seven points.

Both teams will stay in Boise for the 2008 NBA D-League Showcase, which is set to tip off on Monday and runs through Thursday. Each team in the league will play two regular season games over the four days in front of NBA general managers, player personnel directors and scouts. Fort Wayne plays the Los Angeles D-Fenders, while Idaho battles the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, both on Tuesday, before playing each other again on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.
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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Vipers Fall to Tulsa*

With new faces and little practice time, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (9-9) struggled to find a rhythm offensively as they were outscored 41-18 in the third quarter and suffered their worst loss in franchise history with a 117-92 setback to the Tulsa 66ers Saturday night at Expo Square Pavilion. The Vipers were without starting point guard Quannas White who left the team to deal with a family issue. Before the game Rio Grande Valley added former USC standout Desmon Farmer and former New Mexico point guard Kris Collins to their roster.In what was a tight game early the Vipers struggled to shoot the ball from the outside. The Vipers, who are tops in the league in three-point shooting percentage shot just 11% from behind the arc as they converted just two from long range all night. The Vipers trailed by six points at half time but could not find a consistent scoring threat until the fourth quarter when they put up 35 points. 
The Vipers were led in scoring by Desmon Farmer's 17 points. Farmer, who played the last two seasons for the 66ers was acquired in the D-League expansion draft and became available for activation on Friday. Cleveland assignee Shannon Brown struggled to find his shot as he tallied just nine points on four-for-twenty shooting from the field. Jesse Smith had the game's lone double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the Vipers loss. 
Adam Harrington torched the nets for Tulsa scoring 27 points in just 25 minutes of action. Harrington shot six-for-seven behind the three-point arc and missed just five shots in the game. Forward Glen McGowan added 19 points off the bench.
The Vipers will play at Dodge Arena for the first time in 29 days as they face the Albuquerque Thunderbirds Sunday night. The Thunderbirds are the only team in the D-League the Vipers have yet to face this season. The game time for Sunday has been changed to 7:00 pm from its originally scheduled 5:00 pm tip.
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an expansion team in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The D-League is the official minor league of the National Basketball Association. Now in its seventh season, the D-league will have 14 teams that will play a 50 game schedule. The teams include Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NM), Anaheim Arsenal (CA), Austin Toros (TX), Bakersfield Jam (CA), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, ND), Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IN), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Iowa Energy (Des Moines), Los Angeles D-Fenders (CA), Sioux Falls Skyforce (SD) and Tulsa 66ers (OK) and Utah Flash (Orem). The Vipers NBA affiliates are the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Hornets.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Vipers Shocked By Thunderbirds*

In their first home game in 29 days the Rio Grande Valley Vipers did not notice the friendly confines of Dodge Arena as they lost their fifth consecutive game in heartbreaking fashion 92-91 to their Southwest Division rival Albuquerque Thunderbirds Sunday night at Dodge Arena. New Albuquerque forward Kevin Pittsnogle tipped in his own miss at the buzzer to seal the one point victory for the Thunderbirds. The Vipers led 91-90 with 2.8 seconds remaining before the final possession for the Thunderbirds. Rio Grande Valley had a three-point lead with 18.9 seconds remaining, until Kevin Pittsnogle hit a game tying three with 10.4 remaining to tie the game at 90. Pittsnogle nearly went from hero to goat as he committed a blocking foul on Cleveland Cavaliers assignee Shannon Brown with 2.8 remaining that could have seemingly won the game for the Vipers. Brown would hit only one of his two free throw attempts giving the Thunderbirds the ball with a chance to win it down 91-90. Pittsnoggle would prove the hero with his game winning shot, putting the Thunderbirds at .500 for the first time since Dec 28th. Phoenix assignee Alondo Tucker tallied 39 points in the Thunderbird victory.
Rio Grande Valley was led by Brown's 23 points as he played nearly the entire game for Rio Grande Valley sitting for only two minutes and twelve seconds of game time. Trent Strickland added 17 for the Vipers and Quin Humphrey finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards.
Rio Grande Valley falls to below .500 for the first time this season and have lost their last six games within the Southwest Division. The Vipers will travel to Boise, ID on Monday morning, as they will play two games at Qwest Arena as part of the annual D-League showcase. The Vipers will play the host Idaho Stampede on Tuesday night with 8:15 scheduled tip off. Rio Grande Valley will play again at home on Friday versus the Anaheim Arsenal. 
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an expansion team in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The D-League is the official minor league of the National Basketball Association. Now in its seventh season, the D-league will have 14 teams that will play a 50 game schedule. The teams include Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NM), Anaheim Arsenal (CA), Austin Toros (TX), Bakersfield Jam (CA), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, ND), Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IN), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Iowa Energy (Des Moines), Los Angeles D-Fenders (CA), Sioux Falls Skyforce (SD) and Tulsa 66ers (OK) and Utah Flash (Orem). The Vipers NBA affiliates are the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Hornets.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*D-Fenders Power Past Skyforce*

EL SEGUNDO, CA - The Los Angeles D-Fenders came back from a 22 point deficit to defeat the Sioux Falls Skyforce, 98-94, Sunday at STAPLES Center. 
Sioux Falls (8-12) jumped out of the gates and took a commanding 31-16 lead into the first intermission. They continued their strong play into the second quarter growing their lead to as many as 22 points with 1:54 remaining in the half. Los Angeles ended the half on a 6-0 run, and went into the break trailing 59-43.

"We came out flat and they came out very determined. They got us down 20, but it was a real credit to our guys the way we fought back." said D-Fenders Head Coach Dan Panaggio. "We toughened up our defense and got some stops ad some fast-break layups and gradually things started working in our favor."

Los Angeles improved their record to 12-4 on the season and remained in sole possession of first place in the Western Division. The D-Fenders turned things around in the second half on both ends of the court, as they improved their shooting percentage from a dismal 31% to 60%. Defensively they shut down the hot shooting of Sioux Falls, holding them under 30% from the field. 

After being outscored 13-0 in first half fast-break points, the D-Fenders stepped up the defensive intensity and created easy baskets, dropping in 12 second half points in transition compared to 3 by Sioux Falls. 

Sean Banks scored 20 of his team-high 29 points in the second half. Stephane Lasme came off the bench to record a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. 

"They stayed aggressive and defensively they picked it up and started making shots," said Skyforce Head Coach Nate Tibbetts. "That was the biggest difference and we started missing shots."

Skyforce guard Elton Nesbitt led all scorers with 30 and forward Michael Joiner chipped in with 18 points, 4-6 from behind the arc, and grabbed 8 rebounds in the losing effort.

Los Angeles and Sioux Falls will travel to Boise, ID for the 2008 NBA D-League Showcase next week. The D-Fenders will face off with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Tuesday, Jan. 15th at 10:00am; the game will be aired live on NBA TV.


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## truebluefan (May 27, 2002)

*Colorado 14ers Weekly Update*

In their first home game in 29 days the Rio Grande Valley Vipers did not notice the friendly confines of Dodge Arena as they lost their fifth consecutive game in heartbreaking fashion 92-91 to their Southwest Division rival Albuquerque Thunderbirds Sunday night at Dodge Arena. New Albuquerque forward Kevin Pittsnogle tipped in his own miss at the buzzer to seal the one point victory for the Thunderbirds. The Vipers led 91-90 with 2.8 seconds remaining before the final possession for the Thunderbirds. Rio Grande Valley had a three-point lead with 18.9 seconds remaining, until Kevin Pittsnogle hit a game tying three with 10.4 remaining to tie the game at 90. Pittsnogle nearly went from hero to goat as he committed a blocking foul on Cleveland Cavaliers assignee Shannon Brown with 2.8 remaining that could have seemingly won the game for the Vipers. Brown would hit only one of his two free throw attempts giving the Thunderbirds the ball with a chance to win it down 91-90. Pittsnoggle would prove the hero with his game winning shot, putting the Thunderbirds at .500 for the first time since Dec 28th. Phoenix assignee Alondo Tucker tallied 39 points in the Thunderbird victory.
Rio Grande Valley was led by Brown's 23 points as he played nearly the entire game for Rio Grande Valley sitting for only two minutes and twelve seconds of game time. Trent Strickland added 17 for the Vipers and Quin Humphrey finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards.
Rio Grande Valley falls to below .500 for the first time this season and have lost their last six games within the Southwest Division. The Vipers will travel to Boise, ID on Monday morning, as they will play two games at Qwest Arena as part of the annual D-League showcase. The Vipers will play the host Idaho Stampede on Tuesday night with 8:15 scheduled tip off. Rio Grande Valley will play again at home on Friday versus the Anaheim Arsenal. 
The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an expansion team in the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). The D-League is the official minor league of the National Basketball Association. Now in its seventh season, the D-league will have 14 teams that will play a 50 game schedule. The teams include Albuquerque Thunderbirds (NM), Anaheim Arsenal (CA), Austin Toros (TX), Bakersfield Jam (CA), Colorado 14ers (Broomfield), Dakota Wizards (Bismarck, ND), Fort Wayne Mad Ants (IN), Idaho Stampede (Boise), Iowa Energy (Des Moines), Los Angeles D-Fenders (CA), Sioux Falls Skyforce (SD) and Tulsa 66ers (OK) and Utah Flash (Orem). The Vipers NBA affiliates are the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Hornets.


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