The 2003 NBDL Draft
by Jed Tai
On November, 6, 2003, the NBDL – the NBA’s official developmental league – had its third annual draft. Held by conference call and broadcast via RealAudio on the internet, the league’s six teams took turns stocking up their rosters by picking players through ten rounds of selections. Through this draft, the dreams continue on for many young men who are still trying to get into “the league”.
The NBDL Draft runs a little different than drafts in other leagues, such as the NBA or the CBA. In those drafts, all players nationwide who are eligible for the draft can be picked. In the NBDL, the only players that are eligible are those who have signed an NBDL Standard Player Contract. The players also have either at least 20 years of age, or be drafted by an NBA team but were cut during training camp. With these standards in place, the number of eligible players was close to 70 players in this year’s pool.
Another interesting thing about the pool of available players is that it’s not just limited to players fresh out of college. Also included are players with minor league, international league, and even NBA playing experience. Some players may have been selected in a previous NBA draft. In fact, some players may have even been selected in a previous NBDL draft. It’s all about who has signed a contract with the league to be included in the draft.
The strategy in the NBDL draft is interesting. Teams obviously want to do well and compete for a championship. At the same time, one of the main goals of the league is to showcase players to move up to the NBA. So some teams may draft players with the intention of helping them advance to the next level. These are interesting dynamics in the draft that still have to perfected as the NBDL strives to be the main player development resource for the NBA.
In this year’s draft, there weren’t too many surprises. As expected, big men and players with NBA experience went early. The top three players selected, and four of the first six picks – Ken Johnson, Terence Morris, Lavor Postell, Jason Collier – are all players well experienced in the NBA, getting drafted and playing in the league in recent years. These guys will likely use the NBDL as a stepping stone to get back into the NBA. The other two first round picks, Josh Asselin (who played his college ball at Michigan) and Rolan Roberts (Virginia Tech), cut their teeth on pro ball overseas. The NBDL will be their chance to make an impression on NBA scouts on American soil.
The first true professional basketball rookie to be selected was Ronald Dupree out of Louisiana State, who was selected by Huntsville as the first pick of the second round. Many thought that Dupree would have been picked in the NBA Draft, but he was passed over. He, as well as others like Antonio Meeking, Carl English, and Phil Ricci – who all who participated in an NBA training camp this fall – will get a chance to make the league through the NBDL.
With the departure of Greenville and Mobile from the NBDL and the shortening of this year’s draft from fourteen rounds, the 2003 NBDL Draft only had a total of 60 selections. Here are the complete draft results.
2003 NBDL Draft
First Round
1. Huntsville Flight – Ken Johnson, Ohio State
2. Columbus Riverdragons – Terence Morris, Maryland
3. Asheville Altitude – Lavor Postell, St. John’s
4. Roanoke Dazzle – Josh Asselin, Michigan
5. Charleston Lowgators – Rolan Roberts, Virginia Tech
6. Fayetteville Patriots – Jason Collier, Georgia Tech
Second Round
7. Huntsville Flight – Ronald Dupree, Louisiana State
8. Columbus Riverdragons – Courtney James, Minnesota
9. Asheville Altitude – Antonio Meeking, Louisiana Tech
10. Roanoke Dazzle – Chris Christofferson, Oregon
11. Charleston Lowgators – Carl English, Hawaii
12. Fayetteville Patriots – Sam Clancy, Southern Cal
Third Round
13. Huntsville Flight – Erick Barkley, St. John’s
14. Columbus Riverdragons – Kevin Lyde, Temple
15. Asheville Altitude – Desmond Penigar, Utah State
16. Roanoke Dazzle – Demario Jones, Central Oklahoma
17. Charleston Lowgators – Hiram Fuller, Fresno State
18. Fayetteville Patriots – Ronald Blackshear, Marshall
Fourth Round
19. Huntsville Flight – Phil Ricci, Oregon State
20. Columbus Riverdragons – Matt Laur, McKendree
21. Asheville Altitude – Kareem Reid, Arkansas
22. Roanoke Dazzle – Marque Perry, St. Louis
23. Charleston Lowgators – James Smith, Colorado State
24. Fayetteville Patriots – Darrell Johns, Chicago State
Fifth Round
25. Huntsville Flight – Rick Apodaca, Hofstra
26. Columbus Riverdragons – Germaine Chase, Angelo State
27. Asheville Altitude – Lavorris Jerry, Eastern Kentucky
28. Roanoke Dazzle – Gilson DeJesus, Kansas State
29. Charleston Lowgators – Charles Manga, Seton Hall
30. Fayetteville Patriots – Kueth Duany, Syracuse
Sixth Round
31. Huntsville Flight – Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State
32. Columbus Riverdragons – Patrick Doctor, American
33. Asheville Altitude – Jai Pradia, Pittsburg State
34. Roanoke Dazzle – Mike Mackell, San Diego State
35. Charleston Lowgators – Jarrod Gee, Illinois
36. Fayetteville Patriots – Kent Williams, Southern Illinois
Seventh Round
37. Huntsville Flight – Uche Okafor, Missouri
38. Columbus Riverdragons – Derrick Zimmerman, Mississippi State
39. Asheville Altitude – Jaquay Walls, Colorado
40. Roanoke Dazzle – Mike King, George Washington
41. Charleston Lowgators – Victor Williams, Oklahoma State
42. Fayetteville Patriots – Chudney Gray, St. John’s
Eighth Round
43. Huntsville Flight – Jamario Moon, Meridian (MS) CC
44. Columbus Riverdragons – Erron Maxey, Providence
45. Asheville Altitude – Tobe Carberry, Vermont
46. Roanoke Dazzle – Kevin Owens, Monmouth
47. Charleston Lowgators – Muhammed Lasege, Louisville
48. Fayetteville Patriots – Nick Neumann, Florida Atlantic
Ninth Round
49. Huntsville Flight – Rashid Hardwick, Eastern Oklahoma State JC
50. Columbus Riverdragons – Tahric Gosley, Cleveland State
51. Asheville Altitude – John Martin, Southwest Texas
52. Roanoke Dazzle – Andre Matthews, Delaware State
53. Charleston Lowgators – Tony Rutland, Wake Forest
54. Fayetteville Patriots – Donnell Knight, Arizona State
Tenth Round
55. Huntsville Flight – Duke Freeman-McKamey, Fordham
56. Columbus Riverdragons – Tai Crutchfield, Philadelphia University
57. Asheville Altitude – David Webber, Central Michigan
58. Roanoke Dazzle – Jonathan Jones, Barat (IL)
59. Charleston Lowgators – Moses Malone, Jr., South Carolina State
60. Fayetteville Patriots – Larry Reid, Kansas State
(Note: the fact a player has signed a contract with the league and is drafted by a team does not guarantee that player a spot in the NBDL. They still have to make the team’s roster.)
