Nov 02, 2007 - 04:05:12 CDT
With former coach Dave Joerger working as an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dakota Wizards feel like they already have a tight connection with one of their parent clubs. By drafting Carlos Powell with the second overall pick in Thursday's D-League draft, they believe they strengthened their ties with the Washington Wizards, their other affiliate.Both sets of Wizards are high on the potential of Powell, a 6-7, 225-pound small forward out of South Carolina.
"This was a good bridge for us with Washington," Dakota coach Duane Ticknor said. "We were excited and they were excited about him, so that made it feel like we were making the right choice."
The 24-year-old Powell, who was one of the final cuts by the Golden State Warriors, spent his first pro season in Portugal and last year in New Zealand. Powell felt he was close enough to making the NBA that he wanted to try his luck in the D-League.
"A couple of coaches told me I could play in the NBA," Powell said in a phone interview. "They just told me I just have to keep working, and that gave me confidence. I definitely feel like I could be called up sooner if I play in the D-League."
Powell, who averaged 28.2 points per game playing for the New Zealand Breakers last season, is in the mold of Renaldo Major, a D-League all-star last year for Dakota. The Wizards, who are hoping Major can return from heart valve surgery in December or January, believe Powell can fill a similar role. Ticknor believes he will fit in well with returnees Maurice Baker, Dontell Jefferson, Kevin Lyde and Rod Benson.
"He's very much a slasher," Ticknor said. "Keeping him out of the (NBA) is consistency on his jump shot."
Powell was No. 1 on Dakota's list, but a former Wizard was selected before him Colorado nabbed point guard Eddie Gill with the first overall selection.
Gill had a stellar half-season with the Wizards in 2003-04, averaging 18.1 points and 8.0 assists before getting called up by the Portland Trail Blazers. The 29-year-old, who had played with the New Jersey Nets and Memphis Grizzlies before coming to Dakota, spent two years with the Indiana Pacers after his stint in Portland.
Two other former Wizards were taken in the draft. Iowa selected Alfred Neale with the final pick of the fifth round, 70th overall. Los Angeles took Damond Williams in the 10th round, 133rd overall.
In the second round, with the 27th pick in the serpentine draft, Dakota tabbed David Palmer, a 6-7 forward out of Southern Utah. Palmer, 25, averaged 15.4 points per game his senior year at Southern Utah. He spent the past two seasons playing in Japan and has played four years of pro ball.
"We thought he was the best shooter in the draft deep range," Ticknor said. "He's got the size. The other thing we really like is he's got some overseas experience."
In the third round the Wizards selected Kibwe Trim, a 6-10, 240-pound power forward from Sacred Heart. Trim scored 19.2 points per game his senior year of college, and played last season in France and Venezuela. Ticknor praised his shot-blocking skills.
Dakota chose Blake Ahearn, a 6-2, 190-pound guard from Missouri State, in the fourth round. Ahearn is one of four rookies taken by the Wizards, who must keep at least two on the roster. Ticknor got to see Ahearn, a four-year starter who averaged 15.4 ppg last year, frequently last season.
Dakota went for size in the fifth round, taking 7-1, 266-pound center Aristide Sawadogo. Sawadogo, 25, is originally from Burkina Faso and played college ball at Clayton State. He finished as the school's all-time leader in blocked shots with 131.
The Wizards picked Armein Kirkland, a 6-8, 205-pounder out of Cincinnati, in the sixth round. Kirkland was drafted by the Fort Worth Flyers last season, but was hurt in training camp and is still considered a rookie.
"He can play the 2, the 3 and a little bit of 4, because he's so slender, but he's really athletic," Ticknor said. "He can really defend typical Cincinnati guy."
Dakota picked up another small forward, Wil Frisby, in the seventh round. Frisby, a 6-8, 235-pounder, played at Miami (Fla.). Frisby, 26, has played in Netherlands, France and China.
In the eighth round the Wizards selected Donta Richardson, a 6-2, shooting guard out of Wyoming. In the ninth round the Wizards grabbed another rookie, Perrin Johnson, a 6-5 guard-forward out of Louisville. With their final pick, Dakota selected Tony Gipson, a 6-1 point guard out of LSU.
Ticknor said he was satisfied with the results.
"You don't always take the best players in this draft," Ticknor said. "You take the guys that make the best team. With what we have coming back, we have to try to fill in around those guys."
The Wizards certainly avoided making a huge blunder like Bakersfield did. The Jam had to forfeit its first-round pick when it did not respond in the two minutes allowed. Bakersfield was awarded a compensatory pick at the end of the draft.
First round: 1. Colorado - Eddie Gill, 6-0, 183, G, Weber State. 2. WIZARDS - Carlos Powell, 6-7, 220, F, South Carolina. 3. Albuquerque - Darvin Ham, 6-7, 230, F, Texas Tech. 4. Idaho - Jamaal Tatum, 6-2, 175, G, Southern Illinois. 5. Rio Grande Valley - C.J. Watson, 6-2, 180, G, Tennessee. 6. Sioux Falls - Nik Caner-Medley, Maryland, 6-8, 230, SF. 7. Fort Wayne - Larry Turner, 6-11, 240, C, Tennessee State. 8. Los Angeles - Jelani McCoy, 6-10, 245, C, UCLA. 9. Anaheim - Kedrick Brown, 6-7, 220, SF. Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) C.C. 10. Utah - Kevin Kruger, 6-2, 185, G, UNLV. 11. Tulsa - Glen McGowan, 6-9, 230, F, Pepperdine. 12. Austin - Kevin Pittsnogle, 6-11, 240, F, West Virginia. 13. Bakersfield - forfeits pick. 14. Iowa - Dwayne Mitchell, 6-5, 211, G-F, Louisiana-Lafayette.
Second round: 15. Iowa - Jahsha Bluntt, 6-6, 220, G-F, Delaware State. 16. Bakersfield - Jamison Brewer, 6-4, 200, G, Auburn. 17. Austin - Carldell Johnson, 5-10, 180, G, Alabama-Birmingham. 18. Tulsa - Adam Harrington, 6-5, 210, G, Auburn. 19. Utah - Michael Cuffee, 6-5, 200, G-F, Middle Tennessee. 20. Anaheim - Ivan Johnson, 6-8, 230, F, Cal State-San Bernadino. 21. Los Angeles - Robert Whaley, 6-10, 265, C, Walsh (Ohio). 22. Fort Wayne - Lukasz Obrzut, 7-1, 265, C, Kentucky. 23. Sioux Falls - Carl Elliott, 6-4, 220, G, George Washington. 24. Rio Grande Valley - Quin Humphrey, 6-4, 205, G, Youngstown State. 25. Idaho - Brent Petway, 6-8, 210, F, Michigan. 26. Albuquerque - Daniel Horton, 6-3, 200, G, Michigan. 27. WIZARDS - David Palmer, 6-7, 215, F, Southern Utah. 28. Colorado - Kelly Whitney, 6-7, 240, F, Seton Hall.
Third round: 29. Colorado - Julian Sensley, 6-9, 230, F, Hawaii. 30. WIZARDS - Kibwe Trim, 6-10, 240, F-C, Sacred Heart. 31. Albuquerque - James Smith, 7-0, 250, C, Marist. 32. Idaho - Ricky Woods, 6-6, 210, F, Southeast Louisiana. 33. Rio Grande Valley - John Davis, 6-7, 225, F, Tarleton State. 34. Sioux Falls - Jason Klotz, 6-10, 255, F-C, Texas. 35. Fort Wayne - Cory Minnifield, 6-8, 210, F, Si Tanka. 36. Los Angeles - Marcus White, 6-8, 220, F, Purdue. 37. Anaheim - Anthony Harris, 6-2, 185, G, Miami, Fla. 38. Utah - Alexander Ugrinowski, 6-4, 195, G, Croatia. 39. Tulsa - Dwight Brewington, 6-5, 190, G-F. 40. Austin - Melvin Council, 6-3, 190, G, Robert Morris. 41. Bakersfield - James Peters, 6-8, 225, F, UNLV. 42. Iowa - Nick Lewis, 6-10, 235, F, San Diego.
Fourth round: 43. Iowa - Rob Summers, 6-11, 250, C, West Virginia. 44. Bakersfield - Brian Wethers, 6-4, 215, G, California. 45. Austin - Levi Stukes, 6-2, 205, G, Georgia. 46. Tulsa - DeAndre Rice, 6-3, 200, G, Florida Atlantic. 47. Utah - Lamar Rice, 6-7, 235, F, Georgetown (Ky.). 48. Anaheim - Derrick Franklin, 6-9, 230, F, Columbus State. 49. Los Angeles - Abdoulaye N'Diaye, 6-11, 220, C, USC. 50. Fort Wayne - Shagari Alleyne, 7-3, 270, C, Kentucky. 51. Sioux Falls - Evan Burns, 6-8, 220, F, San Diego State. 52. Rio Grande Valley - Rob Griffin, 6-6, 205, F, Iowa. 53. Idaho - Marcus Campbell, 7-0, 265, C, Mississippi. 54. Albuquerque - Tiras Wade, 6-5, 205, G-F, Louisiana-Lafayette. 55. WIZARDS - Blake Ahearn, 6-2, 190, G, Missouri State. 56. Colorado - Brandon Dean, 6-2, 190, G, Arkansas.
Fifth round: 57. Colorado - Damien Lolar, 6-4, 215, G, West Texas A&M. 58. WIZARDS - Aristide Sawadogo, 7-1, 265, Clayton State. 59. Albuquerque - Ejike Ugboaja, 6-9, 225, F-C, Nigeria. 60. Idaho - Martin Samarco, 6-2, 195, G, Bowling Green. 61. Rio Grande Valley - Jason Clark, 6-8, 235, F, Virginia. 62. Sioux Falls - J.C.Mathis, 6-9, 225, F, Michigan. 63. Fort Wayne - Julius Ashby, 6-9, 227, F, Colorado. 64. Los Angeles - Cecil Brown, 6-4, 190, G, UC-Santa Barbara. 65. Anaheim - Tyrone Anderson, 6-4, 215, G, Concord. 66. Utah - Ismail Muhammad, 6-6, 225, F, Georgia Tech. 67. Tulsa - Keith Closs, 7-3, 203, C, Central Connecticut State. 68. Austin - Ashanti Cook, 6-2, 190, G, Georgetown. 69. Bakersfield - Donell Williams, 6-3, 190, G, Fayetteville State. 70. Iowa - Alfred Neale, 6-6, 200, F, New Mexico.
Sixth round: 71. Iowa - Fabricio Vay, 6-9, 220, F, Argentina. 72. Bakersfield - Jason Harris, 6-4, 220, G, Sacramento State. 73. Austin - Brad Stricker, 6-11, 280, C, Georgia State. 74. Tulsa - Michael Peeples, 6-6, 205, F, Fairleigh Dickinson. 75. Utah - Trayvon Lathan, 6-6, 190, G, Chowan (N.C.) University. 76. Anaheim - B.J. Walker, 6-9, 245, Oklahoma City. 77. Los Angeles - Darren Cooper, 6-3, 180, G, Portland. 78. Fort Wayne - Frank Richards, 6-2, 180, G, Kansas State. 79. Sioux Falls - Ronald Allen, 6-10, 270, C, Cincinnati. 80. Rio Grande Valley - Jesse Smith, 6-11, 260, C, Idaho State. 81. Idaho - Jason Ellis, 6-7, 220, F, Boise State. 82. Albuquerque - Ali Berdiel, 6-5, 200, G, Valparaiso. 83. WIZARDS - Armein Kirkland, 6-7, 200, F, Cincinnati. 84. Colorado - Tyronne Beale, 6-8, 220, F, Bowie State.
Seventh round: 85. Colorado - Marcus Saunders, 6-8, 215, F, Texas-Permian Basin. 86. WIZARDS - Wil Frisby, 6-8, 235, F, Miami (Fla.). 87. Albuquerque - Josh Gross, 6-6, 205, F, UNC-Greensboro. 88. Idaho - Dwuan Rice, 5-11, 165, G, Cal State-Bakersfield. 89. Rio Grande Valley - Royce Parran, 5-10, 160, G, Chicago State. 90. Sioux Falls - Milone Clark, 6-4, 215, Tennessee Tech. 91. Fort Wayne - Ron Howard, 6-5, 200, F, Valparaiso. 92. Los Angeles - Martane Freeman, 6-7, 210, F, Colorado. 93. Anaheim - Clarence Sanders, 6-1, 180, G, Mississippi. 94. Utah - Andre Ingram, 6-3, 190, G, American University. 95. Tulsa - Rashid Byrd, 7-0, 235, C, Eastern Oklahoma J.C. 96. Austin - Daryl Dorsey, 60, 170, G, Brevard C.C. 97. Bakersfield - O'Neal Mims, 6-10, 230, F, Angelo State. 98. Iowa - Mike Efevberha, 6-4, 195, G, Cal State-Northridge.
Eighth round: 99. Iowa - James Beasley, 7-0, 270, C, Morehouse. 100. Bakersfield - Richard Andrews, 6-3, 200, G, Cal State-Bakersfield. 101. Austin - Joseph Works, 6-7, 215, Tarleton State. 102. Tulsa - Abe Badmus, 6-0, 187, G, Bucknell. 103. Utah - Dwayne Shackleford, 6-10, 185, G, USC. 104. Anaheim - Marquis Webb, 6-5, 205, G-F, Rutgers. 105. Los Angeles - Forrest Fisher, 6-4, 190, G, John Brown. 106. Fort Wayne - Nate Gerwig, 6-9, 250, F-C, Kent State. 107. Sioux Falls - Michael Joiner, 6-7, 230, F, Florida State. 108. Rio Grande Valley - Craig Winder, 6-2, 190, G, Texas-Austin. 109. Idaho - Tim Jennings, 6-3, 190, G, Gardner-Webb. 110. Albuquerque - Michael Adams, 6-11, 235, C, Youngstown State. 111. WIZARDS - Donta Richardson, 6-2, 185, G, Wyoming. 112. Colorado - Lou White, 6-4, 200, G, Voorhees.
Ninth round: 113. Colorado - Chad Bell, 7-0, 260, C, Nevada. 114. WIZARDS - Perrin Johnson, 6-5, 200, G-F, Louisville. 115. Albuquerque - Ramon Dyer, 6-7, 200, F, Houston. 116. Idaho - Marlon London, 6-5, 200, G-F, DePaul. 117. Rio Grande Valley - Derrick Allen, 6-4, 195, G, Clark Atlanta. 118. Sioux Falls - Sammy Monroe, 6-6, 205, Newberry College. 119. Fort Wayne - Anthony Kyle, 5-8, 165, G, Miles. 120. Los Angeles - Ivan Jenkins, 5-1, 185, G, Lambuth. 121. Anaheim - Lorenzo Williams, 6-1, 165, G, Rice. 122. Utah - Garry Hill-Thomas, 6-5, 215, G, Nevada. 123. Tulsa - Schea Cotton, 6-8, 220, F, Alabama. 124. Austin - Tim Bush, 6-6, 245, F, Baylor. 125. Bakersfield - Lemar Gayle, 6-6, 215, F, Cal State-Bakersfield. 126. Iowa - Ian Young, 6-3, 195, G, Auburn.
Tenth round: 127. Iowa - Larry House, 6-4, 200, G-F, Creighton. 128. Bakersfield - George Williams, 6-8, 215, F, Houston. 129. Austin - Ronald Blackshear, 6-2, 215, G, Marshall. 130. Tulsa - Dwight Jones, 6-2, 180, G, Houston Baptist. 131. Utah - Tyree Jones, 5-11, 175, G, Eastern Oregon. 132. Anaheim - Bruce Brown, 6-11, 280, C, Hampton. 133. Los Angeles - Damond Williams, 6-6, 200, F, McNeese State. 134. Fort Wayne - Casey Love, 6-8, 262, F-C, Robert Morris. 135. Sioux Falls - Fred Robinson, 6-5, 210, G, Colorado State. 136. Rio Grande Valley - John Bunch, 7-2, 310, C, Monmouth. 137. Idaho - Derrick Stevens, 5-11, 180, G, Colorado State. 138. Albuquerque - Tim Smith, 5-9, 170, G, East Tennessee State. 139. WIZARDS - Tony Gipson, 6-1, 190, G, LSU. 140. Colorado - Antonio Griffin, 6-5, 210, G-F, Cal State-Bakersfield. 141. Bakersfield (pick awarded for forfeited first round selection) - Anthony Wilkins, 6-7, 220, F, Kent.
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.