Past NCAA Tournament Standouts in the NBA Development League
Published on March 16, 2015
Doron Lamb, Marquis Teague & James Young | Kentucky
Resume: The starting guards on the Wildcats' 2011 title team are each pushing for an NBA Call-Up -- Lamb with the Westchester Knicks and Teague with the Oklahoma City Blue. Young, who played in the championship three years later, has been assigned for nine games with the Red Claws during his rookie season as a Celtic.
Other UK alums: Daniel Orton, Eloy Vargas
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Russ Smith & Peyton Siva | Louisville
Resume: Now two of the most dynamic guards in the NBA D-League -- Smith on assignment from the Grizzlies and Siva with the Erie BayHawks -- they teamed up to lead Louisville to its first national title in 27 years in 2013.
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Erik Murphy & Casey Prather | Florida
Resume: The two were starters on a Gators team that just couldn't get over the hump, losing in three straight regional finals. They finally advanced out of their region last year, Prather's senior season.
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Andre Dawkins | Duke | Sioux Falls Skyforce
Resume: Dawkins was a freshman backup on Duke's 2010 title team. He's since blossomed in a starting role for the Miami Heat's NBA D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, ranking among the league's top shooters.
Other Duke Alums: Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, Dahntay Jones
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Shabazz Napier & Roscoe Smith | Connecticut
Resume: Napier, who dazzled during four games with Sioux Falls this season, carried the Huskies to a title run last March that felt like a replay of the Kemba Walker-led run of 2011. Smith, an NBA D-League All-Star, was a backup on that '11 team.
Other UConn Alums: Hasheem Thabeet
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Darnell Jackson | Kansas | Westchester Knicks
Resume: Jackson was the senior dirty worker on a deep Jayhawks squad that topped Derrick Rose's Memphis team in an unforgettable title game. He's since carved out a successful pro career, including stints with three NBA teams and three D-League teams.
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C.J. Fair | Syracuse | Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Resume: The Orange were perennial contenders during Fair's career, but it was when he broke out as a junior that 'Cuse advanced to the Final Four. Now Fair is chasing a title with the Mad Ants, averaging 13.1 points per game.
Other Syracuse Alums: Arinze Onuaku
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Mitch McGary | Michigan | Oklahoma City Blue
Resume: While Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas dominated the backcourt, McGary was the Wolverines' skilled enforcer down low. He's brought his nonstop energy to Oklahoma City as a rookie, rehabbing from a foot injury with the affiliate Blue.
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Cleanthony Early & Nick Wiggins | Wichita State
Resume: Following in the footsteps of George Mason and VCU, Early and Wiggins played the wing on the ninth-seeded Shockers during their run to the national semifinals. Early was assigned to Westchester for an NBA D-League tune-up this season, while Wiggins is a starter for the Idaho Stampede.
Other WSU Alums: Toure Murry
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William Buford, Aaron Craft & Lenzelle Smith Jr. | Ohio State
Resume: Buford's Buckeyes advanced past the first weekend in each of his last three seasons, culminating in a national semifinal appearance in 2012. Fellow NBA D-Leaguers Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr. were sophomores on that team.
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Vander Blue | Marquette | Los Angeles D-Fenders
Resume: Blue is just one of a host of Marquette alums who have gone on to play in the NBA D-League, emerging as a go-to scorer en route to the regional finals as a senior.
Other Marquette Alums: Dwight Buycks, Jerel McNeal, Jamil Wilson
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Jarnell Stokes & Jordan McRae | Tennessee
Resume: Stokes and McRae formed the inside-out duo that led the Volunteers from the play-in game to the second weekend last season.
Other Tennessee Alums: Scotty Hopson
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Daniel Coursey | Mercer | Erie BayHawks
Resume: The 15th-seeded Mercer team that upset Jabari Parker-led Duke last season was coached by journeyman Bob Hoffman, whose career included a season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and anchored by Coursey, who scored 17 points in the game.
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Dwight Powell & Josh Huestis | Stanford
Resume: The long-armed, athletic defenders that made the Cardinal a matchup problem last season have turned into up-and-coming pro prospects, with Huestis spending a season as a "draft-and-stash" player and Powell splitting his rookie year between the two leagues.