Thirteen players with NBA experience highlight the rosters for the second annual D-League All-Star Game. The game will be held Feb. 16, on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas and will tip off at 2 p.m. CST and will be shown live on NBA TV.
The two 10-man rosters were selected by a combination of fan balloting on D-LEAGUE.com and voting of the league’s 14 head coaches. The Red Team will be the home team, while the Blue Team will be the visitors.
Call-Ups Eddie Gill and Billy Thomas highlight the Red Team roster. Gill, selected first in the 2007 D-League draft by the Colorado 14ers, earned the season’s first call-up Nov. 15, when he signed with the New Jersey Nets. He ranks among D-League leaders with 7.9 assists per game and 2.5 steals per game. Thomas, Gill’s teammate in Colorado, earned a Dec. 24 call-up by the Nets and is among league leaders with 2.5 steals per game.
Reigning D-League Most Valuable Player Randy Livingston joins the Red Team, as does Dallas Mavericks assignee Nick Fazekas. Fazekas is averaging 18.9 points for the Tulsa 66ers while Livingston sits atop the league’s leader board with 11.3 assists per game for the Idaho Stampede.
NBA-assigned players Morris Almond, Kyrylo Fesenko and Ian Mahinmi headline the Blue Team. Almond and Fesenko, teammates on the Utah Jazz and their D-League affiliate Utah Flash, have both seen multiple assignments during the season. Almond most recently joined the squad on Jan. 25, while Fesenko headed to Orem on Dec. 13. Mahinmi is in his second stint with the Austin Toros from the Spurs. Almond is second in the league with 26.4 points per game, while Fesenko is averaging 10.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Mahinmi ranks among the league’s best, shooting .639 (163-255).
Los Angeles D-Fenders center Jelani McCoy, Austin Toros guard Keith Langford and Fort Wayne Mad Ants guard Jeremy Richardson, all Call-Ups this season, round out the Blue Team’s roster. McCoy, who earned a call-up from the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 29, is averaging 2.2 blocks, ranking him among the league’s best defenders, while Langford, who earned a call-up from the Spurs on Dec. 28, is averaging 24.1 points, ranking him among the league’s top five scorers. Richardson has twice been called up this season, first by the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 20, and then by the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 10. Richardson is averaging a league-high 28.2 points to go with 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 40.8 minutes in nine games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
C.J. Watson, the 100th Call-Up in league history, and member of the Golden State Warriors, was selected to the Blue Team by the fans and coaches. Since he is with the Warriors, he will be replaced on the D-League All-Star roster by NBA veteran and Bakersfield Jam guard Andre Barrett. Watson, who played 16 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers before earning a call-up from the Warriors on Jan. 8, had his NBA contract renewed through the end of the 2007-08 season.
Nine additional D-League standouts will compete in the All-Star Game, including three D-League Player of the Month and D-League.com Performer of the Week honorees. The Red Team will include Lance Allred (Idaho), Elton Brown (Colorado), Kaniel Dickens (Colorado), Dwayne Mitchell (Iowa), Kasib Powell (Sioux Falls), and Cory Violette (Idaho). The Blue Team will include Sean Banks (Los Angeles), Rod Benson (Dakota) and Carlos Powell (Dakota).
The Red Team will be coached by Idaho Stampede (22-5, .814) head coach Bryan Gates and his assistant Ray Lopes, while the Blue Team will be helmed by Los Angeles D-Fenders (18-8, .692) head coach Dan Panaggio and his assistant Chucky Brown. Both coaches were selected based on their teams having the highest winning percentage by Jan. 31. Prior to the game, Gates and Panaggio will choose starting lineups for their respective teams.
RED TEAM ALL-STAR ROSTER
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College
G Eddie Gill (Colorado) 6-1 180 08/16/1978 Weber State
G Randy Livingston (Idaho) 6-4 210 04/02/1975 Louisiana State
G Dwayne Mitchell (Iowa) 6-5 210 08/24/1982 Louisiana-Lafayette
G Billy Thomas (Colorado) 6-5 220 12/23/1975 Kansas
F Kaniel Dickens (Colorado) 6-8 235 07/21/1978 Idaho
F Elton Brown (Colorado) 6-9 250 09/09/1983 Virginia
F Nick Fazekas (Tulsa) 6-11 211 06/17/1985 Nevada
F Kasib Powell (Sioux Falls) 6-7 215 03/18/1981 Texas Tech
F Cory Violette (Idaho) 6-9 255 03/13/1982 Gonzaga
C Lance Allred (Idaho) 6-11 250 02/02/1981 Weber State
Head Coach: Bryan Gates (Idaho)
Assistant Coach: Ray Lopes (Idaho)
Athletic Trainer: Kevin Taylor (Idaho)
Honorary Captain: Rick Barry
BLUE TEAM ALL-STAR ROSTER
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College
G Morris Almond (Utah) 6-6 225 02/02/1985 Rice
G Andre Barrett (Bakersfield) 5-10 173 02/21/1982 Seton Hall
G Keith Langford (Austin) 6-4 215 09/15/1983 Kansas
G CJ Watson (Rio Grande Valley) * 6-2 180 04/17/1984 Tennessee
F Sean Banks (Los Angeles) 6-8 210 01/20/1985 Memphis
F Rod Benson (Dakota) 6-10 225 10/10/1984 California
F Carlos Powell (Dakota) 6-7 220 08/29/1983 South Carolina
F Jeremy Richardson (Ft. Wayne) 6-7 190 02/11/1983 Delta State
C Kyrylo Fesenko (Utah) 7-1 288 12/24/1986 Ukraine
C Ian Mahinmi (Austin) 6-11 230 11/05/1986 France
C Jelani McCoy (Los Angeles) 6-10 245 12/06/1977 UCLA
Head Coach: Dan Panaggio (Los Angeles)
Assistant Coach: Chucky Brown (Los Angeles
Athletic Trainer: Marco Nunez (Los Angeles)
Honorary Captain: Lenny Wilkens
* Watson will be replaced by Andre Barrett due to his active status with the Golden State Warriors.
