Give and Go

Top D-League prospects for NBA on horizon....

2009-03-12T16:31:34Z

NBA TV provided a breakdown of the top D-League prospects for the NBA. The Erie BayHawks will see three of them in their next three games. 1. On Friday, Dakota's Blake Ahearn comes to town to lead the Wizards (21-16) into a key Central Division game. A 2009 D-League All-Star and 2008 league rookie of the year, the 6-foot 2-inch guard is eighth in the league in scoring at 22.6 points a game. 2. On Sunday, Erie plays at Iowa and will see a familiar face in Othyus Jeffers. He hit the game winner to beat Erie earlier this year. A 2009 D-League All-Star, the 6-foot 5-inch forward is averaging 19.6 points for the Central Division leading Energy (22-14). 3. On Wednesday, Austin's Marcus Williams comes to town to lead one of the best teams in the D-League in Austin (25-14). The 6-foot 7-inch forward is seventh in the D-League in scoring at 22.7 points. Not shooting great from deep, but he can score. Williams had 19 points on 5-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds in Austin's loss against Erie last December. He was 9-of-10 from the free throw line.

First look: Quincy Douby

2009-03-12T03:34:57Z

"I'm a hard worker." That was Quincy Douby's first response when I asked him what he wanted the people of Erie to know about him. In his first day with the Erie BayHawks on Wednesday, Douby showed it. After a two-hour practice, the former Sacramento King shooting guard did some conditioning. With Erie assistant Ben McDonald instructing him, Douby ran the steps inside the Hammermill Center gym. Then ran from baseline to baseline a few times. Then he did a few reps of running sideline to sideline. After reach rep, he took some jumps shots, rested for a few seconds and then ran again. After all that, he made 10 free throws - in a row. ]]> On Friday, Erie will get its first look at Douby in game action when the BayHawks play a key Central Division game against Dakota at Tullio Arena. Here are three things to look out for when watching him play. 1. At 6-foot-3, Douby can play both the point and shooting guard, but he's really a scorer. I saw him put up 35 as a freshman in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden. So if the Brooklyn native plays up to his potential, how will Erie coach John Treloar rework the rotation? Since Oliver Lafayette has been out with the injury, Treloar has had a three-man guard rotation with Tony Bethel and Maureece Rice starting and Cliff Clinkscales coming off the bench. Will Treloar extend the guard rotation to four and if he doesn't, who will get the short end of it. It's hard to sit Clinkscales down because he's the team's only true point guard. Rice was just named the league's co-performer of the week, but Bethel has been coming into his own. Although he comes off the bench, Clinkscales likely has firm grip on playing time. 2. In winning 11 of their last 12 games, the BayHawks have developed great team chemistry. People know where to get their shot and how to set each other up. Guys enjoy playing with each other and for each other. They take pride in defense. Now they bring in someone who has talent, but will Douby be able to mesh with the guys this late in the season? The BayHawks only have 11 regular-season games remaining. Will he play too unselfish to fit in and not look for his shot? Will he want to show NBA teams he can still play, look to score more and take others out of their offense? Will he buckle down and play the type of the defense the BayHawks pride themselves upon? In talking with Douby Wednesday, he was open about wanting to get back in the NBA and isn't looking past the thought of getting an NBA call up before the season ends. Remember, he hasn't played consistent minutes in the NBA and will likely get that chance with the BayHawks and show he belongs in the 'league.' Douby told me, "I'm going to do what I do." Is that scoring? Is that creating for others? Is it putting on a show? Whatever it is, if it meshes with the team, great. If it doesn't, it'll be interesting to see how it all unfolds. How will Erie coach John Treloar utilize Douby? 3. Having played in the NBA, Douby went through his share of ups and downs. Had some good games. Had some bad ones. But this is someone who was under the radar coming into college and made a name for himself to become an NBA first-round draft pick in 2006. Now he in the D-League. A place he never figured he'd be. Although he's only 24, Douby has reached an early crossroads in his career. He can either come out and prove himself worthy of another NBA opportunity or sulk about being in the D-League and not come out fully motivated. Let's face it. The D-League is a good league, but everyone in it wants to be in the NBA. Douby was just there and is no longer there. That has to do something to one's mental state. So it's going to be interesting to see how he plays. The BayHawks are in playoff mode and he could help them do some serious damage in the playoffs. That may be the extra motivation he needs to help himself get through those nights when he's sleeping in the Avalon Hotel knowing he could be getting ready to for an NBA game before a sellout crowd of 18,000 to 22,000 people. So if you're eagerly anticipating what Quincy Douby will do Friday, you're not the only one, but I'm more interested to see what happens after Friday night.

Douby a BayHawk..

2009-03-11T16:05:02Z

Quincy Douby is in Erie. The former NBA shooting guard with the Sacramento Kings was at today's practice and the Erie BayHawks just officially released the news. By adding Douby, the BayHawks released Oliver Lafayette due to medical reasons. It's a great pick up for Erie, but unfortunate for Lafayette, but as you'll see in my earlier post, Erie may not have seen the last of Lafayette. Stranger things have happened.

BayHawks acquire former NBA player?

2009-03-11T06:00:58Z

Ridiculous Upside reported late Tuesday night that the Erie BayHawks have picked up former Sacramento Kings guard, Quincy Douby. Douby was the 19th overall pick out of Rutgers in the 2006 NBA Draft. The Kings released the 6-foot 3-inch, 175-pound guard from Brooklyn last month. He averaged 4.2 points a game this season for the Kings. From what I remember of him out of college, he was a very smooth player with serious scoring ability. He finished his college career the sixth all-time leading scorer at Rutgers. If Douby is headed to Erie, it makes me think two things. ]]> If a player is released because of injury, that protects him from being picked up by another team and the team can bring him back later. That's why the BayHawks were able to pick up former Pittsburgh guard Mike Cook after they released him during training camp due to his injured knee. If the BayHawks bring Lafayette back, in order to keep him, they'd have to release someone. You can only have 10 players on a roster. The BayHawks have been playing with nine players since Lafayette got hurt Feb. 11. 2. This may sound crazy, but you know what, Douby may come in, shine for a couple or a few games and an NBA team picks him up. I've come to the conclusion that Lafayette is going to be out for a good while longer. Maybe even another two weeks. So Douby could come in while Lafayette is getting healthy. light it up and an NBA team could pick him up. Now Douby was scheduled to try out for a roster spot with the New York Knicks after the Kings released him. That didn't work out because he's not on New York's roster. Despite that, he's still a viable NBA player. So he's still someone an NBA team would like to have on its roster. We'll find out soon enough.

Playoff position update...

2009-03-10T04:43:25Z

My oh my. The D-League just got a little more interesting. This playoff format of allowing the divisional winners to pick their first-round opponent is crazy, but I like it. If the season ended today, these teams would make the playoffs. The three divisional winners will be listed first. The list is based on winning percentage. 1. Colorado 23-10 (.697) - Southwest Division 2. Idaho 22-14 (.621) - West Division 3. Iowa 21-14 (.600) - Central Division 4. Austin 25-12 (.676) 5. Utah 20-14 (.588) 6. Dakota 21-16 (.568) 7. Erie 22-17 (.564) 8. Bakersfield (.541) The divisional winners would play their first-round games at home even though they may face a team with a better record in the opening round. Now that's a little foul, but let's do a little case scenario. Idaho will look to defend its 2008 D-League championship in this year's playoffs.]]> Now let's look at one more scenario. Say Erie winds up winning the Central Division and they just switch places with Iowa in the standing listed earlier in the post. Right now, the BayHawks are 4-2 against Iowa, 2-0 against Bakersfield, 1-0 against Utah and Austin and 2-3 against Dakota. Since Erie would get the third pick of the divisional winners in this scenario, let's say Colorado picks Bakersfield and Idaho choose Iowa. That would leave the BayHawks having to pick either Dakota, Austin or Utah. Although they've beaten Austin, that was early in the season. They beat Utah in Erie, but they had an NBA player in Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Darnell Jackson play for them in that game. The BayHawks are 2-3 against Dakota. See the dilemma in that? This is going to be fun. Forward Ivan Harris is looking to help the BayHawks make the playoff in their first season in the D-League.

D-League playoff format is unlike any other...

2009-03-09T18:53:31Z

This is definitely a D-League thing. The D-League just released its playoff format and it's unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of before. The three divisional winners and the remaining five teams with the best records make the playoffs. The divisional winners will pick the team they want to play in the playoffs in the first round. WHAT? The divisional winner with the best record gets to pick first, the divisional winner with the second best record gets to pick second and the remaining divisional winner picks third. WHAT? Then the remaining two teams meet in the remaining playoff game. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are single elimination while the D-League championship will be a best-of-3 series. Now I've never heard of something like this. Have you?

BayHawks in playoff position

2009-03-09T17:58:21Z

When they had lost eight games in a row, I didn't envision what has happened since. The Erie BayHawks have made the come up. Eight teams make the D-League playoffs and heading into Monday's games, the BayHawks (22-17) are seventh in the playoff chase. This is based on winning percentage. 1. Colorado 23-10 (.697) 2. Austin 25-12 (.676) 3. Idaho 22-14 (.611) 4. Utah 20-13 (.606) 5. Iowa 21-14 (.600) 6. Dakota 21-16 (.568) 7. Erie 22-17 (.564) 8. Bakersfield 20-17 (.541) 9. Albuquerque 19-17 (.528) 10. Sioux Falls 20-19 (.513) Erie coach John Treloar has the Erie BayHawks soaring.]]> Will Ivan Harris and the BayHawks still have a smile on their face when the playoffs begin?

Erie teammates receive D-League honor....

2009-03-09T17:41:00Z

The D-League named Erik Daniels and Maureece Rice co-performers of the week today after leading the Erie BayHawks to a 3-0 record last week. This is the second time a BayHawk player has received the honor. Daniels was named player of the week Dec. 8.

Temper temper....

2009-03-09T06:03:20Z

Sioux Falls starting back court of Frank Williams and David Bailey shot a combined 3-of-22 from the field, but those two were hot under the collar Sunday night. Both of them were ejected during the Skyforce's loss at Erie. Just watching it was weird. Kind of like seeing a car accident. You saw it, you know happened, but you're still stunned that it did happen. Williams got tossed first. It went down like this. Williams was heated Sunday night.]]> As was Bailey.

He's back.....

2009-03-08T05:18:46Z

43 points. That's right. Stephen Curry is back. He had been hobbled with an ankle injury, but exploded for 43 points in leading the Wildcats to an 84-68 win against Appalachian State on Saturday night. The boy is bad. ]]>

Latest NBA call ups....

2009-03-08T04:44:50Z

There have been three NBA call ups this month already. March 3 - The Houston Rockets called up Anaheim Arsenal high riser, James White. White has yet to play a game for the Rockets. March 6 - The Toronto Raptors called up Austin Toros big man, Pops Mensah-Bonsu. He had four points and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes in his Toronto debut Friday against Miami. March 6 - The New York Knicks called up Iowa Energy forward Demetris Nichols. Nichols played two games with the Chicago Bulls earlier this season. Pops challenging D-Wade.

Don't sleep on 'em....

2009-03-07T23:51:53Z

Pittsburgh. North Carolina. Oklahoma. Memphis We know these teams. Radford. Arizona State. Texas A&M. Auburn. Better get to know these teams, too, because they could do some damage in the NCAA Tournament. Radford ready for March Madness.]]> Radford - The Highlanders (21-11) earned an automatic tournament bid by winning the Big South championship on Saturday. They've won 17 of their last 19 games. Arizona State - After losing three games in a row with two ending in OT losses at Washington and at Washington State, the Sun Devils (22-8) bounced back to top Cal. Texas A&M - After losing six out of eight games, the Aggies (23-8) have won six in a row. Their latest win, a 96-86 thumping of No. 12-ranked Missouri, was impressive. Auburn - The Tigers (20-10) have won eight of their last nine games. The lone loss was at No. 11 LSU. On Saturday, Auburn avenged that setback in a 69-53 win. Tigers on the NCAA Tournament prowl.

The rematch: BayHawks-Skyforce game preview...

2009-03-07T23:09:12Z

Sioux Falls Skyforce (20-18) at Erie BayHawks (21-17) Today, 7 p.m., Tullio Arena ▀ On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.nba.com/dleague (live streaming) ▀ Fast facts: Erie — The BayHawks have won 10 of their last 11 games after scoring a season-high 122 points in a nine-point win against Skyforce on Friday night at Tullio Arena ... Erie is tied for second place in the Central Division with Dakota and only two games behind division leader Iowa ... Tony Bethel scored a career-high 32 points Friday night ... This is the fifth of six consecutive home games for Erie. Sioux Falls — The Skyforce are 3-3 against the BayHawks this season. This will be their last regular-season game against each other ... Frank Williams scored a team-high 23 points in Sioux Falls’ loss to the BayHawks on Friday night ... The Skyforce have lost four of their last seven games ... Sioux Falls have given up at least 100 points in its last five games. ▀ BayHawks up next: vs. Dakota (Friday, 7 p.m.), at Iowa (Sunday, March 15, 5 p.m.) ]]> Erie BayHawks (Head coach John Treloar) No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. College 19 Tejay Anderson F 6-5 218 Youngstown State 13 *Tony Bethel G 6-2 185 North Carolina State 12 Cliff Clinkscales G 6-1 165 DePaul 32 *Erik Daniels F 6-8 214 Kentucky 21 Jarvis Gunter F 6-10 220 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 34 *Ivan Harris F 6-7 220 Ohio State 10 **Oliver Lafayette G 6-2 190 Houston 14 *Jackie Manuel G/F 6-6 188 North Carolina 33 *Maureece Rice G 6-1 225 George Washington 50 Darian Townes F/C 6-10 250 Arkansas Sioux Falls Skyforce (Head coach Nate Tibbetts) No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. College 13 *David Bailey G 5-8 165 Loyola (IL) 50 Keith Brumbaugh F 6-10 215 Hillsborough CC 00 **John Edwards C 7-0 275 Kent State 44 *Chris Ellis F 6-9 265 Wake Forest 21 Brian Harper F 6-9 205 Pace 22 *Michael Joiner F 6-7 230 Florida State 17 *Bobby Jones F 6-7 215 Washington 15 Kasib Powell F 6-7 220 Texas Tech 10 *Frank Williams G 6-3 215 Illinois *Projected starters **injured — Duane Rankin Will Tony Bethel (13) go off on the Skyforce again?

BayHawks-Skyforce game preview...

2009-03-05T23:33:28Z

Sioux Falls Skyforce (20-17) at Erie BayHawks (20-17). Today, 7 p.m., Tullio Arena ▀ On the air: WJET-AM/1400, www.nba.com/dleague (live streaming) ▀ Fast facts: Erie — The BayHawks avenged an earlier 94-85 loss to Tulsa by beating the 66ers, 108-92, Thursday morning at Tullio Arena ... Starting shooting guard Oliver Lafayette remains out with a broken left hand ... Forward Ivan Harris is averaging 23.6 points in his last five games ... Today’s game is in conjunction with Cavaliers affiliate night as the BayHawks will wear the same jerseys worn by one of their NBA affiliates, the Cleveland Cavaliers ... Sioux Falls — In the same division as the BayHawks, Sioux Falls is 3-2 against them. The Skyforce lost their last game against Erie, 98-96, at home last month ... Forward Bobby Jones has had three 20-point games against Erie. In a Dec. 5 win against the BayHawks, Jones had 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and 15 rebounds ... Sioux Falls will play Erie for the final time Sunday at 7 p.m., at Tullio Arena. ]]> Erie BayHawks (Head coach John Treloar) No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. College 13 Tejay Anderson F 6-5 218 Youngstown State 05 *Tony Bethel G 6-2 185 North Carolina State 03 Cliff Clinkscales G 6-1 165 DePaul 15 *Erik Daniels F 6-8 214 Kentucky 21 Jarvis Gunter F 6-10 220 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 54 *Ivan Harris F 6-7 220 Ohio State 10 **Oliver Lafayette G 6-2 190 Houston 04 *Jackie Manuel G, F 6-6 188 North Carolina 06 *Maureece Rice G 6-1 225 George Washington 51 Darian Townes F, C 6-10 250 Arkansas (The BayHawks will be wearing the uniforms of the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. The Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers are Erie's NBA affiliates). Sioux Falls Skyforce (Head coach Nate Tibbetts) No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. College 13 *David Bailey G 5-8 165 Loyola (IL) 50 Keith Brumbaugh F 6-10 215 Hillsborough CC 00 John Edwards C 7-0 275 Kent State 44 *Chris Ellis F 6-9 265 Wake Forest 21 Brian Harper F 6-9 205 Pace 22 *Michael Joiner F 6-7 230 Florida State 17 *Bobby Jones F 6-7 215 Washington 15 Kasib Powell F 6-7 220 Texas Tech 10 *Frank Williams G 6-3 215 Illinois *Projected starters **Injured — Duane Rankin