Court Vision XL

Mario Little: 15 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast

Chr1stopher — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:39:57 +0000

Mario Little is showing that he is the well-rounded player that scouts had labeled him as.

Last night against Budivelnyk, Little posted 15 points in a combination of 3-point shooting, slashing to the basket and mid-range pull-ups. He also filled the stat sheet with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Little looks to continue working on his game and be prepared for NBA free agent camps in June of 2012.

Reginald Delk: 17 points, 5 rebounds

Chr1stopher — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:34:06 +0000

Reginald Delk has done it again! The Louisville starter is showing that he can score at a high-level in Europe.

In last night's performance, Delk put up 17 points while connecting on 40% of his three-point attempts. He also grabbed 5 rebounds.

Delk is averaging 24 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game, while shooting 50% from downtown.

Marcus Lewis: 24 pts, 14 reb, 2 ast

Chr1stopher — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:24:32 +0000

Marcus Lewis is coming off a pheonimal D-League Showcase performance, where he was named a 1st Team Selection and was ranked the #4 NBA prospect in the D-League. Lewis is playing phenominal basketball, and has not slowed down.

Last night, in a 1-point loss to the Iowa Energy, Lewis dropped 24 points on 8 of 18 shooting. He also had a typical rebounding night, pulling down 14 and also contributed with 2 assists.

Lewis is currently averaging 16 ppg, 14 rpg, 3 apg, and is leading the league in rebounding and double-doubles

Preston Knowles: 19 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast

Chr1stopher — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:10:35 +0000

Preston Knowles has adjusted quite well to the NBA D-League format. In his fourth game since signing with the Springfield Armor, Knowles has started to see major minutes and is coming off of a 14 point (and game-winning shot) performance.

In 34 minutes of action, Knowles shot 4 of 10 from the 3-point line and put up 19 points. He also added 4 rebounds and 3 assists. ,

Knowles is playing in a guard-heavy rotation,behind three players that were in the New Jersey Nets training camp: Jameson Curry, Jerry Smith and Lance Hurdle.

Nick Okorie: 18 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast

Chr1stopher — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:59:44 +0000

Nick Okorie has played his first game, since signing in Germany earlier this month with Saar-Pfalz Braves.

Okorie graduated in 2010 from Texas Tech University and started his European career in Finland last year. He was one of the top guards in a very competitive league and had averages of 16ppg, 3rpg, 3apg.

In his first game in Germany, Okorie led his team with 18 points on 41% shooting. He also contributed with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot.

PJ Alawoya: 14 points, 14 rebounds

Chr1stopher — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:40:54 +0000

PJ Alawoya has played his first game, since signing in Germany earlier this month with Saar-Pfalz Braves.

Alawoya, who was #16 in the NCAA last year in rebounding (10.6 per game), has began his European career in the same way. Last night in a close loss to Webmoebel, Alawoya scored 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He also pulled down 14 rebounds (6 offensive) and had 1 steal.

Look for Alawoya to continnue his monstrous rebounding and become on of the top rebounders in Germany.

Marcus Lewis: 1st Team Selection

Chr1stopher — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:23:59 +0000

All 16 NBA D-League teams gathered in Reno, Nevada this week for the annual Showcase. Over the course of four days, each team played two games and players had the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of scouts and executives from the NBA, as well as representatives from Europe.

Marcus Lewis' first game was mediocre compared to how he has been playing this seson – 9 points and 11 rebounds. However, his second game was much stronger. Lewis had 23 points, missing only one shot from the field (11 of 12). He also pulled down 12 rebounds and had 3 assists & 3 steals.

At the end of the showcase, Marcus Lewis (along with 4 other players), was selected to the NBA D-League All-Showcase 1st Team.

Preston Knowles: Game-winning shot!

Chr1stopher — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:35:24 +0000

By KYLE LEATH

RENO, Nev. – Preston Knowles’ 3-pointer from the right corner with 5.6 seconds left capped a wild finish as the Springfield Armor closed out play in the NBA D-League Showcase in Reno with a thrilling 100-99 win over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Thursday night at the Reno Events Center.

The Armor controlled the game for the first 46:16, but a 3-pointer by Rio Grande Valley’s Kelvin Lewis (15 points) gave the Vipers their first lead at 97-95 with 1:14 to play.

“Wow, not the way I drew it up, but we will take it,” Armor coach Bob Mackinnon said.

Springfield led by as many as 15 points and withstood a couple of earlier Rio Grande Valley charges before the Lewis three.

The key play of the game also involved Lewis. With 15.9 left and the Vipers up 99-96, Springfield attempted to inbound the ball in the frontcourt and Lewis was called for a dead ball foul for holding Springfield’s Jerry Smith (12 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists). The result was one technical free throw by JamesOn Curry (13 points, 9 assists) to cut the lead to two with Springfield maintaining possession. Ten seconds later the Knowles (14 points) three sealed the deal.

“It was just one of those freak things,” MacKinnon said of the sequence. “After all we had given away, it just fell back in our laps.”

With the win, Springfield climbed back to .500 at 9-9 and sits third in the Eastern Conference.

The Armor came out hot from long range as they made seven first-quarter 3-pointers to build a 32-21 lead.

“We shot it well from behind the arc in the quarter,” MacKinnon said. “And we missed four or five lay-ups and tip-ins that could have put (us) over 40 points in the quarter.”

Springfield saw a double-digit third-quarter lead shrink to one when a dunk by Viper Greg Smith (13 points, 10 rebounds) cut the lead to 72-71. The run was primarily led by a parade to the free-throw line, with 13 points from the charity stripe in the period. For the game, Rio Grande Valley held a huge advantage, outscoring Springfield 36-18 at the line.

“The free-throw differential was huge,” MacKinnon agreed. “We seemed to get a little lazy and started reaching a lot in the third. That got them back in it, but we got a handle back on it in the fourth.”

The Armor had six players in double figures, led by 18 points from Damien Johnson. L.D. Williams had 17 and Jeff Foote added 16 and seven rebounds.

The Armor returns home to host Maine on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.

NOTES: In a quick visit during the halftime break, New Jersey Nets Director of Basketball Operations Milton Lee commented on the play of the Armor: “Bob (MacKinnon) is doing a great job of installing the concepts and style of play that Avery (Johnson) has with the Nets. I am very impressed each time I see Springfield play.”

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2012/01/late_preston_knowles_shot_lift.html

Justin Johnson: 12 pts, 2 ast, 2 stls

Chr1stopher — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:17:11 +0000

The Dakota Wizards have lost stand-out guard, Anthony Goods to a team in Italy. Since then, rookie Justin Johnson has seen an increase in playing time.

Last night in a close loss to the Rio Grande Vipers, Johnson played 27 minutes and had an un-characteristic shooting night, hitting only 3 of 11 from the field. However, Johnson was still a key contributor on both ends of the floor, with 12 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Johnson is currently averaging 13 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game, while shooting 56% from the field, 31% from 3-point and 74% from the free-throw line.

Reginald Delk: 32 pts, 8 rebs, 4 stls

Chr1stopher — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:00:47 +0000

Reginald Delk, former University of Louisville starter, has made his European debut! Delk built his collegiate reputation the way most Rick Pitino players do, on the defensive end of the court, but also shot a stunning 42% from the 3-point line.

Last season, in his rookie year, Delk had made the decision to play in the PBL to remain close to his family. Now he is ready to to move to a bigger stage.

Last night, in his first European game, Delk shot the lights and and did what he does best – play defense. In 35 minutes of play, Reginald Delk had 32 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals, to lead his team to a victory and a great way to start the new year!