USBasket.com All-D-League Awards 2016 - May 4, 2016
USBasket.com All-D-League 1st Team 2016
Blue
Green
Ayres
Stepheson
Stokes
Finals MVP: Jarnell Stokes (6'7''-F-94) Player of the Year: Jarnell Stokes (6'7''-F-94 Guard of the Year: Erick Green (6'3''-PG-91) Forward of the Year: Jarnell Stokes (6'7''-F-94) Center of the Year: Alex Stepheson (6'10''-F/C-87) Most Improved Player of the Year: Axel Toupane (6'6''-G/F-92) Rookie of the Year: Quinn Cook (6'2''-PG-93) Impact Player of the Year: Ryan Gomes (6'7''-F-82) Defensive Player of the Year: Deandre Liggins (6'6''-G-88) ason Collier Sportsmanship Award: Scott Suggs (6'6''-F/G-89) Coach of the Year: Dan Craig of Sioux Falls S.
Sioux Falls Skyforce Cap Historic Season with First NBA D-League Title - Apr 28, 2016
The Sioux Falls Skyforce, affiliate of the Miami Heat, capped the winningest season in NBA Development League history with their first NBA D-League championship on Wednesday night at the Sanford Pentagon. Regular-season MVP Jarnell Stokes (6'7''-F-94, college: Tennessee) earned Finals MVP honors as the Skyforce rolled past the Los Angeles D-Fenders (Lakers affiliate), 91-63, in the winner-take-all Game 3. Sioux Falls finished the regular season with a 40-10 record - the best in the NBA D-League's 15-year history - before going 6-1 in the playoffs. The 'Force finished 26-4 at home in the Pentagon. 'One of the biggest things that stuck out about this team is how tough we are with each other,' said Stokes, who averaged 19.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the series while shooting 77 percent from the floor. 'We're very tough-minded. We're almost like demons on the court. But I'm starting to realize the more I'm here how much guys really love each other. Like, we really want to see each other do well. And I think that's what sets us apart from any other team.' 'That group in there, it's selfless,' said head coach Dan Craig , in his 13th season in the Heat organization. 'It's not about who's doing well, who's scoring, who's playing. And it starts there: really buying into the team.' The title is the third in Skyforce history; the team began play in the Continental Basketball Association in 1989, winning titles in 1996 and 2005, and joined the NBA D-League in 2006. They became singly affiliated with the Heat in 2013, with Miami running basketball operations and Sioux Falls continuing to manage off-the-court business operations and community initiatives. Eight of the nine players who appeared in Wednesday night's clincher had spent team with the Heat during Summer League, training camp, the preseason and/or regular season. 'It's everybody's goal, to get to this point. And we're here,' said guard Deandre Liggins (6'6''-G-88, college: Kentucky). 'I've been around a great group of guys all year. I'm kind of sad that this [is] our last game, but I'm happy at the same time.' After splitting the first two games of the series - Sioux Falls winning Game 1 in L.A. and L.A. winning Game 2 in Sioux Falls - the Skyforce's depth and defense put them over the top in Game 3. They held a seven-point halftime lead before breaking the game open with a 27-13 third quarter. The 'Force bench outscored the D-Fenders bench 77-20 in the series. Against the league's top defense, L.A. shot just 29 percent from the field in the decisive game, including 1-of-20 from deep. Point guard Josh Magette (6'1''-G-89, college: Al.-Huntsville) paced the team with 21 points, while backcourt mate Vander Blue (6'5''-SG-92, college: Marquette) scored 15 to finish with a series-leading scoring average of 25.0 points per game. Stokes lifted Sioux Falls with 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds. Courtesy of: nba.com
Sioux Falls Skyforce Crowned 2016 NBA D-League Showcase Champions - Jan 11, 2016
The Sioux Falls Skyforce were crowned champions at the NBA Development League Showcase 2016 presented by Samsung, which concluded tonight in Santa Cruz, CA. The team captured the championship as one of seven teams with a perfect 2-0 record. To break the tie among the 2-0 teams, the advanced basketball statistic Net Rating (calculated by subtracting Defensive Rating from Offensive Rating) was used. Sioux Falls finished with an overall Net Rating of +13.3, while the Canton Charge finished in second place with a Net Rating of +11.9 The five-day event featured each of the league's 19 teams playing two regular season games at Kaiser Permanente Arena, home of the Santa Cruz Warriors. The Skyforce began their Showcase run with a 102-98 win over the Raptors 905 on Thursday, Jan. 7 before defeating the hosting Warriors 102-81 on Saturday, Jan. 9. With the wins, Sioux Falls improved to 16-3, an NBA D-League record for best record to open a season. Miami Heat assignees Josh Richardson (6'6''-G-93, college: Tennessee) and Jarnell Stokes (6'7''-F-94, college: Tennessee) combined for 50 points in the win over the Raptors, with Deandre Liggins (6'6''-G-88, college: Kentucky) chipping in with 19 points and nine assists. Stokes finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds against the Warriors. Courtesy of: oursportscentral.com
Jimmer Fredette wins MVP as East beats West in D-League All-Star Game - Feb 14, 2016
The D-League All-Star Game started just about how you'd expect at Richo Coliseum on Saturday. There was a turnover as one side tried to get creative, and because nobody had any interest in getting back in transition defense, it led to a ludicrous dunk the other way. In this case, Ricky Ledo (6'7''-SG-92, college: Providence) got to do the honors. Things settled a little from there, but only by All-Star Game standards. There were still an array of transition dunks and, more notably, attempts at highlight plays that resulted in a big play the other way. Ledo was often a major player, proving the most entertaining All-Star on the floor and working at both ends of difficulty outlet passes. The Western All-Stars leaned on that part of the game more heavily, as the East was more willing to commit turnovers. Where the East made up for it was on the glass and from long-range, at some points grinding the game to a slow on the defensive end. Back the other way, it was on Jimmer Fredette (6'2''-PG-89, college: BYU) to pull up at-will - it didn't matter much if the triples dropped. Fredette also mixed in a few closeout attacks, finishing the first half with a game-high 17 points on 7-of-10 from the floor. He also had four assists ass each side moved the ball extre mely well, as these games require. Jordan McRae (6'6''-G-91, college: Tennessee) was the most active distributor, helping make sure 10 different East players scored in the half. It was 11 scoring for the West, strangely led by Jeff Ayres (6'9''-F-87, college: Arizona St.). Strange, not because he's not a good player, but because this is an All-Star game and it was weird to see a team running post-ups for Ayres or, on the other end, double-teaming Jordan Bachynski (7'2''-C-89, college: Arizona St.) post-ups. In other words, it got weird on the way to a 64-56 halftime lead for the East. That half saw appearances from Raptors 905ers Ronald Roberts (6'8''-F-91, college: St.Joseph's, agency: Pensack Sports) and Scott Suggs, each of whom came off the bench. Suggs missed a pair of jumpers but had a steal and a rebound, while Roberts dished a nice assist to fellow big-man and the whole player rebounding more than him in the D-League, Alex Stephenson (6'4''-G/F). Roberts also hit a corner three - he's 0-of-2 on threes in his D-League career, and it seems his regretful absence from a Slam Dunk Contest that teammate Johnathan Jordan (5'10''-PG-92, college: Texas A&M-CC) won had him thinking about finding his way into another competition. Range is actually a nice part of Roberts' game that some sleep on, and while he's not a 3-point threat, it's nice for him to get to show that a bit with an All-Star triple. Suggs earned the start in the second half, hitting a pair of triples in the early stages to help the East stay afloat as the West not only caught up but started to pull away. Vander Blue caught fire for that side, and while Fredette stayed hot, he needed Suggs' 13 second-half points in support. With 4:30 to play, the game was tied at 108, following the normal All-Star formula of being sloppy both ways for stretches until players on both sides realize they actually want the win. From there, East and West traded baskets, with Jarnell Stokes factoring in for the East and Brandon Ashley and Vincent Hunter (6'10''-C/F-84, college: Arkansas) doing work for the West. And, you know, Fredette being Fredette and making you think 'well maybe' for the 100th time in the last five years. Ultimately, Fredette proved too much. Chants of 'Jimmer, Jimmer' rained down at Ricoh down the stretch, and he got an 'MVP' chant as he iced the game with late free throws, pushing the East up 128-124, where the score would stay. Fredette finished with 35 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, winning the MVP and proving that in the D-League, anything really is possible. Courtesy of: raptorsrepublic.com
D-League All-Star Game 2016 Rosters - Feb 15, 2016
