Local D-League Basketball Team Keeps Player’s NBA Dreams Alive
Guard, Donald Sloan takes a breather during practice
The Reno Bighorns basketball team gives players new hopes and opportunities to make it to the NBA while developing and fine-tuning their skills.
The Bighorns are a part of the National Basketball Association’s Developmental League. This league is filled with players on the verge of becoming successful at the professional level. Many of these players are fresh out of high school or college and have been sent down to the league by NBA teams. This gives these players an opportunity to play and compete at a high level as appose wasting time sitting the bench on a professional team. This also allows them to take some time and really develop their skills. Other players often have been struggling in the game and are just looking for their last shot to make it big. No matter their background, all of the players share the same goals.
“My goal first is to win basketball games, but obviously looking at the big picture, it’s to play well and receive a call up to an NBA program.” “That’s everyone’s goal out here but to get there we have to first win games.” Said Mo Charlo.
Charlo is a small forward for the Bighorns and also a former successful UNR basketball player.
Power forward Doug Thomas had similar things to say regarding his goals and the goals of the team,
“I want to help my team have a record setting season in wins in order to get as many call-ups as possible.” “When scouts come watch games its important to play at my best, but more importantly to show we can win games.” Said Thomas.
These players strongly believe that a unified team effort is the key to giving them all the best opportunity to make it to the professional level.
The Developmental League itself is a fairly new program, as it was founded in 2001. Currently, the league is comprised of seventeen teams located throughout the nation. Each NBA team is assigned one or two teams from the D-League to which they can send down first or second year players at any time. However any NBA team can choose to bring up a player from any D-League team at any time. Due to the fact that the league has only been around for a decade, these policies have often been tweaked and changed in an attempt to find the best method. Also, mixed feelings have been drawn regarding the effectiveness of the league and its role in helping the success of NBA players.
Media Relations Coordinator for the Bighorns Zak Basch believes the D-League is most effective only in the aspect of helping young players. When speaking regarding the Bighorns’ Hassan Whiteside’s recent move to the team, from the Sacramento Kings, he said,
“He (Whiteside) wasn’t playing, he’s twenty-one years old, straight out of college, and he wasn’t going to get any better sitting on the bench.”
Basch went on to say,
“They sent him down to give him a chance to get better and really showcase his skills to earn playing time on the Kings, so in that aspect I believe it is beneficial to the NBA and all of the players.”
Doug Thomas believes that the D-League plays a huge role in helping the NBA by keeping the competition amongst player at a high level due to the fact that players can be brought up or dropped down at any point in time. Thomas said,
“It has played a big role, more and more players are getting called up because they’ve had a chance to really develop their skills so I believe it’s a big factor for the NBA.”
Overall, the Developmental league has given players great opportunities to become successful NBA basketball players. It enables these men to keep their dreams of becoming professional athletes alive, and also ensures that the best of the best players comprise the NBA.
Aside from helping players develop skills, the Bighorns team makes great entertainment for sports fans in northern Nevada. The team plays its home games at the Reno Event Center in downtown Reno. For information on tickets, game schedules, and players, visit nba.com/dleague/reno.
