Larry Burnett is in his third season as the play-by-play broadcaster for the D-Fenders.
Burnett has played a prominent role in Southern California sports for over 15 years. He has hosted pregame television shows for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Clippers and Kings and moderated pre- and postgame radio shows for the Lakers and Angels. He has also worked with FOX Sports, ESPN2 and CBS Sports.
Larry will be will be updating this blog every few weeks, so check back often.
The Hyphenated Blog
Posted by Larry Burnett on March 23, 3: 17 p.m. ET
Why does D- Fenders swing man Ryan Forehan-Kelly have a hyphenated last name? I went straight to the source to find out.
Forehan is my mother’s name and Kelly is my father’s name. That equals Forehan-Kelly and that is me.
RF-K made a name for himself at Santa Margarita High School, but he started his high school career at Cardinal Newman High in the Bay area and then moved to Southern California.
It was a big change for me at first. I was a little afraid to make the move, but I had a good transition and everything turned out really well. We had a good team there. Carson Palmer (now QB for the Cincinnati Bengals) was on my team, so I guess that makes me partially famous. We won state my senior year, so it was a good move for me.
Carson was a beast! He was the sixth man on our basketball team and he played the #4 position. He would set screens, rebound and knock our opponents to the ground. That left me a lot of room to shoot. He was also a tremendous three-point shooter. He would stay out at the top of the key and we knew he’d be there. When we drove and got into trouble, we would toss the ball out to him and he would throw it in like a football. It was crazy!
The thing I liked most about Carson was that he, even when he had football practice and quarterback workouts, he always had the beast in him, always had the dog to still come out and play basketball, too. He would go to quarterback training all day and afterwards he would come and hoop with us until it was dark.
Carson was a great football player. It was amazing to see the recruiting process for him. It seemed like he got a million letters a day from colleges that wanted him. There was a huge stack of letters every day.
NBAE / Getty Images
My recruiting process wasn’t anything like Carson’s, but it was crazy. At first, some Division II schools and Ivy League schools showed interest and then some local California school contacted me; University of the Pacific and USC a little bit. The opportunity at Cal-Berkely came out of the blue. It was late in my senior year, right after we won the state championship. Cal was under sanction and only had nine scholarships, so they invited me to walk on. It was an interesting opportunity with a great school in the Pac-10, so I could not pass it up.
Ryan made the most of his time at Cal from 1998- 2002. He earned a spot on the Pac-10 All Academic Team, which I am sure made his mom, a teacher at UC- Irvine very proud. RF-K shot 41% from three-point range for the Golden Bears, was twice named the team’s top defender, and he had his highest scoring game (20 points) against UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament at STAPLES Center. Since then, life has been a travelogue for Ryan Forehan-Kelly. He started last summer in China and finished it in Croatia.
Croatia turned out to be a great place to play. It was a lot like California, minus all the people, all the traffic, and all the pollution. I was surprised. I didn’t know a lot about Croatia. Even when I was getting on the plane at LAX, I was thinking, “I don’t know if I am going to like Croatia”, but they have really nice people there. Most of them speak English, so that made it an easy transition for me. The food was great, too. They cook a lot of sausage, but I stuck mostly to chicken and fish.
Croatia is right by the Adriatic Sea, so it was very much like the coastal living that we have in southern California. The people are laid back and as it gets warmer in the summertime, everybody hangs out at the beach. I really liked Croatia, but it is lovely to be back playing here in Los Angeles. After playing in places like China, France, Italy, and Venezuela, it is really nice to be back home.
Don’t forget. You can catch my play-by-play of D-Fenders home games right here on D-Fenders.com
You can send your comments and questions directly to me by going to my web site www.larrybsports.com and clicking on the E-Mail tab. I will answer your mail and I may even read it on the webcast of an upcoming D-Fenders game.
Gabriel Hughes: The Big Show
Posted by Larry Burnett on March 4, 6:41 p.m. ET
The saying goes that “you can’t teach height”. No big deal! (get it? No BIG deal!) D-Fenders center Gabriel Hughes did not need any tutoring in that department. He is a legitimate seven-footer who found out early that being tall was in the family genes.
My older siblings were all over six feet tall. One sister was 6-4. My other sister was 6-1 and I had two older brothers who were 6-8 and 6-11. When they took school pictures, our family was always heads and shoulders over the rest of the class.
Hughes grew up as a Lakers’ and a Clippers’ fan. (How does that happen?) As a kid, he only went to two NBA games, but Gabriel knew that he liked hoops and he knew that he loved the Lakers' big men.
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NBAE / Getty Images |
I was mainly a Lakers' fan. My dad’s friend, Mack Calvin, was an assistant coach for the Clippers, but I was a huge Kareem fan and a big Shaq fan too.
- Gabriel Hughes If this was a storybook, I’d tell you that Gabriel Hughes was a natural athlete who was big and strong and confident from the very first time that he touched a basketball. Well, he was big!
I was really awkward and gangly growing up. It was something that I had to overcome and, thankfully, my family gave me a lot of support and confidence. My mom and dad let me know that sooner or later I was going to get past that awkward and gangly stage and they were right.
Gabriel played his high school ball at Bishop Montgomery High School, the same school that produced Errick Craven, the former D-Fenders’ guard who was the California High School Player of the Year in 2001. Hughes lived with his grandmother in Carson and honed his skills while playing for the Knights.
Coach Doug Mitchell really pushed me hard while I was there. He helped me with my footwork and my hands, but most of all; he gave me the confidence to become a better ball player.
In 1998-99 Gabriel made second team All-CIF and then in 2000 he took his game to Cal-Berkeley. In four years with the Golden Bears, Hughes shot 55% from the field and during his final season, Mr. Hughes led Cal in blocked shots. As a student at Berkeley, Gabriel majored in Social Welfare.
I want to work with young people. I have always been able to use my height to attract attention and I think that will help me help young kids to gain the confidence they’ll need to achieve their goals.
Hughes got called for traveling after he left Cal. Lots of traveling! His basketball career took Gabriel to Spain, Japan, Ireland, Romania and Dubai. Before he got the call from the D-Fenders in January, Hughes was keeping busy, working out, playing some ball in Hungary and then in a tournament in Syria.
Since joining the D-Fenders, Gabriel has played in 22 NBA D-League games. He has started 19 times and has averaged 9.0 points and 7.4 boards while shooting 57% from the field (7th in the NBA D-League). Hughes has put up six dub-dubs and has turned out to be a big contributor at both ends of the floor. That awkward, gangly kid from Bishop Montgomery High is all grown up now, but he has not forgotten the great advice that helped him find himself and find his way on the road to his basketball dream.
My parents taught me that god gave me the gift of being tall for me to use to my advantage. They also told me to smile so people can see how really tall I am.
Don’t forget. You can catch my play-by-play of D-Fenders’ home games right here on D-Fenders.com.
You can send your comments and questions directly to me by going to my web site www.larrybsports.com and clicking on the E-Mail tab. I will answer your mail and I may even read it on the webcast of an upcoming D-Fenders’ game.
D-Coop: The Veteran
Posted by Larry Burnett on February 1, 9:38 p.m. ET
Darren Cooper was cut by the D-Fenders during training camp for the 2007-08 season, but when the team had a need in March they signed the 6-3 guard out of Portland. When DC rejoined the D’s, he stepped onto a squad that was loaded with veterans (Sean Banks, Brian Chase, Jelani McCoy, etc.) and headed for the playoffs, but he still managed to play in 15 NBA D-League games and average more than 20 minutes and six points per contest.
When Cooper came back this season, things were a bit different. He was the veteran and the only player back from last year’s squad. Banks had taken his 22 ppg to Turkey. Chase, Cecil Brown and Erick Craven were hooping it up in France. NBA D-League Co- Defensive Player of the Year, Stephane Lasme had moved to Partisan. McCoy was in Puerto Rico, Wendell White in Korea and Devin Green had a new job in Belgium.
That was a big shocker. We had a great team last year. We had a veteran team with a great record and that opened up a lot of jobs for most of the guys who were on the team last year. This year, we’ve got a new group of guys. We are trying to get our team chemistry down and trying to get everybody to figure out the triangle offense, which can be very difficult to figure out if you are not used to playing in a system. Once we get it down, we’ll be all right.
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NBAE / Getty Images |
Everything was not all right for Cooper when the current NBA D-League season began. He was hobbled by a knee injury that was very slow to heal. Every time it started to feel better, DC would test it and the knee would swell up. He missed the first four games of the season and by that time the D’s were already 1-3.
It was very frustrating. You want to get out there and help your team the best you can. It hurts when you know you cannot help and you know that there is nothing you can do about it. There’s not much you can do from the sideline. I went through a lot of rehab and a lot of prayers to get back on the court.
Cooper came off the bench at first, but it was not long before Darren had worked his way into Dan Panaggio’s starting lineup. DC said his leg actually got stronger game-by-game even though his stamina got put to the test in several back-to-back travel situations.
It felt like I was back in AAU when we would play back-to-back-to-back-to-back games. Sometimes we would play two or three in one day. That is what this profession is about though. It is part of the job description. We have to suck it up, sleep when we can and prepare ourselves to get out on the court and win.
Darren Cooper grew up in Portland, Oregon where he played high school ball at Benson Tech. That’s the same high school that A.C. Green attended in the early 1980’s. Darren had one of his better games for the Techmen when they played against one of the nation’s best high school players.
I think my best game was when we played against Tyson Chandler and Dominguez Hills in the Oregon Holiday tournament. I say that because I played well and it was against one of the best teams that I ever faced in high school. It was a good chance for me to measure my talents and see where I stood against other elite high school players. I had 21 points in that game but we lost it by one. Tyson was amazing. We weren’t used to seeing a big seven-footer in high school, especially one who was as athletic as Tyson. It was a great challenge for me and our team. I am always up for a good challenge.
After high school, Cooper’s hoop dreams took him to Eastern Washington University for one year and then on to Portland University where, as a senior, he averaged 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists and earned 1st Team All-West Coast Conference honors. In the summer of 2007, DC made the big step to the pros (sort of) when he signed with the Vancouver Volcanoes of the IBL.
I didn’t know who they were, but it turned out that I played high school ball with one of the coach’s sons. I just wanted to play hoop, so I went up there to try to stay in shape until another opportunity came along. If there is somewhere that I can go to get experience and work on my game, I’m all for it.
That opportunity came with the D-Fenders. As the D’s head into February, Cooper is averaging 8.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is also among the NBA D-League leaders shooting 42.7% from three-point range (10th in the NBA D-League when posted).
Don’t forget. You can catch my play-by-play of D-Fenders’ home games right here on D-Fenders.com
You can send your comments and questions directly to me by going to my web site www.larrybsports.com and clicking on the E-Mail tab. I will answer your mail and I may even read it on the web cast of an upcoming D-Fenders’ game.
The Return of Coby
Posted by Larry Burnett on January 14, 1:22 a.m. ET
I was hoping to see Coby Karl on Tuesday, January 27th when the Idaho Stampede comes to Staples Center, but Coby will be playing in Spain when the D-Fenders square off against their western division foe. Last year, Karl played for the Lakers and the D-Fenders. Coby made the Lakers’ roster as an undrafted rookie free agent and he played sparingly in 17 NBA games.
This year, he got minutes in every Lakers’ preseason game but was cut from the roster right before the start of the NBA regular season. When I talked with Coby recently, he told me that he was caught off-guard when the Lakers’ axe came down.
“I was very surprised when the Lakers waived me. I was not expecting the cut and that always makes it worse, but I thought I played well in some games. I had a year of experience under my belt and I was confident that I would have a roster spot, but things went in the other direction. That’s just business. That’s how the NBA goes sometimes, but I still have great relationships with all the guys and all the Lakers’ coaches. I am very happy for what the organization did for me.”
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NBAE / Getty Images |
The good news for Coby was that Idaho wanted him to play for the Stampede in the NBA D-League this season. Karl played his college basketball at Boise State University, so Coby knew he was going into a familiar, friendly, and comfortable situation.
“I’ve got a lot of family there and I spent five years in college at Boise State. I’ve known the Stampede’s coaching staff just from being around the team over the years and going to their games so it is a great situation for me in Idaho. The team is playing pretty well. I’m playing pretty well and I am getting a lot of playing time, but I am definitely trying to get back to the NBA level again.”
Last year, Coby played 17 NBA games for the Lakers and 17 games for the D-Fenders. The difference was that he started every game for the D’s, but barely got his bones off the Lakers’ bench. He played 639 minutes for Dan Panaggio’s team and a total of 71 minutes for Phil Jackson’s.
This season, Karl starts for Idaho and leads the Stampede in points, assists and 3-point field goal percentage. He was recently named to the D-League’s All-Showcase team after averaging 25 points, six rebounds and nine assists in two Idaho wins played in front of numerous NBA general managers and scouts in Utah.
“One of the things that I do well is shoot the basketball. If I can do that consistently well I think NBA teams will be intrigued by me. I think I am a very good passer but at times I miss the mark, so I’d like to cut down on my turnovers. If I can improve in those two areas, I think I’ll be all right.
Getting the playing time in the D-League really helps. It is good to play again. Obviously, last year was very tough on me. I was sitting on the Lakers’ bench the whole season and did not play much except when they sent me to the D-Fenders, so playing for Idaho right now is good for me. It reminds me that I am still pretty good at basketball. It gives me a chance to work on my game and get my confidence up.”
Coby Karl has done a remarkable job of keeping his spirits up in recent years. Oh sure, he’s been shot down in basketball a few times, but he won two battles with cancer during his college days and Coby says fighting the “Big C” has helped him put his hoop dreams in perspective.
“Yeah. I think it does, especially since I had to deal with cancer at a very young age. I had just come off a really good year for me basketball-wise in college. Then the word “cancer” entered my life and put a halt to everything. That put things in a different perspective for me. I do not take basketball for granted. I have a wonderful family and I am very thankful for everything that I have.”
Part of Coby’s family is George Karl, the head coach of the Denver Nuggets. Dad’s professional head coaching career began in 1980, three years before Coby was born. George coached the Montana Golden Nuggets then and he went on to become a three-time winner of CBA coach of the year honors. His NBA head-coaching dream became a reality in 1984 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Karl’s quest later took him to the Warriors, Sonics and Bucks before George landed in Denver in 2005.
All that work and travel left little time for family and for Coby. Dad and son were not exactly “close” but in 1985, George Karl was diagnosed with prostate cancer and needed surgery. All of a sudden, dad and son had something more in common than just basketball.
“Going through tough times brings families closer or it divides them. My family is very close and dealing with all our adversity made us stronger. I think my dad has changed a lot over the years. I think he has matured. He hates to say that, because it is kind of like admitting fault, but he will tell you now that he probably should have done some things differently when it came to our family. That’s what happens when you pour your life into basketball. Some important things get put on the back burner when that happens, but luckily he came around and everything is great right now.”
Everything is great for Coby right now except that he is not living his dream of playing in the NBA. He is in the D-League in Idaho. What? Did you think his story was going to have a fairy tale happy ending? Did you think some general manager was just going to fly in, hand Coby Karl an NBA contract, pay him buckets of money and say, “Come on. I want to make you a star”?
That’s not how things seem to work for Coby. That’s not how he rolls. Karl has to work and scrap for everything that he gets. He makes the most of his talent and his opportunities and when Coby Karl gets knocked down, he fights his way back up again. Nothing seems to come easy, but hey, when you’ve had to beat cancer twice just to stay alive, working a little harder on your hoop dream doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Does it?
“I tell people that you just have to keep fighting. I had to walk on in college. I got cancer. The NBA did not draft me, and now I am going over another bump in the road as I try to get back to the NBA. I think it builds character and it certainly makes for good stories.”
Good people make for good stories and Coby Karl of the Idaho Stampede is a great story!
Don’t forget. You can catch my play-by-play of D-Fenders home games right here on D-Fenders.com
You can send your comments and questions directly to me by going to my web site www.larrybsports.com and clicking on the E-Mail tab. I will answer your mail and I may even read it on the web cast of an upcoming D-Fenders game.
Coach Dan Panaggio
Posted by Larry Burnett on January 5, 4:41 p.m. ET
The 2009 NBA D-League Showcase is on the docket for the D-Fenders this week. Every one of the league’s sixteen teams will be in action and the D’s will face Bakersfield and Utah during the event that is being held in Orem, Utah this year. D-Fenders’ head coach, Dan Panaggio, told me that the Showcase is a good opportunity for coaches to view opposing teams, but it is an even better opportunity for the NBA D-League’s players to show off their skills.
“I think it is a great chance for the players because most the NBA General Managers are there along with a lot of pro scouts. It is definitely a showcase for the D-League players because they get to display their talents in front of all those NBA people.
In most cases, NBA teams are looking for somebody who might be able to fill in if there is an injury or an emergency situation. They are looking for somebody who might be a good fit, somebody who won’t hurt the team if he gets some minutes at the NBA level. The GM’s and scouts are looking for players who can blend in and be a good team player. They are also looking for an occasional ‘diamond in the rough’, somebody who might have been overlooked in the draft, but could possibly make their NBA roster and maybe even become a part of their rotation.
Look at the Lakers’ situation. Jordan Farmar went down with a knee injury and had to have surgery. He is expected to be out until after the NBA All-Star Weekend. In a situation like that, it would not be unusual for the Lakers to be looking for somebody who could fill in until Jordan is healthy again. In a case like that, a team like the Lakers might be looking for a veteran D-League player who might be able to play 5-10 minutes per game and take some of the pressure off of Derek Fisher so he doesn’t have to wear out his legs. It all depends on what a team needs and who is available.”
NBAE / Getty Images
Coach Panaggio knows that the D-Fenders have some needs this season. After taking a veteran squad to last year’s NBA D-League Playoffs, Panaggio is coaching a youthful, inexperienced team this season. The D’s lost eight of their first nine games and closed out 2008 with a 3-9 record, but Panaggio’s troops started the New Year with an impressive come from behind win over Dakota and the coach is seeing some progress.
“Our record doesn’t look great, but I do think we are getting a little better. We have a very young team and we are trying to get them to mature as quickly as we can. This year’s team is very guard oriented and that is not necessarily to my liking. We need to get some help inside because we are not rebounding very well and our interior defense is not very good.
C.J. Giles should help us up front. He has done a good job since joining the team. It took him a little while to get acclimated, but he is starting to feel his way around. He played really well at Austin two days after Christmas when he had 18 points and 15 rebounds. That was Giles’ second double-double on that road trip, so I am pleased to see his improvement, but we still need to get more help on the interior.
I’d like to get our shooting percentage up, too. We are barely shooting over 43%. That is the lowest in the D-League, so we need to improve that if we are going to have any chance of being successful.”
The challenge is not made any easier by the D-League’s revolving personnel door. Rosters can change faster than the price of gasoline and that does not make life comfortable for the D-League’s coaches.
“I really don’t mind it, but everybody expects a lot of wins and a run at the championship. That might not be in the cards for this team, at least at this point in the season, but it is a challenge to keep teaching these guys, keep working and keep developing them.
Players come and go. I am used to it. I’ve been coaching minor league basketball for a long time. I coached nine seasons in the CBA. All the player movement goes with the territory. Sometimes it can get a little frustrating, but overall coaching in the D-League is very enjoyable.”
Don’t forget. You can catch my play-by-play of D-Fenders’ home games right here on D-Fenders.com
You can send your comments and questions directly to me by going to my web site www.larrybsports.com and clicking on the E-Mail tab. I will answer your mail and I may even read it on the web cast of an upcoming D-Fenders’ game.
Joe Crawford: Getting Closer Everyday
Posted by Larry Burnett on December 31st, 8:09 p.m. ET
Let’s get this straight from the get-go. The D-Fenders’ Joe Crawford is not related in any way, shape or form to long-time NBA referee Joey Crawford. The official, Crawford, has been working in the NBA for 31 years. The D-Fenders’ guard is fresh out of the University of Kentucky and trying to earn his way to the “Association” after the Lakers made him their second round pick (#58 overall) in the 2008 NBA Draft.
“Draft day was a scary and exciting time for me. You wait all your life to be drafted so you can get a chance to play in the NBA. I was a little nervous especially when I went late in the second round. I wasn’t expecting that. I really thought that I would go higher.”
Crawford got a taste of the NBA playing for the Lakers’ summer league team and then going through Phil Jackson’s training camp. He was waived on October 22nd, just ten days before the start of the 2008-09 NBA season and then got assigned to the D-Fenders. Now, he is making his mark in the NBA D-League.
“I just want to continue to get better so that I can become the player that I always dreamed I would be. Getting drafted by the Lakers and playing with them in training camp made me realize that fulfilling my dream is not that far away. I can play with those guys and I know that I am going to improve my game in the D-League. I haven’t had a chance to play like this in a long time. I get a lot of playing time with the D-Fenders and I can try things out and just play free. I am enjoying the experience. It is an exciting time for me.”
With Ford, GM, and Chrysler struggling and the Lions making history with their 0-16 NFL season, Joe Crawford may be one of the few good news items to come out of Detroit recently. He was a star at Detroit’s Renaissance High School where, in his senior season, Crawford led the Phoenix to an undefeated record and the #2 ranking in America.
“Renaissance High School is one of the best public high schools in Detroit. It was a fun experience to play there. When I graduated, I just wanted to go to another winning program, so I picked the University of Kentucky. That was a great experience; then I got drafted by the Lakers, so I’ve been with wining programs all my life.”
Okay. Hold on. Let’s back up just a bit. It was not all “smooth sailing” for Crawford at Kentucky. He was recruited and signed by then head coach, Tubby Smith, but after three seasons Smith bolted for the University of Minnesota and Billy Gillespie was brought in from Texas A&M to run the Wildcats’ basketball program.
“That was a tough situation. Tubby Smith recruited me. I played for him for three years at Kentucky. We all learned to do things one way for three whole years and then in our final season things got switched up on us. It can be really difficult, but it was a smoother transition than I thought it would be. Billy Gillespie allowed me to play more of my game. I took a lot of what I learned from Tubby and applied that to what coach Gillespie was teaching.”
Joe Crawford turned what could have been a negative into a positive. He wound up leading Kentucky in scoring (18 ppg) during his senior season and was named second team All-SEC. Crawford also popped for a career high 35 points in the Wildcats’ first round NCAA Tournament loss to Marquette. Obviously, the Lakers were taking notice and now that Crawford trains in the same facility as the NBA team and plays in STAPLES Center before Lakers’ home games, he is hoping to make them take notice again.
“Right now, the strongest part of my game is creating shots for myself and my teammates. I like to go to the hoop, but I can also score from outside. When I hit jump shots it opens things up for me to go to the basket and when I go to the hoop it opens up shots for me outside, so it works both ways.
While I am here in the D-League, I want to defend better, be more consistent, more aggressive, and keep defenders on their heels. If I can do all that, I think I’m going to be all right.”
Joe Crawford obviously has a goal and a plan for professional success. Maybe he can teach the auto industry and the Lions a thing or two!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, D-Fenders fans. Have a great 2009!!!
Dwayne Mitchell: Doing It All
Posted by Larry Burnett on December 23rd, 8:09 p.m. ET
Dwayne Mitchell is one of the D-Fenders’ most consistent players this season. Heading into Christmas week, he was leading the team in minutes (42.0 mpg), rebounds (7.4 rpg), and steals (2.8 spg) and was third on the squad in points scored (16.0 ppg).
Last year, Mitchell was an All-Star for the Iowa Energy, but after playing for the Lakers’ 2008 Summer League team, Dwayne figured that LA might be a better fit. On November 11th, he got his wish when the D-Fenders traded Patrick Sanders to Iowa in a deal that brought Mitchell to Los Angeles. Dwayne talked with me about the transaction and a whole lot more.
“I kind of asked for the trade. I felt that playing for the D-Fenders would give me a better chance to get called up to the NBA. I felt real comfortable in the triangle offense. It’s a system that forces you to sacrifice your individual game for the sake of the team. I was willing to sacrifice my game because, in the long run, I think it will help me to become a better player and give me a better shot of making it to the NBA.”
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NBAE / Getty Images (Johnny Vy) |
Dwayne plays the 3-spot in what is basically the D-Fenders three-guard offense; Joe Crawford and Brandon Heath make up the backcourt in the scheme. They are the team’s top scorers while Mitchell is third at 16 points per game. That trio of guards account for 55 points per contest for the D-Fenders, more than half of the team’s total offense. Those three players also played for Dan Panaggio on the Lakers entry in the 2008 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, which gave them a head start on learning the “triple-post” or triangle offense that the Lakers and the D-Fenders use.
“It is very tough to pick up the triangle offense. The terminology that Coach Panaggio uses with the D-Fenders is even different than what Coach Phil Jackson taught us during Lakers’ training camp. Coach Panaggio keeps it real short and simple though. He might use a sentence to explain something while Coach Jackson uses a paragraph. We have a lot of DVD’s that we watch of the Lakers running the triangle offense, so we just try to get better day-by-day. That offense is not about individuals. It is a team-oriented offense and basically everyone has to know every position on the floor. Everybody has got to be interchangeable. We are still struggling with the offense, but once we get better as a group, I think we will improve a lot.”
While that process goes on, Dwayne continues to fill up the D-Fenders’ box scores, game after game. He is definitely not a one-dimensional player. That’s the way Mr. Mitchell likes it, but Dwayne feels that he has even more to give and more to prove.
“I try to bring the complete package every game, but there are a lot of things that I need to improve on like shooting and ball handling. I am still working on my rebounding. I want to learn how to play better defense, help defense. Those are the things that I see in myself and I know the coaches see plenty of things that I need to work on. That’s why I am here in the Development League. I am trying to develop my overall game and improve the areas that need work.”
Mitchell’s basketball career took off in New Orleans when he averaged 28 points and shot 60% during his senior season and led John F. Kennedy High School to a 34-3 record. He played one season at Auburn University before transferring to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette where Dwayne became a First-Team All-Sun Belt Conference performer.
“I had a great time there. Those were some of the best years of my life. It was a very good basketball school. Basketball was the top sport there so it was a great atmosphere. I was only an hour and a half away from home, so it was easy for me to get back and forth and see my family.”
Family has always been important to Dwayne Mitchell, especially when Hurricane Katrina clobbered New Orleans in 2005. Their house was destroyed. His family was uprooted, scattered and devastated.
“My whole family was affected by Hurricane Katrina. The majority of my family is still scattered. Our house was just recently rebuilt and slowly but surely, everybody is moving back. It took two years to get that house rebuilt, so my family stayed with me and my wife in Lafayette while I was going to college. At one time, we had sixteen people living in our three-room apartment. We all got through it though, and that experience let me know that, no matter what happens, family is going to stick together.”
As for Dwayne’s basketball career, he is sticking to his game plan to get to the NBA level. After making the All–Star squad with Iowa, last season, he left the NBA D-League and signed a contract to play in Germany. Mitchell could be playing overseas right now and getting a much bigger pay check than the one he is getting from the D-Fenders, but he feels as though the NBA D-League is his place to be this season.
“I could make more money over there, but the exposure is a lot better here. I have to be in the D-League if I want to get to the NBA this season. My main goal is to contribute to the D-Fenders and help us win as many games as possible. Hopefully, we’ll win the D-League championship. With me it is not really about the money, right now, it is about chasing my dream.”
Throughout this 2008-09 D-Fenders season, I’ll be introducing you to some of the key players on the squad and letting you know just a little bit more about them than you will find in the box scores.
Right now, I want to wish all of you a happy holiday season. Whatever you celebrate, have a wonderful time with family and friends.
Don’t forget. You can catch my play-by-play of D-Fenders’ home games right here on D-Fenders.com.
You can also send your comments and questions to me by going to my web site www.larrybsports.com and clicking on the E-Mail tab.
The Beginning of a New Season
Posted by Larry Burnett on December 11th , 9:12 a.m. ET
Wednesday, December 10, 2008.
Mark it down.
The D-Fenders beat Anaheim that afternoon to earn their first home win of the 2008-2009 season. The formula for success was pretty simple.
1. Play short-handed
2. Play from behind
3. Win when your top scorers struggle
It was as simple as that. Jasper Johnson had just been traded. Anthony Coleman was signed but suffering from hamstring woes. Johnny Dukes was out with a knee injury. The D-Fenders only had 8 players in uniform when they took the floor against the Arsenal that day.
Joe Crawford went into the game averaging 28.8 points per game and leading the NBA D-League in scoring, but he missed all seven of his FGA in the first half and had a big ZERO in the points column at intermission. Brandon Heath was struggling too. The D’s second leading scorer (22 ppg) had four points at the half on 2-8 shooting. Dan Panaggio’s team shot less than 29% in the first two quarters, but somehow they were only down 41-35 heading into the third quarter.
Apparently this was the game plan all along. The D-Fenders lulled Anaheim into complacency in the first half and then lowered the boom on the Arsenal in the second. They outscored Anaheim 55-35 in the second half and walked away with a 90-76 win. Because of a shortage of big men, Marcus White was forced into the starting lineup for the first time this season. All he did was respond with a phenomenal game, 20pts / 19 rebounds, just one carom shy of becoming the franchise’s first 20/20 man.
I think that is the kind of season this is going to be for the “New Look” D-Fenders. They won’t be “flat-liners”. There are going to be some real highs and lows as these guys get to know each other. It won’t be easy. Only two players, Darren Cooper and White, were with the D’s last season (Cooper for 15 games. White for only 14 minutes). Headliners like Sean Banks, Stephan Lasme, Brian Chase and Jelani McCoy are gone from last year’s talented veteran roster and playing overseas, so Panaggio’s difficult task is to find the legitimate talent on the 2008-09 D-Fenders squad, get the most out of it, and hope that a true leader emerges to help pull this young and inexperienced team together.
In upcoming blogs, I’ll introduce you to some of the interesting individuals on this year’s team and I’ll let you know what some of the former D’s are up to as well. Be sure to check out my website www.larrybsports.com and if you have any comments or questions, send them to me at lb@larrybsports.com
DON’T FORGET!
You can catch my play-by-play of every D-Fenders’ home game by going to
D-Fenders.com and clicking on the NBA Futurecast tab.
See you next time in BLOGVILLE!
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