Utah To Host 2009 D-League Showcase

OREM, Utah, July 21, 2008 - The Utah Flash has been awarded the opportunity to host the fifth-annual NBA Development League Showcase, it was announced today by NBA D-League President, Dan Reed. The event will be held at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah from January 5-8.

"We are very excited to bring the 2009 NBA D-League Showcase to Utah," said Reed. "The Showcase is a proven platform for the best basketball players in the world, outside of the NBA, to impress NBA personnel evaluators from all 30 teams. I know that the fans in Utah will enjoy and support this exciting basketball experience, just as they do with the Jazz and the Flash."

The 2009 NBA D-League Showcase will feature all 16 teams – playing two games apiece – with four games being played each day. Every NBA team is likely to be represented at the Showcase, by a president, scout, general manager or other front office personnel.

“The D-League Showcase is a great place to scout,” said Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor. “It provides a tremendous opportunity to watch numerous players compete for a job, all in a single location. The Showcase is always very well run by the people who put it on.”

“The Showcase represents one of the largest events to ever come to Utah County,” said Utah Flash Owner, Brandt Andersen. “We estimate the economic impact on the state and county will be between $750 thousand to one million dollars. National and international media exposure that comes to the state is also a large part of the Showcase.”

Kyrylo Fesenko is one of many NBA-assigned players who starred at the D-League Showcase. Melissa Majchrzak/Getty Images/NBAE

In addition to NBA and NBA D-League team personnel, NBA league officials will travel to Orem to conduct meetings and participate in community events through the D-League Cares initiative.

“The 2009 Showcase will provide the league, its players, coaches and front office the perfect opportunity to give back to the people of Utah who have been so generous with their support of the Flash and the NBA D-League as a whole,” said Kevin Carr, Senior Director of Player Development for the NBA D-League. “Our players, coaches and executives will be active conducting various community outreach programs which will undoubtedly leave a positive lasting impression.”

Former Idaho Stampede guard, Mike Taylor used opportunities like the Showcase to expose his talents to NBA scouts and personnel. Taylor, who became the first NBA D-League player to be drafted into the NBA when he was selected in the second round (55th overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, recently signed a contract with the L.A. Clippers, the team which traded for him on draft night. Taylor averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists during the 2008 NBA D-League Showcase.

Since the inception of the Showcase in 2005, there have been ten players called-up or recalled during or immediately after the Showcase; while an even larger number benefited from the exposure afforded them at the Showcase and earned promotions later in the season. In total there have been 119 Gatorade call-ups since the league’s inception, including players like Rafer Alston, Mikki Moore, Matt Carroll and Kelenna Azubuike; while players like Martell Webster, Jordan Farmar and Ramon Sessions have honed their skills and earned recalls from the NBA’s official minor league.

While the NBA D-League strives to be the best basketball league in the world outside of the NBA, its other missions include providing continuing education to players through personal and career development workshops in order to help prepare players for life after their basketball careers are over. These seminars will be conducted at the 2009 Showcase and will supplement monthly workshops conducted throughout the season.

Conceived by the NBA/D-League Panel prior to the 2004-05 season, the Showcase provides exposure for NBA D-League players and coaches to NBA general managers, player personnel executives and scouts on four consecutive days at one location. The NBA/D-League Panel consists of basketball operations executives and scouts from various NBA teams, as well as members of the NBA and NBA D-League Basketball Operations staffs. The Panel is charged with continually evaluating the D-League's progress toward meeting the needs of the NBA's 30 teams.

Game times for the 2009 Showcase will be announced later this summer.