CLEVELAND – Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters has been selected to participate in the 2014 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge to be held on Friday, Feb. 14 in New Orleans during NBA All-Star Weekend 2014, the NBA announced today. The participants in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge are current rookies and sophomores who were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot.
Waiters, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, is the highest scoring bench player in the Eastern Conference at 14.5 points in 31 games as a reserve this season. He has scored in double figures in 23 of his 31 appearances off the bench, including nine games of 20-plus points. Overall, he has appeared in 40 games (nine starts) in 2013-14, averaging 14.3 points (fourth-highest among all second-year players), 2.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 29.0 minutes per game.
The 6-4, 225-pound guard was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 2012-13 and was winner of the NBA’s Rookie of the Month Award last February. He also was one of four Cavs players to participate in last season’s BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend, tallying 23 points on 11-12 (.917) shooting in 19 minutes for Team Shaq.
The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge Draft is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6, televised exclusively on TNT at 7 p.m. ET. General Managers for the teams will be announced at a later date. Each team will have nine-man rosters, consisting of both NBA rookies and sophomores drafted from the available pool selected by the NBA's assistant coaches. The head coaches for both teams will be the lead assistant coaches from the 2014 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs. Frank Vogel and his Indiana Pacers staff have secured the honors in the East, while Scott Brooks and his Oklahoma City Thunder staff earned the honors in the West. After the teams are set, fans will have the opportunity to vote from both their computer and mobile device for who should be in the starting lineup for each team.
The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge will be televised live nationally on February 14th on TNT at 9 p.m. ET.