Looking Back at the 2008 D-League Expansion Draft

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Yesterday the D-League's two expansion franchises, the Maine Red Claws and Springfield Armor, took part in a 10-round expansion draft. Some of the players selected included Cedric Bozeman (UCLA), John Lucas III (Oklahoma State), and James White. For full expansion draft analysis and results, check out Jon L's recap at Ridiculous Upside.

What I'd like to do is turn the clock back a year to look at the 2008 D-League expansion draft, specifically the 10 selections made by the Erie BayHawks. The BayHawks were joined at last year's expansion draft by the Reno Bighorns and full results can be found here courtesy of ShamSports.com.

Below is a quick look at each of the BayHawks' 10 expansion draft selections from last season:

Round 1: Mike Gansey
While Gansey was the first round selection of the BayHawks, he didn't play for the team. Instead he played last season in Germany with Eisbaeren Bremerhaven where he averaged 8.7 points per game. He also poses with a mean game face.

Round 2: Jackie Manuel
The UNC alum was the BayHawks' second-round selection and the only expansion draftee that ended up on Erie's roster. Manuel was a key contributor for the team last season, particularly on defense.

Round 3: Kris Lang
The BayHawks made it two Tar Heels in a row with the selection of Kris Lang in round three. Lang, however, returned to play in Turkey last season with Turk Telekom Ankara.

Round 4: Dahntay Jones
After finishing the 2008 season in the D-League, Dahntay Jones found his niche last season, signing on with the Denver Nuggets. The former Duke Blue Devil started 71 games for the Nuggets and played a key defensive role during the team's postseason run to the Western Conference Finals. He signed with the Indiana Pacers this offseason.

Round 5: Steven Smith
The 6'9" Smith played last season in Greece with VAP Kolossos. Unfortunately, he ruptured his Achilles tendon 22 games into the season.

Round 6: Cecil Brown
Brown, formerly of UC Santa Barbara, played last season for Etendard de Brest in France, averaging 15.4 points per game.

Round 7: Brian Greene
Former Colorado State forward Brian Greene went in round seven. He wound up spending the 2008-09 season with Entente Orleans 45 in France where he averaged 12.4 points per game.

Round 8: Brian Chase
Chase, who played his college ball at Virginia Tech from 1999-2003, has been all over the place since turning pro, including a few years with the L.A. D-Fenders in the D-League. Last season he had stints with Le Mans Sarth Basket of France and Dynamo Moscow of Russia.

Round 9: Jeff Hagen
According to this article from GopherHole.com, Hagen, a former Minnesota Golden Gopher, retired following the 2007-08 season, which he played for the Iowa Energy.

Round 10: Randy Livingston
Though he was retired, the BayHawks selected Livingston in the final round of the expansion draft with the hopes that they could entice the 2006-07 D-League MVP to come out of retirement. But it didn't happen. Livingston remained retired and caught on as an assistant coach with the Idaho Stampede. This season he will be part of an expansion team—as an assistant coach with the Maine Red Claws.

(My thanks to Eurobasket.com. Their comprehensive profile listings helped me track down a lot of the players/information for this post.)

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About this blog/blogger

Blog Talk BayHawk is an unofficial Erie BayHawks blog covering the NBA D-League. It features opinions and information about the NBADL and the Erie BayHawks. Blog Talk BayHawk is written from a basketball fan’s perspective to fill In the gaps left by professional journalists’ coverage of BayHawks basketball and the Erie professional basketball scene.

Matt Hubert is a 25-year-old writer and basketball fanatic born and raised in Erie, Pa. He graduated from Mercyhurst College in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in English and a dual concentration in writing and creative writing. Matt's not wavering from his stance as a lifelong Los Angeles Lakers fan, but he will cover the BayHawks' NBA affiliates in Cleveland and Toronto when it makes sense to do so throughout the year.

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