2011 NBDL Draft: Analysis of Each Iowa Energy Selection
By Editorial Staff
After winning the 2010 NBDL Championship last season, the Iowa Energy looked to pick up some talent in Thursday’s draft to help them once again win it all.
With Curtis Stinson leaving for a better offer overseas, the Energy were in need of a point guard. As a Marquette fan, I was hoping Dwight Buycks would be available when the Energy were on the clock. But he was taken by the Tulsa 66ers five picks before the Energy were due up. With Buycks not being available, the Energy selected Brandon Ewing.
(Brandon Ewing, Iowa’s top selection in the 2011 draft, a 6’2 who attended Wyoming.)
Ewing was an extremely solid player his senior season at Wyoming (2008-2009) averaging around 17 points and 5 assists per game. The Chicago-native will most likely be relied on to fill in Stinson’s shoes as the starting point guard.
With back to back picks, the Energy snagged power forward Dominic Calegari out of UC Davis with their next pick. Calegari will provide scoring as well as rebounding for the Energy.
The third of the Energy’s eight selections, Jarrid Famous has the potential to have a huge rookie season for Iowa. Although Famous only averaged 8.7 points last year for the USF Bulls, he is very underrated heading into his first professional season. I have high expectations for Jarrid and hope he can be a key contribution in another great Energy season.
With the 51st pick the Energy selected shooting guard-small forward Nick Murphy out of Jacksonville State. Murphy had a
fantastic season last year, averaging 15.5 points and 6 rebounds. In a pre-NBA draft interview with Ed Isaacson of NBA Draft Blog, Murphy listed his biggest strength as “being a leader on the court.” Also, “I do whatever I need to do to help my team win. I am also very versatile as a player – I can score, I can rebound, I can pass and play defense.”
Four picks later Iowa picked up forward Michael Tveidt who attended North DakotaState and was a two-time member of the All-Summit League second team.
Former Southern Illinois forward Carlton Fay was the next player drafted by the Energy. Yeah, he’s that guy who got dunked on by Gerald Henderson. Besides getting dunked on, Fay can score; he averaged a decent 12 points and 4 rebounds in his senior season for Southern Illinois.
In round six the Energy selected Thomas Baudinet, a guard who played his college ball at St. Anslem. Baudinet is a great shooter and scorer as well, he finished the season ranked ninth in points per game.
The final draft choice of the Energy was Jason Westrol, a 6’2 guard who attended Bentley. Westrol is known for being a superb defender as well as having excellent court vision. He is coming off of a season in Romania.
Overall, I give the Energy a B-/C+ on the draft. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good. I feel they could have drafted a lot better. Their best selection at the moment and in future will be the selection of Jarrid Famous. He has great potential and is very athletic and just looks like he belongs in the NBA. A lot of pressure will be on the whole team to have another championship caliber season. Stanley Robinson is the only player that I am for sure is back from last season.
Another look at the Energy’s draft choices:
Pick No. |
Name
Position
College
Height
26
Brandon Ewing
G
Wyoming
6’2”
27
Dominic Calegari
F
UC Davis
6’10”
37
Jarrid Famous
F-C
USF
6’11”
51
Nick Murphy
G-F
Jacksonville State
6’4”
55
Michael Tveidt
F
North Dakota St.
6’7”
66
Carlton Fay
F
So. Illinois
6’8”
87
Thomas Baudinet
G
St. Anselm
6’3”
98
Jason Westrol
G
Bentley
6’2”