Dar Tucker (New Mexico Thunderbirds), Booker Woodfox (Texas Legends) and the NBA D-League Haier Shooting Stars team of Shane Edwards (New Mexico Thunderbirds), Orien Greene (Utah Flash) and Jeremy Wise (Bakersfield Jam) were victorious at NBA Development League Dream Factory Friday Night at Center Court at NBA Jam Session.

Tucker won the Slam Dunk Contest for the second year in a row, Woodfox won his second Three-Point Shooting Contest this season and Edwards, Greene and Wise took the second-annual NBA D-League Haier Shooting Stars competition at the fourth-annual NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, an innovative skills competition modeled after the popular NBA All-Star Saturday Night.

The first repeat NBA D-League All-Star Slam Dunk Champion, Tucker put a twist on the dunk that helped him win last season in Dallas, when he dunked over 7-footer Brian Butch. This time, Tucker (6-4) took a pass from Bakersfield’s Jeremy Wise while dunking over his teammate, New Mexico’s 6-foot-7 forward Shane Edwards. Tucker edged Chris Johnson (Dakota Wizards) with a final-round score of 96-93.

Woodfox, who won the NBA D-League Showcase Three-Point Contest in January, defeated Scottie Reynolds (Springfield Armor), 16-7, in the Three-Point Contest. Woodfox won a shoot-off with Marcus Landry (Reno Bighorns), 20-17, in the first round to advance after the two initially tied with 16.

The NBA D-League Haier Shooting Stars team of Edwards, Greene and Wise won the second-annual Haier Shooting Stars competition over the team of Othyus Jeffers (Iowa Energy), Walker Russell Jr. (Fort Wayne Mad Ants) and DeShawn Sims (Maine Red Claws), completing the six-step shooting competition in 60 seconds in the final round. In the first round, Edwards, Greene and Wise advanced to the final thanks to Greene’s half-court shot, which banked off of the shot-clock and in after just 23 seconds. The shot was initially ruled incomplete, but was eventually overturned.

February 12, 2010

Dar Tucker of the Los Angeles D-Fenders, Andre Ingram of the Utah Flash, and the NBA D-League Shooting Stars team of Pat Carroll (Iowa Energy), Trey Gilder (Maine Red Claws) and Carlos Powell (Albuquerque Thunderbirds) all came away victorious at the third annual NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, which took place on Center Court at NBA Jam Session at the Dallas Convention Center as part of NBA All-Star festivities.

The action-packed evening featured a game of Three Point Competition, a Slam Dunk Competition and the inaugural NBA D-League Haier Shooting Stars competition.

In the inaugural NBA D-League Shooting Stars competition, the trio of Carroll, Gilder and Powell set a Shooting Stars record with a time of 15.6 seconds to complete all six shots in the first round. They took on a team of Brian Butch (Bakersfield Jam), Desmon Farmer (Reno Bighorns) and Donell Taylor (Idaho Stampede) in the final round, eventually sinking all six shots in 50.3 seconds to beat their opponent’s 1:13 time.

The D-League Slam Dunk contest got the night off to an electric start when Tucker earned perfect scores on each of his four dunks en route to being crowned NBA D-League Slam Dunk Champion for 2010. To get there, Tucker squared off against Thunderbird Tony Danridge, Alonzo Gee of the Austin Toros and Gilder. Tucker and Gee advanced to the final round, while Danridge and Gilder were eliminated after one. Tucker set the tone in the finals with his third perfect 50 with a double-pump reverse jam, while Gee countered with a reverse windmill slam. With their second dunks, Gee stuffed it with one hand from the left side but Tucker showcased his leaping ability, using Jam center Brian Butch as an obstacle, jumping over the seven-footer to record his fourth perfect 50 of the night to finish the night with a perfect 200 points.

In the D-League Three-Point Shooting Competition, the night’s second event, Utah’s Ingram defeated the reigning Three-Point Shooting Champion, Bakersfield’s Blake Ahearn by a score of 39 to 37. Ingram advanced to the finals having secured an 18 in the first round, while Ahearn earned his trip to the final round by scoring 20 in the first round. Fort Wayne’s Rob Kurz and Springfield’s Morris Almond finished with 15 and nine points in the first round, respectively.


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D-LEAGUE DREAM FACTORY ALL-STAR EVENTS PREVIEW

The NBA Development League Dream Factory Friday Night, an innovative skills competition modeled after the popular NBA All-Star Saturday Night, returns for the third consecutive year to Center Court at NBA Jam Session on Friday, Feb. 12, at 10:00 p.m. ET, and will stream live on NBA.com from 10-11p.m. ET.

Twenty NBA D-League players, including eight with NBA experience, three who were drafted by NBA teams and one returning champion from the 2009 NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, will showcase their skills during the evening’s competitions. This year’s event includes a Slam Dunk Competition, a Three-Point Competition featuring an all “money-ball” rack and the inaugural NBA D-League’s Shooting Stars. Players must be on an active NBA D-League roster to compete in any event.

NBA D-League Shooting Stars makes its first appearance at NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday night, and features 12 NBA D-League stars competing in four teams of three in a two-round timed shooting event. First-time NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night participants Romel Beck (Dakota), Brian Butch (Bakersfield), Pat Carroll (Iowa), Desmon Farmer (Reno), Curtis Jerrells (Austin) and Diamon Simpson (Los Angeles) will join NBA D-League All-Stars Reggie Williams (Sioux Falls), Trey Gilder (Maine), Carlos Powell (Albuquerque), Mustafa Shakur (Tulsa), Mike Harris (Rio Grande Valley) and Dontell Jefferson (Utah) in the competition.

The D-League Dream Factory Shooting Stars contest features six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

Four first-time Slam Dunk competitors, Tony Danridge (Albuquerque), Dar Tucker (Los Angeles), Bill Walker (Maine) and Deron Washington (Tulsa) will take to the floor to showcase their best high-flying skills in a battle for slam dunk supremacy. The competition consists of two rounds of two dunks each with the top scores from the first round advancing to the championship round.

2009 NBA D-League All-Star Co-MVP and 2008 NBA D-League Rookie of the Year Blake Ahearn (Bakersfield) will return to NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night to defend his Three-Point Competition title. He’ll square off against sharpshooters Morris Almond (Springfield), Andre Ingram (Utah) and Rob Kurz (Fort Wayne), who will each make their first appearance in the contest. Kurz ranks seventh in the NBA D-League shooting 49 percent from behind the arc, while Ingram, a 42 percent shooter from long range, has sunk 63 three-pointers this season. Almond, the NBA D-League’s leading scorer (27.0 ppg) has connected on 28 three-pointers.

Each competitor will have 60 seconds to sink up to 25 three-pointers from five shooting stations assembled around the three-point line. The initial four stations will have four orange balls (worth one point each) and one multi-colored “money ball” worth two points, while the competition kicks into high gear as the final station will for the first time consist of five two-point “money balls.” The shooters will compete in two rounds of action with the top two scorers from the first round advancing to the final round.

NBA D-League action in Dallas continues on Saturday, Feb. 13, when the fourth-annual NBA D-League All-Star Game tips off at 2 pm CT. The game features 20 of the NBA D-League’s top prospects as selected by fans and the NBA D-League’s 16 head coaches and will be broadcast live on NBA TV at 2 p.m. CT.

D-LEAGUE SLAM DUNK COMPETITION
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College
G/F Tony Danridge (Albuquerque) 6-5 215 2/26/1986 New Mexico
G Dar Tucker (Los Angeles) 6-4 204 4/11/1988 DePaul
F Bill Walker (Maine) # 6-6 220 10/9/1987 Kansas State
F Deron Washington (Tulsa) 6-7 215 12/12/1985 Virginia Tech

D-LEAGUE THREE-POINT COMPETITION
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College
G Blake Ahearn (Bakersfield) 6-2 190 5/27/1984 Missouri State
F Morris Almond (Springfield) 6-5 210 2/2/1985 Rice
G Andre Ingram (Utah) 6-3 190 11/19/1985 American
F Rob Kurz (Fort Wayne) 6-9 230 3/5/1985 Notre Dame

D-LEAGUE SHOOTING STARS
Pos. Player (Team) Ht. Wt. Birthdate College
F Romel Beck (Dakota) 6-9 185 5/29/1982 UNLV
C Brian Butch (Bakersfield) 6-11 240 12/22/1984 Wisconsin
G Pat Carroll (Iowa) 6-5 200 10/10/1982 Saint Joseph’s
G Desmon Farmer (Reno) 6-5 210 10/7/1981 USC
F Trey Gilder (Maine) 6-9 185 1/24/1985 Northwestern State
F Mike Harris (Rio Grande Valley) 6-6 235 6/15/1983 Rice
G Dontell Jefferson (Utah) 6-5 190 12/15/1983 Arkansas
G Curtis Jerrells (Austin) 6-1 195 2/5/1987 Baylor
F Carlos Powell (Albuquerque) 6-7 225 8/29/1983 South Carolina
G Mustafa Shakur (Tulsa) 6-3 190 8/8/1984 Arizona
F Diamon Simpson (Los Angeles) 6-7 230 10/8/1987 St. Mary’s (CA)
F Reggie Williams (Sioux Falls) 6-6 210 9/14/1986 VMI

# - Indicates a player currently in the NBA

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2009 NBA D-LEAGUE DREAM FACTORY ALL-STAR EVENTS
February 13, 2009

The NBA Development League Dream Factory Friday night, an innovative skills competition modeled after the popular NBA All-Star Saturday Night, returns for the second straight year to Center Court at NBA Jam Session presented by adidas on Friday, Feb. 13, at 7:15 p.m. MT.

LATEST UPDATE:

Erie’s Erik Daniels, Iowa’s Othyus Jeffers and Austin’s Marcus Williams were today selected to replace Tulsa’s Chris Richard, (injured), Iowa’s Cartier Martin (GATORADE Call-Up to the Charlotte Bobcats) and Austin’s Malik Hairston (recalled by the San Antonio Spurs) in the 2009 NBA D-League All-Star Game.

Daniels, who will also participate in the NBA D-League’s Dream Factory Friday Night skills competition in a game of H.O.R.S.E., is averaging 21.3 points (5th in the NBA D-League) and 10.1 rebounds (4th in the NBA D-League) in 31 games for the BayHawks while Jeffers is averaging 19.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 24 games for the Energy and Williams is averaging 20.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 26 games for the Toros.

Jeffers will play for the Red Team, while Daniels and Williams will suit up for the Blue Team.

PREVIOUS UPDATE:

Twelve NBA D-League players, including six with NBA experience, four who were drafted by NBA teams and two returning champions from the 2008 NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night, will showcase their skills during the evening’s competitions. This year’s event includes a Slam Dunk Competition, a Three-Point Shootout featuring an all “money-ball” rack and the NBA D-League’s second annual game of H.O.R.S.E.

Brent Petway, the 2008 NBA D-League Slam Dunk Champion and a member of the Idaho Stampede, will defend his title against first-time NBA D-League Slam Dunk competitors Patrick Ewing, Jr. (Reno), Keith Clark (Tulsa) and James White (Anaheim). Ewing Jr. and White both participated in NCAA Slam Dunk competitions. Ewing Jr. finished as the runner-up in 2008 while White was a finalist in 2006. The competition will consist of two rounds of two dunks each with the two top scorers from the first round advancing to the championship round.

The second annual game of NBA D-League H.O.R.S.E. returns to Dream Factory Friday Night and will feature Idaho’s Lance Allred defending his 2008 title against Joe Crawford (Los Angeles), Erik Daniels (Erie), and Bobby Jones (Sioux Falls). Allred, who secured the title last year over Utah Jazz guard Morris Almond when he hit a bank shot from his knees, earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2007-08 season and will also participate in the 2009 NBA D-League All-Star Game. Crawford was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Draft and will showcase his sharp shooting skills, while NBA veterans Jones and Daniels will unleash their on-court creativity on the competition. The competitors will engage the crowd with descriptions of their shots via wireless microphone.

Four NBA D-League marksmen will take to the court for the Three-Point Shootout, including Blake Ahearn (Dakota), Gary Forbes (Tulsa), and Trey Johnson (Bakersfield), who is currently playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Ernest Scott (Rio Grande Valley). Ahearn and Johnson rank among the league’s leaders, shooting 46 percent from three-point range, while Forbes and Scott are shooting 42 and 41 percent, respectively. Each competitor will have 60 seconds to sink up to 25 three-pointers from five shooting stations assembled around the three-point line. The initial four stations will have four orange balls (worth one point each) and one multi-colored “money ball” worth two points while the competition kicks into high gear as the final station will for the first time consist of five two-point “money balls”. The shooters will compete in two rounds of action with the top two scorers from the first round advancing to the final round.




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LAST YEAR'S DREAM FACTORY | Feb. 15, 2008

Note: For a preview/overview of D-League Dream Factor Friday Night, scroll down or click here.

Carlos Powell of the Dakota Wizards, Tulsa 66er Adam Harrington and a pair of Idaho Stampede players, Lance Allred and Brent Petway, all came away victorious at the inaugural D-League Dream Factory Friday Night skills competition, which took place on Center Court of NBA Jam Session at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.

The evening featured Hot-Shot with fans, a game of H.O.R.S.E., a Three-Point Shoot-Out and a Slam Dunk Competition, and began with Powell and D-League fan and New Orleans native, Will Clapp posting a final round score of 24 in Hot-Shot, to defeat the team anchored by Andre Barrett of the Bakersfield Jam. With the win in the timed shooting game, Clapp earned the right to be a judge in the evening’s final event, the Slam Dunk Competition.

In that contest, which was judged by former NBA stars Jerome Williams, Norm Nixon and Tracy Murray; ESPN columnist Bill Simmons, and Clapp, a pair of Stampede teammates; Petway and Mike Taylor advanced to the final round after posting scores of 94 and 98 respectively in the preliminary rounds. In the final round Petway recorded a 48 when he stood next to the ball which was placed on the floor under the basket; then bent, picked the ball up and dunked in one fluid motion. Taylor responded with a score of 49 after sliding the ball through his legs while in the air and dunking.

Petway finished Taylor off when he scored a perfect 50 after he bounced the ball high into the air, jumped, wove the ball through his legs and threw it down. Taylor missed two attempts in his final dunk of the last round and Petway emerged victorious with a final round score of 98.

The highly-anticipated return of H.O.R.S.E., which was popularized some 30 years ago during halftime of NBA games on CBS when stars like George Gervin, Rick Barry and Pete Maravich battled each other in a bracketed competition, saw Allred defeat the D-League’s second-leading scorer, Morris Almond of the Utah Flash with a bank shot. Allred defeated Jeremy Richardson of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in sudden death to advance to the finals, while Almond had disposed of Kasib Powell of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

The Dream Factory continued with the Three-Point Shoot-Out which pitted Albuquerque Thunderbird Josh Gross, Keith Langford of the Austin Toros, Colorado14er Kaniel Dickens and Harrington who emerged victorious after outlasting Dickens. Dickens advanced to the finals after beating Gross in a tie-breaking shoot-out.

D-League action continues from Jam Session on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm EST as the League’s top 20 players put their skills to the test on Center Court in the second annual D-League All-Star Game. The game which will feature hometown hero Randy Livingston of the Idaho Stampede will include honorary captains and NBA legends Rick Barry and Lenny Wilkens, and can be seen live on NBA TV.

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PREVIEW: D-LEAGUE DREAM FACTORY FRIDAY NIGHT ALL-STAR EVENTS
Feb. 14, 2008

The inaugural NBA Development League Dream Factory Friday Night, an exciting event modeled after the popular NBA All-Star Saturday Night, tips off on Friday, Feb. 15, at 9 p.m. EST on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session. The action-packed evening will include perennial NBA fan favorite events such as a Three-Point Shootout and Slam Dunk competition, while introducing H.O.R.S.E. and an interactive game of Hot-Shot with fans. Twelve D-League players, including an NBA assigned player and five others with NBA experience, will take to Center Court to showcase their skills throughout the evening’s competitions.

Creativity will reign on Center Court as the D-League revisits H.O.R.S.E. some 30 years after NBA players participated in the competition which aired during games on CBS. Among the top talents who participated in the matchups were Pete Maravich, George Gervin, and Rick Barry. The D-League’s edition of H.O.R.S.E. will feature Idaho’s Lance Allred, Morris Almond (on assignment from the Utah Jazz to the Utah Flash), Jeremy Richardson of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Sioux Falls’ Kasib Powell. Richardson, who was twice called-up this season, is averaging 28.5 points in nine games for the Mad Ants while Almond leads the league with a 26.4 points per game scoring average. Powell and Allred are averaging 20.1 and 17.3 points, respectively. Two preliminary rounds of two games each will be played with the winners of the first two rounds competing in a final round for the title of H.O.R.S.E. Champion. Each round will be capped at five minutes, and will utilize a 24 second shot clock. Participants will be outfitted with a wireless microphone in order for fans to hear the player call his shot.

D-League Slam Dunk Competition participants will include D-Leaguers Brent Petway, a member of the Idaho Stampede and runner-up in the 2007 NCAA Slam Dunk Competition, as well as Petway’s Idaho teammate, Mike Taylor. Eric Smith of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Doug Thomas of the Iowa Energy will round out the four-man field. The Slam Dunk Competition, which will consist of two rounds of two dunks each, will begin with each dunker submitting their top two dunks and selecting a fan from the crowd who will choose the first dunk to be performed in the first round of competition. A composite total of the scores from the first round of dunks of competition will be tallied for each dunker and the dunkers with the two highest scores will compete in a Championship round consisting of two dunk attempts. Participants will be allowed one replacement dunk per attempt.

The D-League Three-Point Shootout will feature Keith Langford, who earned a Gatorade Call-Up to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 28, Tulsa’s Adam Harrington, who ranks among the D-League leaders, shooting 50 percent from three point land, Kaniel Dickens of the Colorado 14ers and Albuquerque Thunderbird Josh Gross. So far this season, Dickens is shooting 45 percent from behind the arc and Gross has connected on 25-of-57 three-pointers. Each competitor will have 60 seconds to sink up to 21 three-pointers from seven shooting stations assembled around the three-point line. Each station will have two orange balls (worth one point each) and one “money” ball (worth two points) which may only be attempted after both orange balls have been shot. Fans will enjoy one preliminary round and a championship round featuring the participants with the top two scores from the first round.

Bakersfield’s Andre Barrett, Idaho’s Randy Livingston, Dakota’s Carlos Powell and Colorado’s Billy Thomas are slated to compete in an interactive game of Hot-Shot with fans. Livingston, the 2007 D-League Most Valuable Player, is averaging a D-League-leading 11.3 assists per game while Billy Thomas will participate following a call-up to the New Jersey Nets earlier in the season. Hot-Shot participants take to the floor to compete in a race against the clock to score the most points with the help of a D-League fan. Each team will have one minute to tally the highest score from four designated shooting spots on the court, including a one-point layup, a two-point foul shot, a three-pointer from behind the arc, and a five-point half-court shot, with the fan only eligible to shoot from the lay-up position. Two teams will compete simultaneously, one on each end of the court, during the first round with the winners advancing to a final round of head-to-head competition where the stakes are high – the fan from the winning squad will have an opportunity to be a judge in the Slam Dunk Competition.

D-League action in New Orleans continues on Saturday, Feb. 16, when the second-annual D-League All-Star Game presented by Spalding tips off on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session. The game, which begins at 3 pm EST, will be broadcast live on NBA TV and features 20 of the D-League’s finest as selected by fans and D-League coaches. NBA legends Rick Barry and Lenny Wilkens will serve as honorary team captains, while the squads will be coached by Idaho’s Bryan Gates and Los Angeles’ Dan Panaggio, along with their respective assistant coaches, Ray Lopes and Chucky Brown.

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