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This is meant to be a reoccurring piece encompassing the success of 2013-14 D-League players who have moved on to "bigger and better" opportunities overseas. I always found it difficult to find some of this information and thus the idea to put it all in one place arose. If you have specific players you want included please let me know on Twitter and they will be added.
There are numerous professional leagues around the world and many of them have nabbed players from the D-League to help their teams compete in this upcoming season. In fact, 26 different leagues signed players from the NBADL with the Italian Serie A leading the way with 11 signings. Below is where some of the top players from the league last season ended up.
Frank Gaines - Pasta Reggia JuveCaserta - Italian Seria A
Gaines led the D-League in total points last season with 1,076 (only five players broke the 1,000 point mark). He played in 48 games, started 34 and averaged 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the Maine Red Claws. Gaines suited up for the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers this past summer league and averaged 7.8 points per game in limited action. Though not enough to get an NBA deal, Gaines turned his great play into a ticket to Italy's top league. He will team up with another former D-League alum in Richard Howell. Howell played 20 games in the D-League before playing in the Philippines for the remainder of the season. (Howell was selected by the Westcester Knicks in the D-League expansion draft this summer thus they hold his rights if he comes back)
Follow Gaines and Howell here on EuroBasket.com
Other players in the Italian Serie A: Dario Hunt, Abdul Gaddy, Austin Freeman, Augustus Gilchrist, Tony Mitchell, Travis Hyman, C.J. Williams, DeQuan Jones, and Sundiata Gaines.
Devin Ebanks - Bnei Hertzeliyya - Israeli Winner League
Ebanks was in the NBA for three years after being selected in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. However, last season he played the entire year in the D-League and split time between the Texas Legends and the Springfield Armor en route to 1,036 total points (second only to Gaines). His season averages were 23 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 45.7 percent from the field overall. Ebanks played with the D-League Select team during the NBA Summer League and averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds, but struggled with his shot as he posted an overall percentage of 37.5 and only 27.3 from 3-point range.
Ebanks will join Magnum Rolle, Devon Collier and Josh Selby on the Hertzeliyya roster this season. You can follow his progress here.
Other players in the Israeli Winner League: Jackie Carmichael, Julian Mavunga, Khalif Wyatt, and Terrel Harris.
Cameron Jones - Zenit Saint Petersburg - Russian VTB
Jones played his last two seasons with the Santa Cruz Warriors, and the 2013-14 season was his best by far. He posted averages of 19.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists (all career highs), was selected for the D-League All-Star team and was an All D-League Honorable Mention selection. Jones' well-rounded game earned him an invite to play with the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League and he was able to post 7.7 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting in limited minutes and appearances.
You can follow Jones' season over in Russia, here.
Other players in the Russian VTB: Micah Downs
Mickey McConnell - Telekom Baskets Bonn - German BBL
Mickey went undrafted in 2011 and played a couple seasons in Italy before making the trip to the states to play for the Texas Legends last season. He played in all 50 games (starting 29 of them) and averaged 10.2 points and 6.4 assists and showed himself to be a great facilitator for the Legends. He played for the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Summer League and started all seven games they played averaging 7.6 points and 4.4 assists.
Catch up with Mickey over in Germany, here.
Other players in the German BBL: Moses Ehambe, Tim Ohlbrecht, Rodney Williams, Jake O'Brien, and Trent Lockett.
Sadiel Rojas - UCAM Murcia - Spanish ACB
Rojas has played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants for the last three seasons, and in 2013-14 he finally blossomed and he is running with his opportunity to one of the top leagues in the world. Rojas averaged 12.1 points and 8.6 rebounds and he thrives on the defensive end of the court. He landed All Defensive 3rd Team in 2013 and in 2014 he went a notch up to All Defensive 2nd Team. He joins Murcia and will be in the back court alongside Raul Neto. Former NC State sharp shooter Scott Wood is also on the roster.
Follow Rojas' ascent, here.
Other players in the Spanish ACB: Jerel McNeal and K.C. Rivers.
All of these leagues are currently in the offseason so there is no game action to report at this time, but this is going to be a revolving piece so in the future there will be actual updates. Again, please let me know if there is someone specific you are interested in hearing about and I'll be sure to try and include them in the next posting.