Basketball fans looking for some quality action this summer need look no further than IUPUI on Tuesday and Thursday nights. The 2nd Indy Pro Am Summer League games will take place at "The Jungle" starting June 29th.
"One of the things that good guys are looking for is a decent run. A lot of guys are working out around the Indianapolis area. It's just about coming and talking to those guys, talking to some of their coaches and they are more than happy and more than welcome to come and play in a league like this, because it is a high level, high competition, and most people will want to really see it," said Carlos Knox, the founder of the Knox Pro Train Summer League.
Knox is working with fellow former IUPUI standout George Hill during this NBA off-season. Hill returned home to Indianapolis after the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs. Hill will stay sharp thanks to both individual workouts with Knox and the Summer League games.
"You have so many elite players coming in town and coming through here. It is just great to keep the basketball tradition in Indianapolis," said Hill following a shooting session at IUPUI Tuesday.
What makes this summer league so unique and perhaps exciting for the fans is the NCAA endorsement Knox has received, allowing current collegiate stars to compete in the league. While the rosters will likely change a little bit from week to week, Knox has commitments from many of the state's top players, including: Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard, and Ronald Nored from Butler as well as JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, and D.J. Byrd from Purdue.
"Last year we did have an NBA sanction, this year we have an NCAA sanction as well as an NBA sanction, It allows some of our guys from Butler, IUPUI, Indiana State, Purdue, those guys to come in and have a crack at some of the NBA guys as well as some of the overseas European guys that are playing," added Knox.
Knox expects Pacers Roy Hibbert and Josh McRoberts to participate as well. The rosters for the six squads along with the players' most recent league or team are listed below. The league, sponsored by IUPUI and St. Vincent Sports Performance Center, will run through August 5th.
TEAM BLUE
Deonta Vaughn Cincinnatti
Alex Young IUPUI
Leroy Nobles IUPUI
Damon Jones Europe
Roy Hairston Europe
D.J. Byrd Purdue
Justin Cage Europe
Kenny Page Robert Morris
Roy Hibbert Indiana Pacers
Jeff Teague Atlanta Hawks
Head Coach: Mike Elliott
TEAM ORANGE
Ronald Nored Butler
Curt Thomas Indiana Tech
Aaron Hogg CBA
Josh Murray Europe
Dwayne Lathan Indiana State
Andrew Smith Butler
John Hester IUPUI
Djibril Kante Europe/Indiana St
Josh McRoberts Indiana Pacers
Mike Conley Memphis Grizzlies
Head Coach: Jermaine Ball
TEAM GREEN
Andre Owens NBA/Europe
David Logan Europe
Jason Gardner Europe
Jermaine Dearman Europe
Billy Pettiford IUPUI
Tyrone Anderson Europe
Josh Jones Eastern Kentucky
Akeem Clark IUPUI
Jeff Green Oklahoma City
DJ White Oklahoma City
TEAM BLACK
Steve Thomas IUPUI
E'Twaun Moore Purdue
Roderick Wilmont NBDL
Jake Kelly Indiana St.
JaJuan Johnson Purdue
Carl Richard Indiana St.
Zach Hahn Butler
Tony Weedan Europe
George Hill San Antonio Spurs
Eric Gordon LA Clippers
Head Coach: Brandon Brantley
TEAM RED
Eddie Gill Europe
Shawn Vanzant Butler
Harry Marshall Indiana State
Deandre Peyton Ball St.
Lonnie Jones Europe
Christian Siakam IUPUI
Cedric Moodie Europe
David Teague Europe
Fred Jones LA Clippers/Europe
Rodney Carney Philadelphia 76ers
TEAM PURPLE
Chris Thomas Europe
Shelvin Mack Butler
Matt Howard Butler
Devin Dumas Indiana
John Avery IUPUI
Marcus Thomas Chicago Loyola
Austin Montgomery IUPUI
AJ Miles Western Kentucky
Daquean Cook Miami Heat
Courtney Lee New Jersey Nets
Head Coach: Chandler Thompson
"One of the things that good guys are looking for is a decent run. A lot of guys are working out around the Indianapolis area. It's just about coming and talking to those guys, talking to some of their coaches and they are more than happy and more than welcome to come and play in a league like this, because it is a high level, high competition, and most people will want to really see it," said Carlos Knox, the founder of the Knox Pro Train Summer League.
Knox is working with fellow former IUPUI standout George Hill during this NBA off-season. Hill returned home to Indianapolis after the San Antonio Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs. Hill will stay sharp thanks to both individual workouts with Knox and the Summer League games.
"You have so many elite players coming in town and coming through here. It is just great to keep the basketball tradition in Indianapolis," said Hill following a shooting session at IUPUI Tuesday.
What makes this summer league so unique and perhaps exciting for the fans is the NCAA endorsement Knox has received, allowing current collegiate stars to compete in the league. While the rosters will likely change a little bit from week to week, Knox has commitments from many of the state's top players, including: Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard, and Ronald Nored from Butler as well as JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, and D.J. Byrd from Purdue.
"Last year we did have an NBA sanction, this year we have an NCAA sanction as well as an NBA sanction, It allows some of our guys from Butler, IUPUI, Indiana State, Purdue, those guys to come in and have a crack at some of the NBA guys as well as some of the overseas European guys that are playing," added Knox.
Knox expects Pacers Roy Hibbert and Josh McRoberts to participate as well. The rosters for the six squads along with the players' most recent league or team are listed below. The league, sponsored by IUPUI and St. Vincent Sports Performance Center, will run through August 5th.
TEAM BLUE
Deonta Vaughn Cincinnatti
Alex Young IUPUI
Leroy Nobles IUPUI
Damon Jones Europe
Roy Hairston Europe
D.J. Byrd Purdue
Justin Cage Europe
Kenny Page Robert Morris
Roy Hibbert Indiana Pacers
Jeff Teague Atlanta Hawks
Head Coach: Mike Elliott
TEAM ORANGE
Ronald Nored Butler
Curt Thomas Indiana Tech
Aaron Hogg CBA
Josh Murray Europe
Dwayne Lathan Indiana State
Andrew Smith Butler
John Hester IUPUI
Djibril Kante Europe/Indiana St
Josh McRoberts Indiana Pacers
Mike Conley Memphis Grizzlies
Head Coach: Jermaine Ball
TEAM GREEN
Andre Owens NBA/Europe
David Logan Europe
Jason Gardner Europe
Jermaine Dearman Europe
Billy Pettiford IUPUI
Tyrone Anderson Europe
Josh Jones Eastern Kentucky
Akeem Clark IUPUI
Jeff Green Oklahoma City
DJ White Oklahoma City
TEAM BLACK
Steve Thomas IUPUI
E'Twaun Moore Purdue
Roderick Wilmont NBDL
Jake Kelly Indiana St.
JaJuan Johnson Purdue
Carl Richard Indiana St.
Zach Hahn Butler
Tony Weedan Europe
George Hill San Antonio Spurs
Eric Gordon LA Clippers
Head Coach: Brandon Brantley
TEAM RED
Eddie Gill Europe
Shawn Vanzant Butler
Harry Marshall Indiana State
Deandre Peyton Ball St.
Lonnie Jones Europe
Christian Siakam IUPUI
Cedric Moodie Europe
David Teague Europe
Fred Jones LA Clippers/Europe
Rodney Carney Philadelphia 76ers
TEAM PURPLE
Chris Thomas Europe
Shelvin Mack Butler
Matt Howard Butler
Devin Dumas Indiana
John Avery IUPUI
Marcus Thomas Chicago Loyola
Austin Montgomery IUPUI
AJ Miles Western Kentucky
Daquean Cook Miami Heat
Courtney Lee New Jersey Nets
Head Coach: Chandler Thompson
