It’s Official The Long Island Nets are the NBA G League Eastern Conference Champions…
But we almost lost our beloved
Team Mascot Dale in the process!
But we almost lost our beloved
Team Mascot Dale in the process!
Long Island had the ball down by one with 2.7 seconds remaining, when the ball was in-bounded to Theo Pinson, who nailed a game-winning 3-pointer to send the Nets to their first NBA G League Finals in franchise history.
A special audience awaited Los Angeles Clippers forward Tobias Harris early Saturday evening.
Fresh from overcoming a 25-point deficit in beating the Detroit Pistons, 111-101, at Little Caesars Arena, a freshly dressed Harris walked toward the section of seats behind the visitors’ bench.
There, more than 100 Detroit-area kids, bearing T-shirts acknowledging their connection to the former Piston, waited anxiously from a few words from Harris.
It’s a continuation of the mentorship programs he started while with the Pistons for almost two years.
And it showed his determination in keeping the programs going — despite being traded to the Clippers last year in the transaction that brought Blake Griffin to the Pistons.
It’s reminiscent of how he has kept the programs going in Orlando after he was traded to the Pistons before the 2016 trade deadline.
All of it is evidence of Harris’ high character.
And all while averaging nearly 21 points per game and shooting 43 percent from 3-point range for a team battling for a playoff spot in the rugged Western Conference.
Tobias Harris shoots over Pistons guard
Reggie Bullock on Saturday at LCA.
(Photo: Tim Fuller, USA TODAY Sports)
But the eight-year veteran is still seeking respect.
He was denied his first All-Star Game appearance on Thursday when coaches picked seven others as the Western Conference reserves.
He was traded four times before his 26th birthday.
Harris admitted he wonders why he is always deemed expendable.
“I pride myself on being professional, doing right,”
Harris said in explaining how his value goes beyond the stat sheet. “But that could also be a value to another organization. God always has a plan for you. Every situation I’ve been traded to, I’ve been blessed and fortunate to be in a good situation. I came here, and it was a great situation to be coming to, to be part of a good culture.
“I got to the playoffs (in 2016), that was great experience for me. Also to be able to play in this new arena. I really enjoyed my time here, I embraced the city. It was fun time to be a part of it.”
Tobias is no stranger to adversity and he’s a prime example of hard work paying off. Traded 4 times in his 18 years as a pro, he is a very respected player. The fact is, if he had no value he wouldn’t be a trade option for the teams. Tobias not only has a major impact on the teams that he plays for but the communities that he touches while being part of those teams.
Everywhere he goes, Tobias makes it a point to connect with young people in his team’s city.
In stride with our story,Tobias’ being traded is the fact that while doing his thing on the court, he is a great mentor and continues his work with the youth in the communities that he plays for.
Tobias continues his mentorship program in Los Angeles where in November he was at the Weingart YMCA Wellness and Aquatic Center, he donated 250 frozen turkeys, wrapped in black “TOBIAS”-branded tote bags! Not only was he there handing them out to families with strollers, senior citizens in wheelchairs, kids on tricycles, single mothers carrying babies on their hips and war veterans, he’s joined by 30 members of the Tobias’ Troops Mentorship Program, in partnership with the Clippers’ Mentorship Assist Zone.
Tobias Harris hands out a frozen turkey in South LA. (Magdalena Munao)
LONG ISLAND (October 26, 2017) – The Long Island Nets will honor legendary player Julius “Dr. J” Erving and the Village of Hempstead Mayor Don Ryan at their season opener on Saturday, November 4, when the Nets host the Fort Wayne Mad Ants at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
During the game, Erving will present Mayor Ryan with the Long Island Nets’ first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Ryan will be recognized for his community contributions as a local civic leader, coach, and teacher. Ryan coached and mentored Erving, who was 12 at the time, while volunteering as the Biddy Basketball coach at the Salvation Army’s Hempstead headquarters.
In conjunction with the season-long celebration of bringing professional basketball back to Long Island, the Long Island Nets will be retiring Erving’s #32 jersey for the first time ever at the Coliseum. Erving spent three years with the New York Nets, winning two ABA championships in 1974 and 1976 at the Coliseum, and earning the MVP Award three times. The jersey retirement ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m., 30 minutes prior to tipoff. The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica Dr. J jersey mini banner to commemorate the celebration.
The Long Island Nets, the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have finalized their roster
for the start of the 2017-18 season.
Long Island will open the season at home against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Saturday, November 4, at 7 p.m. at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The team set the opening night roster today by waiving forward Buay Tuach.
Long Island’s full roster is as follows:
# NAME POS HT WT DOB COLLEGE/COUNTRY ACQUIRED
35 Milton Doyle G 6’4” 180 10/31/93 Loyola Chicago/USA Affiliate
1 Kendall Gray C 6’10” 240 05/05/92 Delaware State/USA Returning
0 Prince Ibeh C 6’10” 245 06/03/94 Texas/USA Returning
5 Tahjere McCall G 6’5” 190 08/17/94 Tennessee State/USA Affiliate
2 Akil Mitchell F 6’8” 235 06/26/92 Virginia/USA Returning
44 J.J. Moore F 6’6” 215 05/25/91 Rutgers/USA Returning
21 Kamari Murphy F 6’9” 218 12/14/93 Miami/USA Affiliate
00 Yakuba Ouattara G 6’3” 185 01/24/92 France Two-Way Contract
11 Shannon Scott G 6’1” 185 12/21/92 Ohio State/USA Returning
30 Jeremy Senglin G 6’2” 190 03/24/95 Weber State/USA Affiliate
24 Jacob Wiley F 6’8” 213 09/04/94 Eastern Washington/USA Two-Way Contract
20 Thomas Wimbush F 6’7” 195 12/08/93 Fairmont State/USA Draft