NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2011 - Former men's basketball star
Parrish West ('11) was drafted in the sixth round by the Dakota Wizards in the 2011 National Basketball Association D-League Draft on Thursday.
West, a two-time All-American at Alaska, was taken 84th overall by the Golden State Warriors affiliate.
“Parrish has shown he can really score with the ball,” first-year head coach
Nate Bjorkgren said. “We know that he can put up the points, make big shots and the ability to score itself is a huge asset. I'm really looking forward to getting into camp to see how he fits in with my system, with the Golden State Warriors system, how he defends and how he can handles everything.”
He was the first of two Great Northwest Athletic Conference players who went in the draft, as Northwest Nazarene's
Brian Barkdoll was taken one pick later by the Tulsa 66ers.
Last year for the Nanooks, West led the team with 27.2 points per game, which led the nation in Division II, and shot nearly 50-percent from the floor (.499, 241-483 FG). In addition, he also averaged 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 23 starts last season.
He joined seven other players who were drafted by the Wizards Thursday. Former Illinois State guard
Osiris Eldridge was the team's top overall overall pick with the 12th selection in the first round. Other draftees included:
Andrew Gonzalez (Houston Baptist, 3rd, #44),
Justin Johnson (Concordia Irvine, 3rd, #47),
Darion Anderson (Iowa State, 4th, #53),
Joe Harden (Cal-Davis, 5th, #76),
Jawan Bailey (Incarnate World, 7th, #108) and
Bruce Price (8th, 117).
“All these guys have something different about them, but they're going to come into camp and be hungry and have something to prove, but I think the biggest thing about Parrish coming to camp is I'm looking for his level of competition and how he'll compete against these guys in drills and scrimmages,” Bjorkgren said.
Dakota's 2011-12 season opens up on Nov. 25 against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
“We've done our research, we've watched plenty of film, but he has a good offensive skill set and I look forward to seeing these guys,” Bjorkgren said. “I've been in this draft process for weeks now and as a coach, I'm ready to get on the floor.”
