Ex-’Eaters land in D-League
Former UC Irvine men’s basketball standouts Will Davis II and Mamadou Ndiaye will begin the season on NBA Development League rosters.
Davis was selected by the Reno Bighorns in the D-League Draft on Sunday. He was Reno’s first pick (No. 28 overall) after playing professionally for Kolossos Rodou in Greece last year.
Reno is affiliated with the Sacramento Kings.
Ndiaye, a 7-foot-6 center, has joined the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Drive, a D-League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, who signed and released Ndiaye on Oct. 22.
Davis, a 6-foot-8 forward, was a key force in the Anteaters’ drive to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, leading the team in scoring (12.9 per game) and rebounding (7.1) as a senior. Davis earned Big West Conference Tournament MVP honors that season as UCI won the title to advance to the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. He also was named first-team All-Big West as a senior.
Davis ranks second all-time at UCI in career rebounds (852) and blocked shots (208), and is No. 8 with 1,384 points. He is one of just three UCI players to reach at least 1,000 points and 800 rebounds in his career.
Reno opens its season Nov. 13 at the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Houston Rockets).
Ndiaye gave up his final season of eligibility, but was not selected in the NBA Draft in June. He competed for Golden State in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but did not score in three appearances and took just two field-goal attempts.
A two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year, Ndiaye averaged 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots last season as a junior, helping the Anteaters win a school-record 28 games.
Ndiaye was named first-team all-conference in 2016 and was named to the NABC All-District 9 second team.
Ndiaye ranks No. 1 in UCI history with 218 career blocks, which is third in the Big West record book. He shot 67.6% from the field in his career.
Grand Rapids opens the season Nov. 11 when it plays host to the Canton Charge (Cleveland Cavaliers).
— From staff reports