Players Mentioned
Edwin and Oliver Selected in D-League Draft
11/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Two former Seton Hall men's basketball players took the next step in their professional careers on Saturday as Class of 2014 members Fuquan Edwin and Brian Oliver were selected in the NBA Development League (D-League) Draft.
The 2013-14 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Edwin was the 15th player to come off the board overall in the eight-round draft, going to Miami Heat affiliate Sioux Falls Skyforce. Oliver, who thrived as a sharp-shooter in head coach Kevin Willard's system, was chosen by the Reno Bighorns - the affiliate of the Sacramento Kings - with the second pick in the fourth round.
The official minor league of the NBA, the D-League is now in entering its 14th year of operation and features 18 teams based coast-to-coast from Maine to California. In each of the last two NBA Drafts, D-League alumni have been selected among the top-35 picks and Edwin and Oliver will now have the opportunity to vie for an in-season call-up from any one of the association's 30 teams.
A four-year player under Willard, Edwin's litany of accomplishments in a Seton Hall uniform has been well documented. As a senior, the Paterson native ranked fifth in the nation with 2.66 steals per game, earning Second Team All-BIG EAST honors and becoming only the second Pirate to take home the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Noted for his defensive prowess, Edwin led all Division I players with 102 steals as a sophomore, eclipsing the program's single-season record which stood for over 30 years en route to a school record 295 steals for his career. The versatile 6-foot-6 wing also graduated as one of just seven players in over 100 years of basketball at The Hall to amass more than 1,500 points (1,633) and 600 rebounds (605) while finishing 10th all-time with 172 three-pointers made.
Skyforce fans, welcome @FuquanEdwin to Sioux Falls! #FORCENATION #FEELTHEFORCE
— Sioux Falls Skyforce (@SFSkyforce) November 1, 2014 Edwin joins Sioux Falls after a stint with Pistoria of Serie A, the top flight of Italian basketball and one of the most highly-regarded international leagues in the world and also competed in the NBA Summer League with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Throughout the D-League Draft Process, Edwin's unique set of skills garnered him the label of one of the most coveted prospects available and could potentially thrive alongside a familiar face in former All-BIG EAST performer Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh), older brother of current Pirates' point guard Sterling Gibbs who went to the Skyforce in the fifth round on Saturday.
After briefly opening his professional career overseas as well, Oliver heads to Reno coming off a highly-successful senior season at Seton Hall. In his second season with the Pirates following his transfer from Georgia Tech, the Glassboro, N.J. product emerged as one of the top threats from beyond the arc in the entire conference.
With the 2nd pick in the 4th round, the Bighorns have selected forward Brian Oliver (6'7") from Seton Hall. #NBADLeagueDraft
— Reno Bighorns (@renobighorns) November 1, 2014 On 10 occasions last season, Oliver knocked down four or more treys, finishing the season with 85 3-pointers - the seventh-highest single season total ever posted by a Pirate. Perhaps more impressive was the efficiency with which he connected from long distance (.415), ranking third in the BIG EAST and fifth on the program's all-time list.
In Willard's brief tenure in South Orange, three former Pirates have now been chosen as part of the D-League Draft directly after completing their careers at The Hall as Edwin and Oliver join Eniel Polynice who was picked by the LA Defenders in 2012.
There are now four Seton Hall representatives active within the NBA system with veteran and Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Famer Andre Barrett recently joining the Westchester Knicks, the D-League affiliate of the New York organization by the same name for whom former Pirate Samuel Dalembert is currently plying his trade in his 14th season in the league.
