Philly native Hakim Warrick will go down in history as the first-ever draft pick of the Delaware Blue Coats. However, mere hours after he was selected with the ninth overall pick in Saturday’s G-League Draft, the former Syracuse star was dealt to the Iowa Wolves (along with the returning player rights to James Webb III) for guard Michael Bryson.
Bryson, a 6-4 guard from UC Santa Barbara, averaged 8.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game for the Wolves last season, shooting an impressive 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. For what it’s worth, Bryson finished as the runner-up in the 2018 G-League Slam Dunk contest.
Delaware used the 23rd overall pick in the draft on Nevada guard Marcus Marshall, who spent this past season playing for the Westports Malaysia Dragons in the ASEAN Basketball League.
In his one season with the Nevada Wolf Pack (he began his college career at Missouri State), the 6-3 Marshall set a school-record with 115 three-pointers made, and finished second in the Mountain West Conference in three-point percentage (38.0 percent).
With the third pick in the third round, the Blue Coats selected former Presbyterian standout Jordan Downing. The 26-year-old Downing finished his collegiate career with 225 three-pointers made, and has spent the past three seasons splitting time between the G-League (Bakersfield, Westchester, Texas) and professional leagues in both Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Former Cal and Arizona State center Kameron Rooks was the fourth and final selection for Delaware in Saturday’s G-League Draft. The 7-1 Rooks - who averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds during his college career - is the son of former NBA veteran (and one-time Sixers’ assistant coach) Sean Rooks, who passed away in 2016.
This was the Blue Coats’ first draft with interim general manager Matt Lilly at the helm. Lilly, who previously served as Delaware’s Director of Basketball Operations and Scouting, was promoted after Elton Brand was named GM of the 76ers last month.
Delaware kicks off training camp Monday, October 22 and opens the season in Toronto on November 3 against Raptors 905.