Jam lands French star at No. 4
| Thursday, Nov 05 2009 10:10 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Nov 05 2009 10:10 PM
The Jam coaching staff looked halfway around the world for the team's first-round pick at Thursday's D-League Draft.
Amara Sy (pronounced See), a 6-foot-8, 225-pound small forward from France, was Bakersfield's first-round pick and fourth selection overall in the eight-round, 128-player draft.
Sy, 28, has played professionally in France and Greece since 1999.
He was signed in June by the Dallas Mavericks but was among the Mavs' preseason cuts.
Sy grabbed the Jam coaches' attention with his leaping ability, quickness, versatility and outside shooting ability.
"Amara Sy was the one we were targeting all along with our fourth pick," said first-year Jam coach Will Voigt.
Sy has been a member of France's national team, and he played in the French All-Star Game in 2004, '05 and '06, winning game MVP honors in 2004.
Voigt said he was overjoyed with the team's second-round pick, Reece Gaines, a 6-5, 210-pound guard-forward from Louisville who was the 15th overall pick by the Orlando Magic in 2003. Gaines, 28, was a third-team Associated Press All-America as a senior, when he led Louisville to a 25-7 record.
"We really feel we got a steal with Reece Gaines at the end of the second round," Voigt said. "To get a player of his caliber that late -- we were really surprised he was on the board."
Prior to the draft, the Jam already had big men in place with 7-foot center Robert Swift, a former Bakersfield and Garces high school standout, and 6-10 Terrance Gamble, the lone returnee from last year's squad.
Voigt said selecting Sy, Gaines and third-round pick Anthony Goods, a 6-3 guard who completed his collegiate career at Stanford last spring, set up the rest of the draft.
"We see them as the identity of our team and then we filled in the spots after that," Voigt said.
The only center selected was 6-10 Chris Ayer from Loyola Marymount, who was taken in the sixth round.
Fifth-round pick Lance Huddle from Miami (Fla.) and eight-round pick Stephen McDowell from Tenn.-Chattanooga join Gaines and Goods as point guard candidates.
Fourth-round pick Jared Newson (6-4 guard-forward from Tenn.-Martin) and seventh-round pick Ramon Dyer (6-7 forward from Houston) rounded out the Jam picks.
"We've got a long, athletic team," Voigt said. "I think people will be happy when they see the wings we've got. "We've got a lot of multi-dimensional players, 6-6 to 6-8, long athletes who can do a lot of different things."
The Jam will have 17 players when training camp opens next Thursday.
D-League rules require each team in the league to have at least one rookie, defined as a first-year professional player.
Goods, Hurdle, McDowell and Joel Smith from the team's tryout camp qualify as rookies. At least one of those players is ensured a roster spot when the Jam finalizes its opening day roster by the Nov. 20 start of the D-League regular season.
The Jam must cut its roster to 10 by opening day.
Two former Jam players were selected by the expansion Main Red Clams: guards Scooter McFadgon (fifth round) and Tony Bobbitt (seventh round). ... The first overall pick was Carlos Powell by Albuquerque.
