Younger Jam squad set for opener Friday vs. Bighorns
| Wednesday, Nov 23 2011 05:50 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Nov 23 2011 10:29 PM
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Jam center Brian Butch is one of three returning players to the franchise.
Here today, gone tomorrow. That's life in the NBA D-League, where team rosters are written in pencil, not ink.
Because of all the inevitable roster moves that occur both year-to-year and in-season, the ability to produce a consistent winner can be tough.
No one knows that better than Bakersfield Jam head coach Will Voigt, who has become adept at rolling with the changes. Enough so that the Jam had a winning record (29-21) and made the playoffs both for just the second time in franchise history last season.
Despite only two holdovers from last year's team, Voigt hopes the Jam can continue building on that success this season.
"Until you start playing against somebody else, it's always hard to say (how good you are)," Voigt said. "So far during training camp the guys have worked really hard. They've looked competitive against each other."
The Jam certainly looked good in its only exhibition game of the season, a 102-63 dismantling of Mexican pro team, Soles de Mexicali, on Monday night.
The Jam, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Toronto Raptors, opens the 2011-12 regular season at home on Friday against Reno. The teams will play again at the Jam Events Center on Saturday night.
Key to the success of the Jam will be the play of D-League veterans Brian Butch and Renaldo Major, plus talented rookies Mustapha Farrakhan and Osiris Eldridge.
Butch, a 6-foot-11 center from the University of Wisconsin, missed all of last season due to a leg injury. During the 2009-10 season he averaged 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds in 39 games with the Jam.
This past summer he helped the United States win a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Butch, who got a call-up to the Denver Nuggets in April of 2010, was chosen as the D-League All-Star game MVP and Impact Player of the Year that same season.
"My knee is doing real good," Butch said. "I'm glad to be here. I'm glad to be a part of it again. I'm just looking forward to really having a good season. Training camp is going well. Everyone is working really hard. I'm glad I'm not one of the coaches because they've got some tough decisions ahead of them."
Playing alongside Butch in the frontcourt will be Major. The 6-foot-7 forward was acquired in a post-draft trade, along with Eldridge, that sent Edwin Ubiles and Travis Walton to the Dakota Wizards.
Major, a Fresno State product, spent most of the last four seasons with the Wizards. Last season in 49 games for Dakota, he tallied 15.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
He's expected to bring much-needed experience and a veteran leadership to a Jam team that will rely heavily on D-League rookies.
That includes a backcourt that will feature the talented duo of Farrakhan and Eldridge.
Eldridge spent last season playing professionally in Turkey, where he averaged 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Before that the 6-foot-3, 230-pound guard earned All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team honors three times at Illinois State.
Farrakhan, the 13th overall pick of the 2011 D-League draft, tallied 13.5 points and 2.8 rebounds last season for the University of Virginia.
The explosive 6-foot-3 guard is the grandson of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
"A lot of aggressiveness, my shooting, and defensive intensity," Farrakhan said when asked we he brings to the Jam this season. "Just being one of those energy guys that keeps the level up. I'll do anything the coach wants me to do."
Farrakhan was one of three first- round picks by the Jam. Nayal "Mac" Koshwal, a 6-foot-10 power forward, was picked No. 8 overall by the team. He played last season in Spain. It could be some time before his government paperwork clears and he can join the team in Bakersfield.
"We knew when we drafted him he would not be here for the beginning of the season," Voigt said. "We felt like it was worth it.. But knowing exactly we he shows up, it's out of our hands."
The Jam had six picks after the opening round in which they used to land Justin Graham, David Palmer, Lawrence Westbrook, Perry Stevenson, Nick Covington, and Juma Kamara.
"You never really know (how well your draft was) until you can look back on it a year down the road," Voigt said. "In terms of us getting who we wanted; it was great."
How well the young players adapt to playing in the D-League will be a key to Jam's success this season, according to Voigt.
"Every year is really its own year," Voigt said. "We're coming off a very successful season. But we've got to get these guys to do the same things last year's guys did to be good. I think the difference with this year's group is we're a little bit younger than last year's group. So far these guys have been great. But until you get them in a game situation and they start to learn how to play at this level, there can always be some growing pains."
Despite the possible pitfalls of fielding such a young squad, the prevailing mood surrounding the franchise going into the season is one of optimism.
"I think in terms of fan support and excitement around the team, I think definitely there's momentum and we continue to build on that," Voigt said. "But the team is really its own team. They can't rest on any of the laurels from last year because they really weren't a part of it."
Voigt, 35, said he believes that if the talented and athletic group of players he's assembled has a solid work ethic that he expects, the Jam could be successful immediately.
But winning games isn't Voigt's only mission this season.
"For me it's the development league so kind of serve two masters," Voigt said. "Obviously, we want to win and that's important to us, but we also want to develop guys. Last year we felt like we able to do both. We had a player drafted (Chukwudiebere Maduabum, by the NBA), which that was only third time in the history of the D-League. So we covered the development part while also having the most wins in franchise history. So we really knocked both of them out of the park. We hope we can do the same this year."
Only season tickets are available for games at the Jam Events Center on 1400 Norris Rd.
For ticket information, call (661) 615-6550 ext. 12, or visit bakersfieldjam.com.
