After hiring coach David Arseneault Jr. last month, the Reno Bighorns have begun the process of building their roster. Similar to the NBA, there are trades, draft picks, free agency and returning players, although the Bighorns only have two players back from last season’s playoff team.
A draft day trade brought in David Stockton, son of Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton, bringing the roster to 17.
Returning Players
Ra’shad James – Guard – Northwood
James is a high-flyer who averaged 7.6 points and 1.7 assists in 47 games last season for the Bighorns. He played in six of the Kings’ seven Las Vegas Summer League games in July, averaging 7.2 points in 15.7 minutes per contest. If you haven’t seen James dunk, I highly suggest watching the video below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02gy2CPi2Kk]Tajuan Porter – Guard – Oregon
The 5-foot-7 point guard played 25 games last season in Reno, averaging 11.3 points on 37.2 percent shooting in 20.3 minutes a night. The pint-size scorer has played 77 games in the D-League over the last two seasons.
Affiliate Players
The Sacramento Kings can allocate up to three players from the final roster cutdown list to the Bighorns. Deonte Burton decided to take an opportunity overseas, but two players from training camp are on their way to Reno.
Sim Bhullar – Center – New Mexico State
“Sim City” doesn’t fit the Grinnell mold, but at 7-foot-5, 360 pounds, he has incredible size and a very soft touch. Whether that will ever translate to the NBA game has yet to be seen, but for now, the Kings will hide the Candian-born big man of Indian-descent in Reno.
David Wear – Forward – UCLA
At 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, Wear will probably play the power forward position at the D-League level. After starting his college career in North Carolina, he spent his last three years of eligibility with UCLA. He didn’t shoot many 3-pointers in college, but when he did, Wear shot an impressive 42.3 percent (60-for-142).
Draft Picks
Have gun will travel – that is the name of the game for the Bighorns under Arseneault. And their draft picks confirm the game plan. Of the players added, all of them have one thing in common, they shoot loads of 3-pointers. The Bighorns are going to be fun to watch as they run and gun uptempo style.
Rnd 1 – Joonas Caven (10th overall), Brady Heslip (11th overall)
Rnd 4 – Brian Oliver (2nd pick), Ravern Johnson (11th pick), Kevin Foster (12th pick)
Rnd 7 – Keith Chamberlain (6th pick)
Rnd 8 – Raymond Cowels (4th pick)(traded to Maine)
Training Camp Roster
Name Position Height Weight School
Alfred Aboya Forward 6’9” 231 UCLA
Sim Bhullar Center 7’5” 355 New Mexico State
Joonas Caven Forward 6’11” 220 Finland
Keith Chamberlain Forward 6’9” 240 Grinnell
Kevin Foster Guard 6’2” 211 Santa Clara
Stefhon Hannah Guard 6’1” 175 Chipola College
Brady Heslip Guard 6’1” 180 Baylor
Ra’shad James Guard 6’1” 193 Northwood
Marcus Johnson Forward 6’6” 210 USC
Ravern Johnson Guard 6’6” 170 Mississippi State
Brian Oliver Forward 6’7” 225 Seton Hall
Tajuan Porter Guard 5’7” 155 Oregon
Kysiean Reed Forward 6’6” 215 Utah State
David Stockton Guard 5’11” 165 Gonzaga
Durrell Summers Guard 6’5” 205 Michigan State
Andrew Warren Guard 6’6” 210 Bradley
David Wear Forward 6’10” 225 UCLA
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