University of Minnesota Athletics
Former Gophers Make NBA Summer League Rosters
7/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
With the NBA Draft in the rearview mirror, all NBA executives have turned their attention to the 2008 Summer League to introduce their young players to the highest level of basketball. Former Gophers Dan Coleman (2004-08), Vincent Grier (2004-06) and John Thomas (1993-97) have been added to NBA rosters with the hopes that one of the aforementioned executives likes what he sees in the U of M alum.
Coleman and Grier will be playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league team while Thomas has been added to the Milwaukee Bucks team. Both squads will be taking part in the 2008 Vegas Summer League. The Wolves and Bucks will each play five games during the Summer League, a league that runs from July 11-20. Games will be played at either the COX Pavilion or the Thomas &
Coleman, an honorable mention All-Big Ten performer following his junior and senior seasons, averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds a game as senior for a Gopher team that went 20-14 and made an appearance in the NIT Tournament. The 11-game turnaround in the win column from 2006-07 was the largest turnaround in school history and tied for the second-best turnaround in Division I this past season.
Coleman finished his Gopher career in 15th place on the career points list with 1,317. With 614 career rebounds, he became just the 17th Gopher player to amass 1,000 points and 500 boards in a career. He also compiled 114 career blocks, eighth-most in school history and played in 127 career games (98 starts), tied for the second-most in team history.
Grier played two seasons with the Gophers after transferring from
Thomas, a first round selection (25th overall) by the New York Knicks in the 1997 NBA Draft, is a veteran of the NBA, having played in 208 games in parts of five seasons with Boston, Toronto, Minnesota, Memphis, New Jersey and Atlanta. He has career averages of 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 10.8 minutes.
| July 14 | | 9 p.m. |
| July 16 | | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 17 | Portland Trail Blazers | 9 p.m. |
| July 19 | | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 20 | | 3 p.m. |
| July 12 | | 9 p.m. |
| July 15 | | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 17 | | 9 p.m. |
| July 19 | | 7:30 p.m. |
| July 20 | | 3 p.m. |
