NEW YORK— Reno Bighorns guard Desmon Farmer has been selected to participate in the inaugural NBA Development League Haier Shooting Stars competition, the league office announced today.
The Shooting Stars event is part of the NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night presented by Haier on Feb. 12 in Dallas, as part of the 2010 NBA D-League All-Star festivities. The NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night presented by Haier, which also includes a skills competition and slam dunk competition, will stream live on NBA.com on Friday, Feb. 12 from 7-8 p.m. PST.
Farmer has emerged as one of the premier scoring threats in NBA D-League history over the past four seasons, and he is enjoying one of the most proficient offensive campaigns of his career this season in Reno. The 6-5 guard out of USC is currently ranked fourth in the NBA D-League with a 24.4 points per game scoring average, and sixth on the circuit with an 86.4 percent success rate from the free-throw line.
NBA D-League Haier Shooting Stars makes its first appearance at NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday night presented by Haier, and features 12 NBA D-League stars competing in four teams of three in a two-round timed shooting event. First-time NBA D-League Dream Factory Friday Night presented by Haier participants Romel Beck (Dakota), Brian Butch (Bakersfield), Pat Carroll (Iowa), Desmon Farmer (Reno), Curtis Jerrells (Austin) and Diamon Simpson (Los Angeles) will join NBA D-League All-Stars Reggie Williams (Sioux Falls), Trey Gilder (Maine), Carlos Powell (Albuquerque), Mustafa Shakur (Tulsa), Mike Harris (Rio Grande Valley) and Dontell Jefferson (Utah) in the competition.
The Haier Shooting Stars contest features six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.
Next up for Reno is a date with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Saturday night. Tip-time is set for 5:30 p.m. PST in Dodge Arena, and the action can be seen live on NBA Futurecast by visiting www.RenoBighorns.com.
The Bighorns return to downtown Reno on February 9 and 10. Tickets are on-sale now at www.RenoBighorns.com, the Reno Events Center Box Office, Silver Legacy Box Office, or by visiting any Northern Nevada Ticketmaster location or Web site.
The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA’s official minor league whose teams have direct affiliations to NBA franchises. For the 2009-10 season, the league will feature 16 teams – including the debut of the Maine Red Claws and the Springfield Armor. A proven developer of talent, 20 percent of players in the NBA at the conclusion of the 2008-09 season boasted NBA D-League experience, while the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league’s connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the season fans can watch all NBA D-League games on NBA Futurecast, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.
