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New 2019 class of CBA players set to make their ABBA season debut in the Caribbean island of Antigua

01/27/2019, 1:00pm CST
By CBA Staff

After a successful first-year partnership last year between the Central Basketball Association and the Antigua and Barbuda Basketball Association, where eight league players made the rosters of various 2018 ABBA teams, Baltimore Shuckers’ Torey Fassett culminated the newly-formed relationship by leading his Flyers club to a championship trophy and earning MVP honors for the 2018 ABBA season.

This month, as an extension of the alliance between the CBA and the ABBA in its second year working together, a combination of familiar talents and fresh faces received opportunities for the 2019 ABBA season, which is set to begin its regular season campaign this evening in Antigua.

Diverging from the open tryout selection that was performed last year, ABBA teams underwent a draft system for the 2019 ABBA season, where each team received two selections from the incoming class of CBA players. If a team selected a CBA player(s) from the previous year’s roster, they would forfeit their draft selection(s). In 2018, eight CBA players had the opportunity to tryout in Antigua, while this year, 11 CBA players received that opportunity.

The defending champions, Flyers, elected to bring back last year’s Most Valuable Player, Torey Fassett. The 6-foot-6 forward played in the CBA in 2017, and had played internationally in Canada and the Dominican Republic before earning the chance to play in Antigua last year. Fassett, who led the Flyers to their first championship since 2014, finished in the top-10 of the 2018 ABBA season in most statistical categories:  2nd in total points (521), 7th in rebounds (203), 1st in steals (74), and 8th in blocks (18). He finished 3rd in points per game (22.7), 1st in steals per game (3.2), 1st in made two-point field goals (169), and 6th in made three-point field goals (35).

The league runners’ up, Oval Ojays, elected to bring back Baltimore Shuckers’ Jermaine Bolden. The 5-foot-11 point guard played in the CBA with Fassett in 2017, and earned his first international opportunity through the CBA with his selection in Antigua last year. Bolden, who led the Ojays to the best record during the 2018 ABBA regular season, finished 1st in total assists (126), and 4th in total steals (62), while averaging a league-leading 5.1 assists per game and in the defensive top-10 with 2.5 steals per game.  

The Oval Ojays also brought on board Joshua Minner, who played for the Potters Steelers in 2018. Minner played two seasons in the CBA in 2014 and 2015 with the Springfield Sentinels, in which he earned a contract in Brazil in 2016 through the CBA Global Opportunities Program, before showcasing his talents in the Caribbean last year.  Minner finished the 2018 ABBA season as the league’s best scorer with 568 total points, 2nd in points per game (24.7), 2nd in made two-point field goals (168), 4th in made three-point field goals (42), 6th in total rebounds (204), 7th in total assists (71), 6th in total steals (49) and 9th in total blocks (17).

The 2019 ABBA-CBA Draft featured the following selections: The Office Depot Rebels, who had been promoted this year from Division II, selected Memphis Rail Runners guard, Dontarion Wright, with the first overall pick in the draft. Wright, who played in the CBA last year, was coming off his first international contract in El Salvador, before taking advantage of the opportunity in Antigua. During the 2018 CBA season, the 23-year old Wright averaged 23.7 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 2.1 steals per game, leading Memphis to their first playoff berth since 2016.  

The Full Throttle Ottos, who had three CBA players last year, selected Baltimore Shuckers’ Troy Vasco, who played in the CBA the last two years, became the fourth Baltimore player to play in the ABBA, joining Fassett (Flyers, 2018-2019), Bolden (Ojays, 2018-2019), and Benny Iko (Steelers, 2018). The 27-year old, 6-foot-5 forward averaged 7.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game for Baltimore during the 2018 CBA season.

The Baldwin Braves selected Fort Wayne Flite’s, Ronald Lucas III, who spent four seasons in the CBA, and played internationally in Australia and Canada. The 6-foot-3, 24-year old guard, averaged 8.3 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, and 1.5 steals per game during the 2018 CBA season, while helping Fort Wayne earn their third consecutive league title.  

The Potters Steelers selected Bowling Green Hornets’, Jacob Lloyd, who earned his first international basketball opportunity after playing in the CBA for the first time last year. The 25-year old, 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 12.4 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, 3.8 assists per game, and 2.0 steals per game during the 2018 CBA season.  

The Stingerz selected Bowling Green Hornets guard, Isaac Bragg, who played in the ABBA last year with the Ottos. Bragg was the team's leading scorer and led his club to a berth in the quarterfinals of the 2018 postseason tournament. Additionally, Bragg played in Taiwan in 2016 as a non-CBA invitee through the CBA Global Opportunities Program, before playing with Bowling Green Hornets during the 2017 CBA season. 

21-year old, Darius Daniels, who was a non-CBA invitee, was not selected through the draft process; however, the 5-foot-11 guard was retained by the Potters Steelers as an undrafted roster selection. Yashua Perez, a non-CBA invitee who earned a spot with the Ottos last year, and James McCombs, who played for the Jackson Eagles in the CBA in 2018, were the other tryout participants who were not selected through the inaugural draft process.

The nine CBA players who earned roster spots in the Caribbean this year will have an opportunity to showcase their talents with their new clubs beginning this evening, as the 2019 ABBA regular season gets underway and will last until May 

The Central Basketball Association, which is set to begin its 2019 domestic season in less than 6 weeks, has helped approximately 250 players receive international opportunities over its seven seasons of existence, including 20 players in the Caribbean in the last 12 months.

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