How many current NBA players have spent their final college season playing for a NCAA Division II team? Interesting question. Well, the answer is… Nobody.
Over 70 years in the NBA history, several players coming from non-Division I schools had been able to make an NBA team roster. During the ‘90s, the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls literally dominated the league, winning six NBA championships in eight seasons. But there’s one thing that has to be pointed out about the Unstoppa-Bulls: starting forwards Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, two key players of that team, both came from schools that didn’t belong in the NCAA Division I at that time. Now everyone knows that both Pippen and Rodman are inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Rodman and Pippen were only a part of a very large group of players who did make it to the NBA even though they didn’t play at the Division I level.
Even the 2004 NBA Champion and 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, who entered the NBA as an undrafted rookie, played college hoops at Division II college Virginia Union. Now, his No. 3 jersey is retired by the Detroit Pistons and he’s a nominee for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Finally, we couldn’t forget the late 7-foot-7 center Manute Bol, who played his only collegiate season at the University of Bridgeport, and former New York Knicks guard Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, a former Winston-Salem State University alumnus.
Right now in the NBA, some players spent their first college years in the NJCAA before being recruited by NCAA Division I programs: San Antonio Spurs’ guard Jonathon Simmons attended Paris Junior College and Midland College before transferring to Division I school Houston University, Boston Celtics’ starting small forward Jae Crowder also played in the NJCAA before making the leap to the NCAA Division I as well as Chicago Bulls’ star Jimmy Butler, New York Knicks’ forward Maurice Ndour, Philadelphia 76ers’ Richaun Holmes. Another player that is worth to mention is “The Birdman” Chris Andersen, who spent two NJCAA seasons before becoming a pro basketball player.
But if we are talking about players who start their professional careers coming out of NCAA Division II schools, then the situation is different. The last player coming from a senior year in Division II who got on the court to play an NBA regular season game was Eric Dawson, a big man who played briefly for the San Antonio Spurs in 2012 and is currently playing for the Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico after being waived by the Utah Jazz in training camp.
Actually, none of the 450 roster spots available for the 2016-17 NBA regular season have been taken by athletes who played their senior season for a NCAA Division II team.
But that may change soon.
If we look in the NBA D-League, we definitely have to keep our eye on a 23-year-old guy who’s working hard to make him noticed on the upper deck after being hidden behind a Division II label.
His name is Jordan Loyd and he is a 6-foot-4 guard who’s playing his first pro season for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Indiana Pacers’ NBA D-League affiliate team.
After starting his collegiate career at Furman University in the NCAA Division I, Loyd transferred to the University of Indianapolis in Division II for his junior and senior years. Indianapolis competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and its graduates include two high-level basketball players like CBA star Darius Adams and European basketball veteran David Logan.
In his senior year, Loyd showed his skills in every aspect of his game, averaging 20.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 50% from the field, 41% from beyond the arc and 86% from the charity stripe. He also holds team records for most points in both the GLVC Tournament (32) and NCAA Tournament (35). His excellent season allowed him to collect tons of awards and recognitions, earning unanimous All-GLVC First Team honors and being named to the Division II CCA All-Midwest Region Second Team, Division II Bulletin All-American Honorable Mention and the NABC All-District Second Team.
“Indianapolis was simply one of the best things that ever happened to me,” Jordan Loyd told Def Pen. “It was all amazing, from the competition every night to the coaching staff I now call ‘family’. From the strength and conditioning program to practicing every day, everything was at a high level and it got me prepared for my pro career. I’m truly grateful for UIndy.”
Once the experience at Indianapolis had concluded, Loyd had a pre-draft workout with the Indiana Pacers but, unfortunately, not playing in Division I made his first free agency process clearly difficult because of Division II lack of exposure. Therefore, he went unnoticed by teams from both the NBA and overseas: “I think teams were hesitant to look at me because of the Division II label,” Loyd told Def Pen. “I started to get nervous towards the end of October because I still hadn’t signed anywhere and really didn’t have any good offers. If I averaged my same stats at a Division I school I think my summer would have been different. It humbled me, made me get in the gym and gave me mental strength.”
But then he would have been a free agent not for long. In fact, Loyd signed a D-League contract and got drafted by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, just the affiliate team of the NBA franchise that he worked out for. This looks like a sign that the Pacers want to keep their eye on Loyd, by developing him through the Mad Ants.
“He was good in the workout”, Fort Wayne Mad Ants GM Brian Levy told Def Pen. “Enough so that the Pacers mentioned him as a player we should take a hard look at. When he was available in the 3rd round of the D-League Draft, we jumped at the chance to take him.”
Somehow, the D-League has been looking like the best opportunity that could have happened to him so far, as Loyd has been emerging as one of the league’s revelations and proving his high skill level and basketball IQ. Loyd is averaging 15.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game often coming off the bench, with a great back-to-back performance in the end of December in which he recorded 24.5 points, 5.5 boards, and 6.5 assists in 36 minutes per game.
“I rate my experience in the D-League so far as excellent and a great place to start my pro career,” Jordan Loyd told Def Pen. “Every day I’m trying to level up my game. Every night getting a chance to play against top talent is simply a blessing. I’m making the most of my situation and learning a lot. I couldn’t be happier.”
Playing for the Mad Ants, Loyd’s been getting the chance to work with high-level veterans who already made it to the NBA, like point guard Julyan Stone and shooting guard Travis Leslie, whose help as mentors would definitely be important for him.
“Having veterans like Julyan [Stone] and Travis [Leslie] have been a huge help for me this season,” Loyd said. “Travis is my roommate so we talk a lot about things on and off the court. Julyan has basically taken me under his wing and gives me so much knowledge on the point guard position. It’s a new position for me so I’m trying to learn as much as possible. Practicing against them every day has made me such a better player so I’m loving the situation I’m in.”
Yes, the point guard position. Actually, another important aspect is that Loyd, who only played the shooting guard position in college, is now working to play also the point guard with the help of Stone, which could be very useful for his development and future.
“It’s certainly huge,” Loyd said on playing the point guard. “I know if I want to get to that next level I have to be able to play the point guard as well as the shooting guard position well. I think I have great size to be a really good consistent PG in the league. Now I just have to learn the other things that come with that position. In order to develop in the future, I knew I need to be able to control tempo, lead a team and set teammates up at a high level.”
Maybe it’s too early to talk about a possible NBA call-up, but what is sure is that Loyd he’s on the path, working hard with the right mindset to make him noticed so he can reach the ultimate goal.
“Making it from Division II would be an awesome accomplishment,” Loyd said on his NBA dream. “I know I can play in the league and be productive. I’m truly confident in my skills. I know it will be a challenging road but I’m going to embrace it and make that dream a reality.”
That said, it seems that the good performances in the NBA D-League are helping Loyd take his first little steps towards the NBA.
“We feel like Jordan is making a name for himself at the NBA level,” Three Eye Sports Jordan Loyd’s agent William McCandless told Def Pen. “He certainly earned a Summer League invitation, and we hope and expect that he’ll get some attention in terms of a call-up.” Those words are confirmed by McCandless’ partner Errol Bennett II: “Jordan has had inquiries from a few NBA teams,” Bennett II told Def Pen. “We expect him to receive some interest this spring to attend minicamps and of course Summer League this summer.”
Are we going to see another Division II alumnus get his NBA roster spot? That’s in Jordan Loyd’s hands and he’s working on it. Meanwhile, let’s start writing down his name on the notebook.
