Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Rolan Roberts and Kent Williams Selected in NBDL Draft
11/06/2003 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 6, 2003
ATLANTA, Ga. - Rolan Roberts and Kent Williams, who helped lead the Southern Illinois University men's basketball team to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 two years ago, were selected Thursday night in the National Basketball Developmental League's draft.
Roberts, who played just the 2001-02 season at SIU, was drafted in the first round by Charleston as the fifth overall pick.
After graduating from Southern Illinois in 2002, Roberts spent last season with three different professional teams. He played 10 games in Turkey with Besiktas Istanbul, averaging 15.6 points and 7.9 rebounds. Roberts then moved on to France with Vichy Auvergne, where he averaged 14.0 points and 11.4 rebounds in 11 games. He wrapped up the summer of 2003 in USBL with the Brevard Blue Ducks, averaging 2.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in eight games.
Williams, who led SIU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths and finished second in career scoring, was drafted in the sixth round by Fayetteville. He was the 36th pick overall. Williams graduated last spring and had a tryout with the NBA's Utah Jazz.
Four of last year's eight first-round selections went on to play in the NBA (Mikki Moore, Devin Brown, Bobby Simons and Corey Benjamin) as the league continues to serve as a talent pool for the 29 NBA teams.
