SUMMERS, MACK, DOWNS & WRIGHT NAMED TO NBA D-LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAM

Red Claws Lead Selections with Four Players, Team to be Coached by Red Claws’ Staff
Portland, Maine - The Maine Red Claws, presented by Unum, today announced that four Red Claws players have been selected to participate in the 2013 NBA Development League All-Star Game: guard Shelvin Mack, forward DaJuan Summers, forward Chris Wright and guard/forward Micah Downs. The Prospects and Futures All-Star teams take to the court at Sprint Arena at NBA All-Star Jam Session at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center at 3 PM (ET) on Saturday, February 16.

The Red Claws led the NBA Development League with four selections, and the Red Claws players will be on the Futures team that will be coached by Red Claws Head Coach Mike Taylor. Taylor will be joined by assistant coaches Tunde Adekola and J.P. Clark, as well as the Red Claws’ athletic trainer Jessica Kendall.

Shelvin Mack, 22, is currently with the Philadelphia 76ers, having signed his first 10-day contract with the team on January 17 and second on January 28. He signed an earlier 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards.  In ten total games for Washington and Philadelphia, he is averaging 3.9 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. At the time he left the Maine Red Claws to join the Sixers, Mack ranked third in the D-League in scoring (20.5 ppg) and first in assists (8.0 apg). In order to participate in the 2013 NBA Development League All-Star Game, Mack would need to be on an NBADL team’s roster.

Micah Downs, 26, is averaging 18.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 29 games played this season for the Red Claws. Downs also leads the team in steals, with 2.1 per game. Downs ranks 8th in the NBADL is scoring and second in steals. The fourth year pro out of Gonzaga took part in the NBA Pro Summer League with the
Boston Celtics and was invited to the team’s 2012 training camp.

DaJuan Summers, 25, was a 2009 2nd round draft selection of the Detroit Pistons and has 81 career NBA games to his credit with Detroit and New Orleans. Summers, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, has appeared in 20 games with the Red Claws this season, averaging 19.5 ppg and 8.6 rpg. The fourth year pro out of Georgetown attended the Charlotte Bobcats 2012 training camp before joining the Red Claws in early December.

Chris Wright, 24, spent much of his rookie season last year in the NBA, earning an early season contract from the Golden State Warriors after just four games with the Red Claws in 2011-12. Wright returned to the Red Claws this season, with the high-flying forward picking up where he left off. The second year pro out of Dayton has averaged 16.5 ppg and 8.7 rpg in 19 games while electrifying the Maine crowds with his athleticism and acrobatic dunks.

“I am extremely proud of our team this season,” said Red Claws Head Coach Mike Taylor. “We have faced some adversity, with call ups and injuries to some key players, and we have persevered as a team. Shelvin Mack, DaJuan Summers, Chris Wright and Micah Downs have been at the forefront of that. They have continually stepped up where and when they were needed, and while I wish I could be coaching all ten of my players in Houston, I am thrilled that these four as well as our coaching staff will represent the Red Claws’ organization at this year’s All-Star Game.”