Mad Ants Take Johnson With No. 1 Pick

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. - With the first pick of the 2012 NBA Development League Draft, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants selected JaJuan Johnson, a 6’10” forward from Purdue University. Johnson was the first of nine players selected by Fort Wayne in the draft.

Drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the 2011 NBA Draft, Johnson was traded to the Boston Celtics where he appeared in 36 games, averaging 8.3 minutes and 3.2 points. Most recently, Johnson appeared in two preseason games for the Houston Rockets where he averaged 5 points and 2 rebounds in 5.5 minutes.

A standout at Purdue University, Johnson was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He averaged 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, and led his team to a 26-8 record during his senior year at Purdue.

“We are really excited about what we were able to do in this year’s draft,” said Mad Ants President, Jeff Potter. “We wanted to make our roster much more athletic, and we wanted to make this the most competitive draft possible.  I think we accomplished that with this group of players.”

Following is the list of players selected by the Mad Ants:

Rd        Name                                             Pos        Ht        Wt          College

1          JaJuan Johnson                                F        6-10    220         Purdue University

2          Dominic Cheek*                             F        6-6      190         Villanova

3          Lenny Daniel                                  F        6-8      215         Cal State Northridge

4          Darryl Partin*                                 G        6-5      195         Boston

4          Darnell Dodson*                             F        6-7      220         Southern Mississippi

5          Bernard Toombs                             C        6-10    230         Troy

6          Jason Warren                                   F        6-7      195         Missouri Western

7          Dante Williams                               G        6-0      185         East Tennessee State

8          Austin Bryant                                 F        6-6      215         Indiana Tech

*indicates rookies

The nine players drafted by the Mad Ants will join with the following players to complete the 16 man training camp roster which kicks off on Tuesday, November 13 ^th:

Name                               Ht                 Wt                       College                      Status

Mike Anderson           6-8                  205                  VA Commonwealth    Trade

Ron Howard               6-5                  190                  Valparaiso                   Returner

Jarrid Famous              6-11                240                  South Florida              Returner

Sadiel Rojas                6-4                  190                  Oklahoma Wesleyan   Returner

Walker Russell Jr.       6-0                  170                  Jacksonville St.           Returner

Sean Sonderleiter        6-11                245                  Iowa                            Returner

Tommy Smith             6-10                215                  Arizona State              Trade

The Mad Ants will tip-off their 2012-13 season against the Erie Bayhawks on Friday, November 23 ^rd at 7:30pm at the Memorial Coliseum. Season tickets for the 2012-2013 season are on sale now and start at just $99! For ticket information call 260-469-4667.