Feb. 16, 2012
TULSA -- Will Creekmore (C, Tulsa, Okla.), a 2011 Academic All-America selection, Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and All-MVC second team performer for the Missouri State Bears, recently returned from the Germany Pro A League (Edgas Ehingen Steeples) to sign a contract with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.
He will make his D-League debut Friday at Sioux Falls (S.D.) and wear the familiar No. 44, the same number he wore at MSU.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to play for my hometown team in a very competitive league with a great coaching staff," Creekmore said. "I look forward to using this chance to take my game to another level and gain valuable experience."
The 66ers, who are an affiliate of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, officially added Creekmore to their 10-man roster late Wednesday. The team is coached by Dale Osbourne, a former coach at South Alabama who spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the 66ers.
In his short stint in Germany, Creekmore played 18 games, averaging 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists, while making 46.0 percent of his shots.
Creekmore attended Edison High School in Tulsa and played his final two-and-a-half seasons of college basketball at Missouri State after transferring to Springfield from Boston University. He averaged 9.4 points in 94 games for former MSU head coach Cuonzo Martin while collecting 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting at a 53.0-percent clip and making 76 starts.
He joins the D-League's all-time leading scorer Blake Ahearn (Reno) as the only two former Bears active in the NBA Development League. Ahearn recently broke the modern-era professional basketball record for consecutive free throws (110), which was featured in a recent NBA-TV feature.
-MSU-
