Gay, Conley and Navarro named to 2008 Rookie Sophomore Game in New Orleans
Memphis, January 30, 2008 — The Memphis Grizzlies had an NBA-high three players named to the 2008 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam during All-Star Weekend. Sophomore forward Rudy Gay and rookie guards Mike Conley and Juan Carlos Navarro were three of the 18 players selected to play on Friday, February 15 in New Orleans at New Orleans Arena.
The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. The head coaches for the Rookie and Sophomore teams will be the lead assistants from the 2008 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.
One of the NBA’s most improved players this season, Gay leads all sophomores in scoring with 19.6 points per game, and is on pace to become the first player other than Pau Gasol to lead the franchise in scoring since moving to Memphis in 2001.
The 6-9, 220-pound forward, who was recently named to the 2008 Sprite Slam Dunk competition, is the lone NBA player ranked in the top 40 in dunks (63, 11th) and three-point field goals made (77, 29th). His 8.8 point increase from his rookie season (10.8 in 2006-07) is also tops in the league among players who played in at least 50 percent of their teams’ games last season. Gay, 21, who scored a team-high tying 22 points in last year’s Rookie Challenge in Las Vegas, was originally selected by Houston in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft (8th overall). His draft rights were traded to Memphis along with Stromile Swift for Shane Battier on July 12, 2006.
Conley leads all rookies in assists (4.8) and averages more assists than any two first-year players combined. The 6-1, 180-pound playmaker is also averaging 8.8 points and 0.89 steals in 26.2 minutes in 19 games (13 starts). Since becoming a full-time starter on January 2, the 20-year-old has averaged 10.3 points, 5.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 31.2 minutes this month. The fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Conley has scored in double figures in eight of his last 12 games played.
A 27-year-old NBA rookie after completing 10 professional seasons with Spain’s F.C. Barcelona, Navarro ranks in the top five among all rookies in scoring average (11.0, 2nd), three-point field made (93, 1st), three-point field goal percentage (.412, 1st) and assists (2.1, T-3rd).
The 6-3, 170-pound guard is averaging a rookie-best 2.07 three-point field goals made per game and is on pace to finish with 169, which would break Kerry Kittles’ NBA rookie single-season record of 158 set in 1996-97. “La Bomba” was originally selected by Washington in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft (40th overall), but the Grizzlies acquired his draft rights from the Wizards in a trade for a future first round pick on August 17, 2007.
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