Eight Men's Basketball Alums Compete in NBA Summer League

Eight former Horizon League standouts took part in the NBA Summer League over the last two weeks, as Clay Tucker (Milwaukee), Eli Holman (Detroit), Paul Carter (UIC), Shelvin Mack (Butler), Matt Howard (Butler), Norris Cole (Cleveland State), Cedric Jackson (Cleveland State) and Chase Simon (Detroit) worked to bolster their games and position themselves for roster spots in the fall.

Tucker, who spent the NBA season in Europe, played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the Summer League, starting all four games for the team. Averaging 22.3 minutes per game, Tucker displayed the same scoring touch that helped him record 1,788 points in his four-year career at Milwaukee. Tucker averaged 9.0 points per game for the Sixers, including a 15-point performance against Orlando.

Holman, signed to the Houston Rockets’ Summer League team, appeared in just one game for the Rockets before exiting with an injury. He did not score in two minutes of court time.

Carter, coming off a stint in Cyprus, played for the Atlanta Hawks this summer, corralling 2.8 rebounds and 4.0 points in 14.2 minutes. Carter came off the bench in four of the Hawks’ five games, and after initially struggling to find his scoring touch, went 3-for-6 in just 10 minutes of play in his final game of the summer.

Mack, a second round pick of Washington in the 2011 NBA Draft, started all five of the Wizards’ games, averaging 11.0 ppg. Though he struggled from three-point range, Mack scored in double figures in four of his five games and averaged 3.0 assists per game over his last four. Mack’s best game came against Dallas, as he finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Howard played in both Greece and Germany after graduating from Butler in 2011, returning this summer to play in three games for Phoenix. Seeing an increase in his minutes in each game, Howard averaged 2.7 ppg to go along with 1.0 rpg. The 2009 Horizon League Player of the Year scored 4 points against Cleveland, knocking down his lone three-pointer of the league in the game.

Cole, who served as the backup point guard in Miami’s run to the NBA Championship this summer, took a starring role for the Heat in the Summer League. Starting all four games, Cole averaged 13.0 ppg, adding 4.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. Cole reached double figures in each game despite suffering through three off-shooting nights. The 2011 Horizon League Player of the Year used the free-throw line to his advantage, going 23-for-29 in the four games.

Cole served an apprenticeship to Jackson at Cleveland State, and after dominating in New Zealand, Jackson signed with the San Antonio Spurs for the Summer League. Appearing in two games, Jackson scored all eight of his points when he took on Miami. Jackson was 4-for-8 from the field, added 4 assists, and not surprisingly for the Horizon League’s all-time steals leader, seven steals.

Simon played in one game for the Chicago Bulls, tallying four points in 13 minutes of play. The 6-foot-7 guard added two offensive rebounds in the loss to Milwaukee.