Washington Generals Select Duke's Grayson Allen, LiAngelo Ball In Annual Player Draft

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Generals today selected five players, including Duke guard Grayson Allen and shooting guard LiAngelo Ball of the Lithuanian team Vytautas Prienai–Birštonas, as part of its second annual player draft as it looks to ignite the team's ongoing rebuilding efforts.

In addition to Allen and Ball, the Generals also selected Xavier guard J.P. Macura, professional golfer and 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, and Hall of Fame football player Terrell Owens. 

"We are always looking to add talent through the draft, and today we were able to select five players that each have the attitude and edge that we hope will define what it means to be a General going forward," said Generals head coach Sam Worthen. "Each of our draftees are winners, just like we are, and they'll play a big role in shaping the future of the Washington Generals."

Behind the leadership team of Worthen, the former NBA player and all-American at Marquette University, the Generals went after players who have demonstrated not only technical skill, but also a fearlessness when it comes to causing trouble.

"We want players who aren't afraid to take on the Harlem Globetrotters, or anyone else," said Worthen. "We're confident that this year's draftees have that 'Generals swagger' that will give our team the upper hand."

Here's a closer look at the Generals draftees:

• Grayson Allen, a 6-5 guard, helped lead Duke to a national championship as a freshman, but became even more widely known for a series of tripping incidents during his sophomore and junior seasons. After earning a team suspension for that behavior, he put the incidents behind him for the rest of his career before committing a flagrant foul in the ACC tournament as a senior with a hip check against North Carolina. He averaged 15.5 points per game as a senior.
• LiAngelo Ball is the son of 2017 Generals draftee Lavar Ball, who played this past season in Lithuania after leaving school at UCLA following a shoplifting incident. He scored a career-high 28 points, along with six three-pointers, in a LKL league defeat to Nevezis Kedainai.
• J.P. Macura, a 6-5 shooting guard, averaged 12.9 points per game as a senior to lead Xavier to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in 2018. He also earned the nickname "Dennis The Menace" for the way he liked to taunt opposing fans and players during games.
• Terrell Owens, who was recently voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame following his 16-year career as a wide receiver, is a standout multi-sport athlete who also ran track and played college basketball while at Tennessee-Chattanooga. He reportedly plans on skipping his Hall of Fame induction ceremony this August.
• Patrick Reed, who captured the Masters championship—and the Generals-green blazer that comes along with it—this past April, has been called "abrasive" by former college teammates and was arrested twice during his college career. He was also suspended early in his sophomore season, reportedly for cheating on the course.

For tickets and more information on the Generals, follow them on Twitter at @thegenerals, or visit their official site at www.washingtongenerals.com.

About the Washington Generals
The Washington Generals have been around as a franchise since 1952. Founded by the legendary Louis "Red" Klotz, who was a member of the 1948 NBA Champion Baltimore Bullets, the Generals were the Harlem Globetrotters' opposition team for nearly six decades. As an Army veteran, Klotz named the team the Washington Generals in honor of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had just been elected President of the United States. The Generals franchise has lost well over 17,000 games to the Globetrotters but has not been without its triumphs. They defeated the Globetrotters in 1954 and 1958, and against on Jan. 5, 1971 – thanks to a last-second basket by Klotz himself. That 100-99 win over the Globetrotters in Martin, Tenn. snapped a 2,495-game losing streak to the team. Klotz passed away in 2014 at 93, but his legacy lives on as the "new" Generals will renew their rivalry with the Globetrotters later this year. For more information, check out www.washingtongenerals.com or follow on Twitter: @TheGenerals.

SOURCE Washington Generals