Jazz rookies now D-League All-Stars

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Feb 6, 2008 | by Tim Buckley Deseret Morning News

DENVER -- Jazz-assigned rookies Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko of the Utah Flash both were named to play in the NBA Development League's Feb. 16 All-Star Game, part of this month's NBA All-Star Weekend festivities in New Orleans.

Almond, the Jazz's 2007 first-round draft choice out of Rice University, was averaging a D-League high 26.4 points per game heading into the Flash's game Tuesday at Colorado. The shooting guard has two 50-plus point games for the Flash, including a D- League record 53 vs. Bakersfield last month.

Fesenko -- a second-round selection in last June's NBA Draft -- was averaging 10.5 points and 7.0 rebounds going into Tuesday's play, and the Ukrainian big man's 2.4 blocks per game ranked third in the league.

Both have played sparingly for the Jazz this season, with Almond appearing in six games and Fesenko seven.

The two, chosen via fan and coach balloting, will play on a 10- member "Blue" team. "Red" team selections include several players with ties to the Jazz and/or the state of Utah:

-- Idaho's Randy Livingston, a former Jazz guard who leads the D- League in assists per game;

-- Weber State product Eddie Gill of Colorado, an ex-NBA guard who played last summer for the Jazz's Rocky Mountain Revue team;

-- Colorado forward Kaniel Dickens, a 2000 Jazz second-round draft choice who has a played a handful of NBA games for three teams (though not Utah);

-- Idaho forward Cory Violette, a former Jazz training camp participant and summer leaguer; and

-- Idaho big man Lance Allred, who played at both Weber State and the University of Utah.

The game, part of the NBA's All-Star Jam Session, will be carried live on NBA TV, the league's cable network.

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com