2013-14 Bucknell Men's Basketball Media Guide - Bucknell Athletics

Above Left: J.R. Holden taking on Kobe Bryant and Team USA in a warmup game prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Above Right: Mike Muscala earns MVP honors at a tournament in Spain in 2013. Insets: Muscala in an NBA Summer League game
with the Atlanta Hawks; Muscala with fellow Hawks draftees Lucas Nogueira and Dennis Schroeder at a post-draft press conference.
Bison in the Pros
More than a dozen Bucknell graduates have continued their hoops careers in the pro ranks in recent years, and
2013 grads Mike Muscala and Joe Willman are the two latest additions. Muscala this summer became the third
Bison to be selected in the NBA Draft, when he was taken 44th overall by the Dallas Mavericks and then traded
on draft night to the Atlanta Hawks. Muscala will be playing in Spain in 2013-14, while the Hawks retain his
draft rights. One of the the most prominent Bison alums to play overseas was J.R. Holden '98, who retired at
the end of the 2011 season after a terrific career as the point guard for European powerhouse CSKA Moscow.
Holden also started for the Russian National Team, with which he competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in
Beijing after a stunning victory over Spain in the 2007 European Championship. Holden's buzzer-beater gave
the Russians the Euro title. Here are some other former Bison who have played in the pro ranks in recent years:
ABE BADMUS ‘07 — Badmus played in 2011 with Cetaf in Brazil. He has also played in Germany and
with the Nigerian national squad.
Bryan Bailey ’02 — In 2012-13 Bailey completed his 11th year in Europe, playing with BBC Bayreuth
in Germany and Acea Virtus Roma in Italy. He has also played in Poland, The Netherlands and Bosnia.
Bailey will be back with Bayreuth again in 2013-14.
G.W. BOON ‘11 — Boon’s entry into the pro ranks was delayed due to a torn Achilles tendon suffered
while training just after graduation, but in 2012-13 he played with BC Prievidza in Slovakia.
Donald Brown ’07 — Played a season for U.M.F. Tindastoll in Iceland, where he averaged better than
20 points per game. He suffered an injury that has since kept him out of action.
BRYAN COHEN ‘12 — The three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year signed with Maccabi
Haifa in Israel’s first division, where he began his pro career in 2012-13.
John Griffin ’08 — Was named league MVP in his debut season with the Proveo Merlins Crailsheim in
Germany in 2008-09, averaging a league-best 20.3 points and 3.5 assists per game before going down
with a knee injury late in the year. Griffin worked for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers in 2010-11, returned to
the pro ranks with Inter Bratislava in Slovakia in 2011-12, and now is on the coaching staff at Rider.
Boakai Lalugba ’03 — Retired in 2013 after a terrific 10-year pro career in France, Sweden, Finland,
and briefly in the USBL. He was the 2006 Korisliiga (top Finnish league) Player of the Year.
Charles Lee ‘06 — Had a very good 2008-09 season with Goettingen in the top German division after
playing one year each in Belgium and Israel. Lee averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds while leading
his upstart team to a runner-up finish in the Bundesliga. In 2009-10, he joined another top German club,
the Artland Dragons. Lee played in two NBA Summer League sessions with the San Antonio Spurs and
was in veterans training camp in ’06. He is now back at Bucknell as an assistant coach.
Chris McNaughton ’07 — McNaughton has been a solid player in the German Bundesliga, and 2013-
14 will be his second with top-division club s.Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg. A German native, McNaughton
had a big summer in 2010, as he made the German national team and saw time at the FIBA World
Championships in Turkey. McNaughton previously spent two seasons playing in Spain.
DARRYL SHAZIER ‘11 — After graduating in 2011, Shazier earned a Victory Scholarship through United
States Northern Ireland (USNI) Sport, where he played with the Ulster Elks. Representing Northern
Ireland at the BUCS Home Nations tournament, Shazier scored 62 points in a game against Wales!
Davorin Skornik ‘04 — After playing in Italy in 2011, Skornik has returned to his native Slovenia and
is still going strong. After a year with Slovenske Konjice, Skornik will play with Radenska this season.
He has also made stops in Switzerland and Hungary.
JOE WILLMAN ‘13 — One of the stars of Bucknell’s 2013 championship team, Willman signed his first
professional contract with BK Nova Hut Ostrava in the Czech Republic’s top division.
Many other Bucknellians have enjoyed professional success as well, including all-time leading scorer Al Leslie
‘81, who was drafted by the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and Patrick King ‘92, who had a long and successful career
in Germany and is now an agent in that country.
Chris McNaughton played for Germany in the
2010 FIBA World Championships.
Bryan Bailey with EWE Baskets Oldenburg in
Germany in 2009.
Charles Lee goes against Tim Duncan at the
Spurs training camp in 2006.