July 9, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Marc Salyers, former Samford basketball player and the Bulldogs' sixth all-time leading scorer, was officially named a member of the New Orleans Hornets Summer League team Thursday in a release posted on the NBA franchise's Web site.

Salyers, who played at Samford from 1997-2001, is one of only 13 players to receive an opportunity to compete in the prestigious 10-day summer league.

The New Orleans Hornets are scheduled to play five games, July 10-19, in Las Vegas, Nev., taking on San Antonio, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, Minnesota and Denver during the competition.

Complete coverage of the Hornets summer league action, including box scores, photos and game summaries, will be available at hornets.com.

Along with Salyers, New Orleans' 2009 Summer League roster will also feature recent draft picks Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, as well as current Hornet Julian Wright. The team will be coached by scout Rob Werdann.

Salyers, a native of Owensboro, Ky., was a two-time all-conference performer at Samford and is currently ranked sixth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,604 points. During his illustrious four-year career, he helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of NCAA Tournaments. More recently, Salyers has been competing professionally in Europe and led Roanne to the 2007 French League championship.

The 2009 NBA Summer League, which features squads representing 21 NBA teams, takes place from July 10 -19, with games played at COX Pavilion and the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV. This marks the fifth consecutive year that the Hornets have participated in the league.

2009 New Orleans Hornets Summer League Roster

No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College NBA Exp.
55 Earl Barron C 7-0 268 Aug. 14, 1981 Memphis 3
11 Earl Calloway G 6-3 175 Sept. 30, 1983 Indiana None
20 Jaycee Carroll G 6-2 175 April 16, 1983 Utah State None
2 Darren Collison G 6-0 160 Aug. 23, 1987 UCLA R
34 Brian Cusworth C 7-0 255 March 9, 1984 Harvard None
10 Terry Martin G 6-6 210 July 31, 1987 LSU R
50 Luke Nevill C 7-2 265 Feb. 19, 1986 Utah R
25 Larry Owens F 6-7 210 Jan. 8, 1983 Oral Roberts None
8 Marc Salyers F 6-9 220 Feb. 28, 1979 Samford None
44 Courtney Sims C 6-11 245 Oct. 21, 1983 Michigan 2
5 Marcus Thornton G 6-4 194 June 5, 1987 LSU R
35 Anthony Tolliver F 6-8 240 June 1, 1985 Creighton 1
32 Julian Wright F 6-8 225 May 20, 1987 Kansas 2

Head Coach: Rob Werdann, St. John's