David Lighty was the top scorer among a handful of participants from Ohio colleges in NBA summer league action in Orlando that recently concluded.
Lighty, an Ohio State product who has spent the last two seasons playing overseas, averaged 7.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists while playing for the Brooklyn Nets. He played three games, starting two.
William Buford, a teammate of Lighty's at Ohio State for three years, averaged 5.5 points and 1.0 rebound in four games (including two starts) for the Utah Jazz squad.
The Philadelphia 76ers summer league team included a pair of Mid-American Conference standouts, but neither D.J. Cooper or Zeke Marshall received much of a chance to gain notice. Cooper, a four-year starter a point guard for Ohio University, scored six points with one rebound, one assist and one steal in 14 minutes of the only game he played. Marshall, a standout center for Akron, totaled two points and six rebounds in two games while missing 6 of 7 field goal attempts.
Another former MAC standout – Julian Mavunga of Miami University – played two games for the Indianapolis Pacers representative and averaged 5.0 points in 14+ minutes of action. Joining him was Chris Wright, a forward from the University of Dayton who averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in three games for the Pacers.
From the Horizon League, Cedric Jackson of Cleveland State averaged 4.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists playing four games for the Miami Heat.
NBA summer league action continues this week in Las Vegas, where Cooper will hope to get a larger opportunity to show his stuff as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Also among those participating in the Vegas summer league is Deshaun Thomas of Ohio State. The high-scoring forward is playing for the San Antonio Spurts and tallied 18 points in his debut July 12.
