The national champions Leones de Santo Domingo will have the versatile Sadiel Rojas from the start of the elimination phase of the National Basketball League, which starts this Wednesday.
Rojas, who is currently participating with the national basketball team in the last FIBA window of the first qualifying phase for the 2023 Basketball World Cup, arrives in the country this Tuesday and will immediately join the La Manada squad.
The Dominican-American player will perform for the fourth time on the LNB with the long-haired. He debuted with the Leones in the 2011 season, with whom he also played in the 2014 and 2016 campaigns.
His best season with Leones was in 2014, when in 20 regular phase games he averaged 16.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. In that tournament he was chosen defensive player of the year and was included in the ideal quintet of the league.
For life in the LNB he averages 7.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
Lions hire two new reinforcements
The defense of the championship begins its second phase and that is why Leones de Santo Domingo adjust its squad for the start of the elimination phase of the National Basketball League.
The national champions announce the hiring of North American players Anthony Criswell and Marquis Wright, who will replace reinforcements Isaiah Sykes and Steve Burtt on the roster.
Marquis Wright, 27 years old and 6′ 1” tall, is a combo guard with a lot of experience in international basketball. In 2021 he was part of the champion team in the Romanian league; he was also a cup champion in the Israeli league, in 2018.
In the French league, last season, playing for Boulazac Basket Dordogne, he averaged 16 PPJ, 6 ASP and 3 RPJ, shooting 49% from the field and 34% from the three-point line, with 74% free throws.
Tony Criswell is a 6′ 9” tall player, 31 years old, plays positions four and five with international experience in the NBA G League, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay, Switzerland and Mexico.
It is his third participation in the LNB. He had a short stay with the Soles de Santo Domingo Este in the 2019 season, when he participated in three games; last year he played in 10 games with the Atlantic Hurricanes.
With the Puerto Plata team he averaged 16.2 PPG, 63 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, shooting 53% from the field.
The pack debuts this Thursdays
The National Champions will make their debut this Thursday at the Mauricio Báez club in Villa Juana, when they receive the Marineros de Puerto Plata from 8:00 pm, at the start of the elimination phase of the current LNB season.