JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After 255 career wins and a regular season title, "Prop Joe" is done at Duval United. The ownership group released a statement via Twitter on Fridayafternoon indicating their über-successful — yet ringless — coach is no longer employed by the team. Matthew Fairburn and Joe Buscaglia reportedly spent the morning discussing Stewart's future and decided the Bold City Brigade will move in a new direction. When asked for comment, Stewart simply said, "Call it a crisis of leadership." He finished his Duval career with a 255-155 record (.622 winning percentage) and playoff appearances in all five seasons. His 2015-2016 team went 64-18 to claim the regular season title, but fell to No. 8-seeded Kansas City in the opening round of the playoffs. His tenure will mostly be remembered for dramatic semifinal series that didn't swing his way in 2014 and 2015, as well as his strong relationship with 2013-2014 COMO MVP Kevin Durant. Read the official press release from Jacksonville: https://twitter.com/Duval_United/status/1030507260206821376
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After two years of swapping assets, Manhattan Spiders general manager Alex Krause entered draft night with four of the top nine picks in the first round. He still wasn't satisfied. He snagged Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr., at No. 3, and then — as Duke's Marvin Bagley fell down the board — sent his No. 9 and Newport Beach's 2019 protected first-round pick to Minneapolis in exchange for No. 6. So, when, the middle of the first round arrived, Krause claimed ultra-rare back-to-back-to-back picks. The haul: Texas big Mo Bamba at No. 5, Bagley at No. 6 and Oklahoma sharpshooter Trae Young at No. 7. Krause was "ecstatic" afterwards, saying, "we now have five rookies [No. 16 overall selection Lonnie Walker included] that can help shape the future of this franchise." The Spiders made their first-ever playoff appearance last season but fell victim to a first-round sweep by the Shorewood Show. Krause is sure to be a major player in free agency, as his team currently leads COMO in cap space. Alongside the new draftees, Manhattan's über-young nucleus also features recent first-round picks Lonzo Ball, D'Angelo Russell, Jaylen Brown and Buddy Hield. Kansas City surprises at No. 1 Paisley Park Rainmakers general manager Brendan Halleron was so certain Kansas City would use its No. 1 pick on Arizona's DeAndre Ayton or Michigan State's Jaren Jackson Jr., that he texted the league office hours before the draft to announce his pick: Either Ayton or Jackson. Whichever one was left. Monarchs GM Jack Nowland surprised the league with his choice: European star Luka Doncic. The 19-year-old guard is still somewhat of an unknown commodity, but Nowland is counting on him to star in western Missouri for several years to come. If not, Nowland might be out of a job. The Monarchs also had the No. 1 selection last summer, and Markelle Fultz suffered through a disastrous first season. While some might consider Doncic a bit of a reckless decision, Nowland saw him as the "safer" one. "Going into the draft process, Luka was No. 1 on my board," Nowland said. "But Ayton was right there. He is just more polished, and with the book still out on my No. 1 pick last year, I went with what I felt is the safer option." He said he saved his risk-taking for the second round, which he opened by selecting high-risk, high-reward players Mitchell Robinson (Western Kentucky) and Michael Porter Jr. (Missouri) with the No. 13 and 14 picks, respectively. Regardless of those players' success, this era of Monarchs basketball will likely be defined by the two No. 1 selections, Fultz and Doncic. "I was shocked," said Halleron, the Rainmakers GM who happily took Ayton at No. 2. "Doncic has potential, but those Euro dudes are always a roll of the dice. I wouldn't Rubio myself at that spot. Ayton, in the words of Rick James, is a super freak." 2018 COMO Draft results1. Kansas City: Luka Doncic, Slovenia
2. Paisley Park: DeAndre Ayton, Arizona 3. Manhattan [from St. Louis]: Jaren Jackson Jr., Michigan State 4. Shorewood [from Colorado]: Kevin Knox, Kentucky 5. Manhattan: Mo Bamba, Texas 6. Manhattan [from Minneapolis]: Marvin Bagley III, Duke 7. Manhattan [from Minnesnowta via Sunnyvale]: Trae Young, Oklahoma 8. Duval United: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kentucky 9. Minneapolis [from Shorewood via Manhattan] [swapped w/ Sunny]: Collin Sexton, Alabama 10. Chaska: Wendell Carter Jr., Duke 11. Sunnyvale [swapped w/ Manhattan]: Miles Bridges, Michigan State 12. Colorado [from Newport Beach]: Mikal Bridges, Villanova 13. Kansas City: Mitchell Robinson, Western Kentucky 14. Kansas City [from Paisley Park via Shorewood]: Michael Porter Jr., Missouri 15. Paisley Park [from St. Louis]: Issuf Sanon, Ukraine 16. Colorado: Zhaire Smith, Texas Tech 17. Manhattan: Lonnie Walker, Miami 18. Minneapolis: Donte Divincenzo, Villanova 19. Minnesnowta: Elie Okobo, France 20. Duval United: Kevin Huerter, Maryland 21. Minnesnowta [from Sunnyvale]: Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech 22. Chaska: Grayson Allen, Duke 23. St. Louis [from Shorewood]: Aaron Holiday, UCLA 24. Newport Beach: Kostas Antetokounmpo, Dayton |
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