Two Local Products Given a Shot at NBA Dream

The NBA Draft took place last week and, to nobody’s surprise, Cooper Flagg of Duke was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks. Of course, a lot of attention was paid to Flagg and the other top selections. The NBA draft is only two rounds, so not getting drafted is not the end of the road for a lot of players. Some will end up playing professionally in small leagues, others may play overseas, and a few will have a chance to prove they deserve to play in the NBA.

The latter is the case for a couple of Augusta area natives. Each went undrafted, but they both proved their worth to teams around the league in the months leading up to the draft. Here are their stories:

Dylan Cardwell (6’11” Auburn) Signing with the Sacramento Kings

Cardwell grew up in Columbia County and played basketball at Stallings Island Middle School and Evans High School before transferring to basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and, later, McEachern High School in Dallas, Georgia.

He chose to sign with Auburn over several Division I offers. Cardwell earned the moniker of “Mr. Auburn” after spending five years on the Plains. It did not hurt his status that his teams won 120 games (the most for any player in Auburn history), won three SEC titles, and made a Final Four. His combination of size, energy, and athleticism endeared him to fans and NBA scouts alike. Cardwell turned heads at the G-League Elite Camp, where he was one of the top performers. That led to several private workouts with teams around the league. After not being selected in the draft, Cardwell was quickly offered a two-way deal by Sacramento. A two-way contract holds a spot for the player on the team’s roster while they earn valuable experience in the G-League.

R.J. Felton (6’3” East Carolina) Indiana Pacers

Felton had a stellar prep career at North Augusta High School and Aiken High School. In his final season at Aiken, he led the Hornets in virtually every statistical category. He averaged more than 23 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists per game. Like Cardwell, Felton had about a dozen college scholarship offers. In the end, he chose to play for East Carolina University. At ECU, Felton was the big man on campus. He was a star on the court and impressed everyone in his path off the court. He stayed all four years at ECU - a rarity these days. By the time his senior season rolled around, Felton had emerged as a star for the Pirates. As a senior he was one of the best players in America, averaging 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. What may have been most impressive was Felton’s improvement over those four years. His scoring average climbed each year, from 5.1 to 13.8 to 17.3 to 18.8 points per game. His improvement and the work he was putting in is best illustrated by his shooting percentages. His free throw percentage improved from 55.2 to 77.7, His field goal percentage went from 35.6 to 41.4, and his three point percentage exploded from 26.3 to an impressive 37.6. Felton spent a lot of extra time working on his craft.

At the conclusion of his college career, Felton was invited to the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational, where NBA teams get a chance to see the best players battle over the course of a week. Felton proved to be one of the top performers in Portsmouth, which certainly was a key to the attention he garnered from pro teams. He was invited to individual workouts by 11 teams, including Indiana, who, in the end, signed Felton to a deal. His deal is reported to be an Exhibit 10 contract, which includes a one-year minimum salary deal and could be converted to a two-way contract before training camp.