Bucknell University Athletics
Hoops Alumni News: Muscala to Thunder, Thomas to Rockets Summer League Team
7/1/2019 3:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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Muscala, Bucknell's all-time leading scorer and a two-time Patriot League Player of the Year during his days in Lewisburg, is entering his seventh professional season in 2019-20. He spent the first five of those seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, before signing a free-agent deal with the Philadelphia 76ers prior to last season. In a trade-deadline deal, Philadelphia sent Muscala first to the Los Angeles Clippers, who immediately dealt him to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played the final 17 games of the campaign. The 6'11" Muscala can play both the power forward and center positions and is know for his ability to spread the floor with his 3-point shooting prowess. He is a career 36.5-percent shooter from beyond the arc and has topped the 40-percent mark twice.Â
Muscala is expected to join a Thunder team that last season finished sixth in the NBA's Western Conference with a 49-33 record. Oklahoma City was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers.
(Muscala, of course, will be playing his home games in an arena that Bison fans fondly will remember.)
Meanwhile, Thomas will be headed to the Las Vegas Summer League for the second year in a row. Last year the 2018 Patriot League Player of the Year competed with the Utah Jazz before embarking on a successful pro debut with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium. Thomas led the team and ranked seventh in the league in scoring at 14.1 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.Â
The Rockets will play four NBA Summer League preliminary round games: July 6 vs. Dallas (9 p.m. ET on NBA TV), July 7 vs. Portland (10 p.m. on NBA TV), July 9 vs. Sacramento (10 p.m. on ESPN2) and July 11 vs. Utah (8:30 p.m. on ESPNU). Additional games will be based on seeding.Â
Muscala and Thomas were two of the six recent Bucknell alums who played in the professional ranks last season. This list will be updated as players officially sign 2019-20 contracts.Â
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