July 13, 2007

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Former UAB men's basketball players Ronell Taylor and Wen Mukubu will make their debuts Friday, July 13, in the 2007 Rocky Mountain Review NBA Summer League. Taylor, whose twin brother Donell is a two-year veteran with the Washington Wizards, will compete with the Atlanta Hawks, while Mukubu will play for the Utah Jazz.

Taylor was a two-year performer for the Blazers from 2003-05, where he was voted as the C-USA Sixth Man of the Year as a senior. He was a key member of the 2004 Sweet 16 team, as well as the 2005 NCAA Tournament squad. Taylor played in 57 contests during his UAB career, and averaged 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Most recently, Taylor was an All-Star performer for the Idaho Stampede of the NBDL. Taylor had a standout season in his only year at Idaho, averaging 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, all of which ranked among the top 35 in the entire league. The season was highlighted when Taylor poured in a career-high 29 points and nine boards in the conference finals loss to Colorado on March 20.

Mukubu also performed at a high level at UAB, earning third-team all-conference accolades in 2007. During his senior season, Mukubu ranked second on the team in points (14.3), assists (2.5) and three point shooting percentage (40.0), while also ranking third on the team with 5.7 rebounds a game. For his two-year career, Mukubu played in 61 contests, making 43 starts, and averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest.

Games will be played July 13-20 with no games played on Sunday, July 15. Other teams that will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah to compete in the weeklong event include the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs and Seattle SuperSonics. Fans can follow the former Blazers by logging on to http://www.nba.com/jazz.