Erie resident Marcia Hooks celebrated her cousin, Tony Wroten, Jr., getting drafted tonight./AP Photo.

It was 10:48 p.m. and the party was still going strong at the house of Marcia Hooks in Erie, Pa.

Thirty or so people came to her house to watch the NBA Draft to see her relative – Tony Wroten Jr. – get drafted. The Memphis Grizzlies used the 25th pick in tonight’s draft to pick Wroten Jr., who Hooks said is related to her.

“We jumped for joy,” Hooks said on the phone with the sound of people having fun in the background. “Jumping for joy. They’re still having a grand time.”

Hooks, 55, said Wroten Jr’s great grandfather and her mom were brother and sister.  Hooks said she hadn’t talk to Wroten Jr. yet about the draft, but planned to call her mom, Shirley, later.

“I was trying to give her a chance to get all her calls in because I figure everyone else was trying to give her a call,” Hooks said.

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Former BayHawk Maureece Rice will make his Sioux Falls' debut against his former team Friday night at Tullio Arena.

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2-12) at Erie BayHawks (11-6)

Friday, 7 p.m., Tullio Arena.
▀  On the air: WFNN-AM 1330; www.nba.com/dleague/

Players to watch
▀  Erie — PF Ivan Johnson (Leads team in scoring at 17.1 points a game. Johnson is the only player on the team to start every game the BayHawks have played this season. … C Solomon Alabi (A rookie with the Toronto Raptors, Alabi is making his second trip to the D-League. In his first run with the BayHawks, Alabi averaged 8.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and three blocks in seven starts. … SG Blake Ahearn (Had a season-high 16 points in his third game with Erie after being reacquired by them. He averaged 25.7 points in 13 games with the BayHawks last season).

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