Al Nolen/Photo by Rob Engelhardt/ETN

The Erie BayHawks have reduced their roster to 11 after waiving Al Nolen and Marvin Roberts today.

The 6-foot, 1-inch Nolen, a point guard who Erie picked in the fifth round of the 2011 D-League Draft, didn’t participate in any of the scrimmages as he’s recovering from having a pin removed from the foot that he broke in his senior year at Minnesota last season.

Roberts, a 6-5 guard out of Florida International, had issues with a groin injury, but did play in the three-team scrimmage Saturday at Penn State Behrend.  He was invited to training camp after a free-agent tryout.

Now the BayHawks have one more player to cut by 5 p.m. on Nov. 23.

The interesting part about this last cut is forward D.J. Kennedy is just getting back to doing more in camp. Out of St. John’s the 6-5 Kennedy is coming off a season-ending knee injury he had in March.

Erie could make him an injury waiver and retain his rights. If Erie keeps him, that means a small forward/big guard will most likely go.

The guys that fall into the smll forward/big guard category are Chaz McCrommon, who joined the BayHawks at the end of last season, Kyle Spain, who played for Erie last season, Mychel Thompson, who was a third-round pick out of Pepperdine or Tirrell Baines, who was a fourth-round pick out of Marshall.

However, Erie may go a completely different direction to make its final cut. The BayHawks will likely make their final cut either after tonight’s practice or tomorrow morning because they’re headed to Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday for Friday’s season opener against the Vipers.

The BayHawks traded veteran point guard Blake Ahearn for Donald Sloan (15)./AP Photo

Several players vying to make the final 10-man roster of the Erie BayHawks made a lasting impression the team’s general manager of basketball operations – Allan Houston.

The assistant general manager of the New York Knicks came to Erie on Sunday for training camp and left Monday afternoon. Here’s a list of the players Houston named when asked who stood out to him while he was at training camp.

Donald Sloan (23 years old, 6-3, 205, Texas A&M) – “I saw it in the Pan-Am trials. Didn’t get to see much of him last year (playing for the Reno Bighorns), but he’s a real point guard. The more and more I talk to other personnel and people throughout the league, a lot of guys come into this league and they have to be combos. A lot of guys who are twos trying to be ones because of their size, but he’s a real point guard. I like his demeanor. Athletic, explosive and he sees the floor well.”

Chris Daniels (27 years old, 7-0, 265, Texas A&M Corpus Christi) – “I like Chris’ skill level.”

Cory Higgins (22 years old, 6-5, 180, Colorado) – “Cory is very efficient. Like we thought, he handles the ball well. Good mid-range shooter. Good defender. He’s probably going to have to get a little bit stronger, but that’s natural for when you come out of college.”

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Mychel Thompson./AP Photo.

D-League.com provided a breakdown of Thursday’s draft. Here are the comments related to the Erie BayHawks.

In his senior year at Pepperdine, Thompson scored almost 15 points a game, pulling down 5.9 rebounds while he was at it. He’s also from great pedigree: Thompson’s dad, Mychal, was selected first overall in the 1978 NBA Draft and went on to have a 12-year career in the NBA. He’s now a radio color commentator with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Best pick in 6th round – Adrian Bowie (10th pick in the 6th round to Erie; 89th overall)

Bowie did whatever Maryland needed from him in his senior season in 2010-11, scoring 8.8 points a game to go along with 3.5 assists and three rebounds a game. He also shot .466 from the floor – the highest average of his career. He’s shown that he can shine, but he’ll now have to do it on a consistent basis.

The BayHawks begin training camp Nov. 10. in Erie.

Here’s a look at who the Erie BayHawks chose in Thursday night’s 2011 D-League Draft. Training camp begins Nov. 10 in Erie.

1st round: (7th overall) SG Cory Higgins (6-5, 190, Colorado). Avg. 16.1 points his senior season at Colorado in 2010-11. He’s the son of former NBA player and the president of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats, Rod Higgins.

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