Drakeford Becomes Latest Former Blue Devil Playing Professionally
Four former Blue Devils are playing in foreign leagues.
Former men's basketball standout Faronte Drakeford recently became the latest Blue Devil to join the professional playing ranks. A member of the CCSU team from 2013-15, Drakeford is playing professionally in Spain and joins Javier Mojia (2003-07), Ken Horton (2007-12) and Tristan Blackwood (2004-08) as former Central standouts playing overseas.
Drakeford, a 6-foot-7 forward, is the latest Blue Devil to join the professional ranks, having recently signed with Alza Basket Azuqueca in Spain's Liga EBA. Drakeford has played one game for the squad which is off to a 4-2 start. In his debut he scored 15 points with four rebounds in 16 minutes. Drakeford played two seasons at CCSU and started 60 games, averaging 13.2 points and 6.2 rebounds, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field. The 6-foot-7 forward scored a career-high 26 points at Wagner as a senior, while averaging 12.9 points and 7.0 rebounds. He earned All-Northeast Conference Third Team honors as a junior after averaging 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.
Mojica is playing for Jefes de Fuerza Lagunera in Mexico's Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional. Through nine games this season, Mojica is leading the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game. The 6-foot-3 guard is shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from three-point range. He is also averaging 4.3 rebounds per game and 2.0 assists per contest, while shooting 84.6 percent from the foul line. Mojica represented Puerto Rico at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. The 2006-07 Northeast Conference Player of the Year, Mojica helped CCSU win a NEC title and advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2007.
Horton is playing for Medi Beyreuth in Germany's Basketball Bundesliga. Horton has played in nine games for Beyreuth this season and leads the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game. He is shooting a blistering 60.3 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from the arc. The 6-foot-7 forward is second on the team with 5.9 rebounds. The 2010-11 Northeast Conference Player of the Year, Horton is CCSU's all-time leading scorer with 1,966 career points. He is also third on CCSU's all-time list with 197 career blocked shots.
Blackwood most recently played with the BSW Sixers Sandersdorf team in Germany's Regionalliga. In 21 games in 2014-15 he was second on the team with 12.7 points per game and 3.6 assists. He shot 50.8 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three-point range with a team-high 57 three-pointers. A 6-foot guard, Blackwood was a two-time Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year and scored 1,605 career points with 506 assists and helped CCSU advance to the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
The 2015-16 Blue Devils return to action Sunday afternoon against Maine at 4:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at CCSUTickets.com or at the box office upon entry. Admission for all CCSU students, faculty and staff is free of charge with a valid Blue Chip card. For fans who cannot attend, all the action can be seen live, for free, on NECFrontRow.com.
