Ballock & Mahoney Earn NBA Summer League Invites

OMAHA, Neb. -- Two more seniors from Creighton's 2020-21 team have signed to play professionally in the NBA Summer League. Mitch Ballock will play for the Philadelphia 76ers, while Denzel Mahoney will play for the Charlotte Hornets. The duo join Damien Jefferson (Sacramento Kings) and Marcus Zegarowski (Brooklyn Nets) as members of last year's Bluejay squad that reached the Sweet 16 who will start their pro careers in the next 10 days.

The 16th MGM Resorts NBA Summer League will feature all 30 NBA teams playing five games each in Las Vegas. After every team plays four games, the two teams with the best records from the first four games will meet in the Championship Game on Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2021 will tip off on Sunday, Aug. 8 with eight games, All 75 games of the 10-day competition on the campus of UNLV will air live on ESPN networks or NBA TV and streamed on the ESPN app.

Mitch Ballock - (Profile/Bio/Clippings)
Ballock finished his Creighton career as one of the greatest marksmen in program history. He ranks third in CU history with 308 three-pointers, and his 182 three-pointers in BIG EAST play are fifth-most all-time. He is the only man in program history with consecutive seasons of 90+ treys, and his 93 trifectas are a CU record for a junior. The southpaw sharpshooter joined Kyle Korver as one of two Bluejays with eight (or more) three-pointers in multiple games, and his 11 three-pointers vs. DePaul on March 9, 2019 tied the BIG EAST single-game record.

Ballock finished his career 20^th in CU history with 1,304 points in 130 games, starting his final 102 games. He shot 39.8 percent from deep in his career, ranking in the top-15 in the BIG EAST in both three-pointers per game and three-point percentage each of his final three campaigns. He earned BIG EAST All-Freshman Team honors in 2017-18, becoming the first CU freshman to lead the Jays in scoring in his NCAA debut since Kevin McKenna in 1977.

Creighton won 87 games during Ballock's four seasons. He had 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds in his first career start during a 2018 victory vs. No. 3 Villanova, the final setback that season by the eventual national champions. CU reached the NIT quarterfinals in 2019, then won the program's first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2020. He capped his career by helping Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974.

Off the court, the Eudora, Kan., native won the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award for the 2020-21 season and was a four-time member of the BIG EAST's All-Academic Team. He graduated in May of 2021.

Denzel Mahoney - (Profile/Bio/Clippings)
A prolific scorer in college, Mahoney recorded 1,717 points in 115 college games, good for a 14.9 points per game clip. He added 488 rebounds while draining 214 career three-pointers.

It didn't take long for Mahoney to make a difference, scoring in double-figures in 27-of-33 contests as a freshman at Southeast Missouri State in 2016-17. He was a five-time Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week, wrapping up his debut campaign as a Second Team All-OVC selection and with OVC Freshman of the Year plaudits.

The Oviedo, Fla., product increased his scoring to 19.3 points per game as a sophomore, when he also hauled in First Team All-OVC accolades. He scored 30 or more twice as a sophomore, including a career-best 36 points on his 20^th birthday at SIU Edwardsville, but would transfer to Creighton at season's end.

Mahoney made an immediate impact in his debut season at Creighton, bringing home the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award in 2019-20. He scored 12.0 points per game for the season, but increased that figure to 18.3 points per game in three contests against top-10 competition, and closed the year with a team-high 18 points in a win vs. No. 8 Seton Hall to help Creighton clinch a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title.

The talented swingman moved into the starting line-up as a senior, averaging 12.5 points per game as he was named Second Team All-District 5 by the NABC and landed Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST recognition. He ranked sixth in the league in steals per game (1.3) and was seventh in three-pointers per game (2.13). Mahoney embraced the defensive stopper role for CU, as evidenced on March 22 when he limited Ohio star Jason Preston to 1-for-10 shooting as the Bluejays advanced to their first Sweet 16 since 1974.

Mahoney graduated from Creighton in May.

Coached by Greg McDermott, Creighton finished the 2020-21 season with a 22-9 record, placed second in the BIG EAST Conference, and reached the program's first Sweet 16 since 1974. The four new professional Bluejays look to join five other Creighton alums who spent time in the NBA last season -- Ty-Shon Alexander, Doug McDermott, Justin Patton, Khyri Thomas and Anthony Tolliver.

**2021 NBA Summer League Schedule**
	Mitch Ballock (Philadelphia 76ers)	Damien Jefferson (Sacramento Kings)	Denzel Mahoney (Charlotte Hornets)	Marcus Zegarowski (Brooklyn Nets)
Aug. 3		vs. Golden State (10 pm on ESPN2)
Aug. 4		vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10 pm on ESPNU)
Aug. 8			vs. Portland (5 pm on NBA TV)
Aug. 9	vs. Dallas (3 pm on NBA TV)	vs. Charlotte (5 pm on NBA TV)	vs. Sacramento (5 pm on NBA TV)	vs. Memphis (4 pm on ESPN2)
Aug. 10		vs. Washington (9 pm on NBA TV)
Aug. 11				vs. Milwaukee (3 pm on ESPN2)
Aug. 12	vs. Atlanta (8 pm on ESPN2)		vs. San Antonio (2 pm on ESPNU)	vs. Washington (4 pm on ESPNU)
Aug. 13		vs. Memphis (8 pm on ESPNU)
Aug. 14	vs. Boston (4 pm on NBA TV)		vs. Toronto (6 pm on NBA TV)
Aug. 15	vs. Minnesota (6 pm on ESPN2)	vs. Dallas (2 pm on ESPN2)		vs. San Antonio (5 pm on NBA TV)
Aug. 16	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Aug. 17	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Players Mentioned

Mitch Ballock

Damien Jefferson

Denzel Mahoney

Marcus Zegarowski

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