April 11, 2000

EASTON, Pa. - Seniors Stefan Ciosici (Timisoara, Romania/C.D. Loga) and Brian Ehlers (Bay Shore, N.Y./ Bay Shore) were selected in the United States Basketball League draft on Tuesday.

An All-Patriot selection and Patriot League Tournament MVP in 1999-2000, Ciosici was selected as the 29th pick overall and the seventh pick in the third round of the USBL draft held on Tuesday. The 6-11, 260-pound center was coming off a recent appearance in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.

"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to play for the Valley Dawgs," Ciosici said. "The style of play is very different, a style I've never played before. It's probably going to take a while to adjust, but the biggest adjustment will be balancing school and basketball."

The 1997-98 Patriot League Player of the Year, Ciosici averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in a season in which Lafayette won a school record 24 games and made its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Ciosici is currently finishing bachelor's degrees in biology and German and will graduate this summer. The Valley Dawgs' first game is April 21 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Ehlers will get a chance to make a homecoming with his selection to the Long Island Surf. Ehlers, whose hometown is Bay Shore, Long Island, was drafted as the 47th pick overall and the third pick in the fifth round by the Long Island Surf.

"It's a good feeling to see that my hard work in college has paid off and allowed me to continue playing basketball," Ehlers said. "I'm looking forward to the chance to play against the USBL's talented players and to see what it's like to play against, rather than with Stefan."

The two-time Patriot League Player of the Year (1998-99, 1999-2000) is the third all-time leading scorer in Lafayette history and more importantly led Lafayette to a share of three Patriot League titles. He averaged 17.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Leopards and left Lafayette with 76 career wins under his belt.

Ehlers is completing his degree in business and economics and will graduate this summer. The Long Island Surf begins play on April 24.

"I think it's great for Lafayette basketball," said Lafayette Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon. "We talk all the time about wanting to be very good at developing players, and having Ted Cole, Stefan and Brian play in the USBL and Dave Klaus playing overseas says a lot of good things about our program."

Ciosici and Ehlers are the first Lafayette players to be chosen by a professional team since Tony Duckett was taken by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1985 NBA draft.

A total of 88 players were selected overall, including projected NBA picks Caswell Cyrus of St. Bonaventure, Jarrett Stephens of Penn state, Jameel Watkins of Georgetown, Ron Hale of Florida State and Ryan Fletcher of Cincinnati.

The USBL is an 11-team professional league that plays its games from April 21 through June 22. The league has sent 125 players on to the NBA during its 15-year history, including Mugsy Bogues, Chris Childs, Charlie Ward, Adrian Griffin, Anthony Mason, and Avery Johnson.