Sioux Falls Skyforce guard DeAndre Liggins has been selected as the 2014 NBA Development League's Defensive Player of the Year by a vote of the league's 17 head coaches, it was announced today.
Liggins (6-6, 209, Kentucky) appeared in 42 regular season games for the Skyforce, anchoring the defensive efforts of a Sioux Falls team that held their opponents to league-lows of only 45 percent shooting from the field and 100.1 points per 100 possessions. Sioux Falls' opponents averaged 102.9 points, good for second-lowest in the NBA D-League. As an individual, he averaged an NBA D-League best 2.6 steals, to go with 14.2 points and 4.8 assists.
Liggins' defensive prowess helped Sioux Falls to a 31-19 record during the regular season and the fourth seed in the 2014 NBA D-League Playoffs. The Skyforce defeated the Canton Charge 2-1 in the best-of-three first round series, and were defeated by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the top overall seed in the 2014 NBA D-League postseason, in second round playoff action.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.