Wizards sign Central Michigan’s Marcus Keene to summer league

For most of us covering the NBA Draft, it was going to be a longshot to have someone from the Mid-American Conference hear their name be one of the 60 called on Thursday night in Brooklyn. If it was to happen though, many thought that Central Michigan Chippewa Marcus Keene would be that name, you know, given that he led the country in scoring last season.

So while it wasn’t all that shocking when his name wasn’t called, it was even less so when reports surfaced today that the Wizards have signed Keene to a summer league deal. Though far from guaranteed to land on a roster for the Wiz, if Keene has the sort of production in the summer league that he had in Mt. Pleasant, it’s a virtual certainty that someone is going to try to take a gamble. Last I checked, ballers that can fill it up and have basic infinite range are a bit marketable in today’s NBA.

Keene wasn’t the only one to get some good news in a similar fashion. Keene was one of the players the Wizards brought in for a predraft workout. He was actually part of the same workout as Kris Jenkins, who the team also signed to a deal after Thursday’s draft.

From experience there as a former resident, DC is a great place to be. Keene could have done a heck of a lot worse, and if he can establish himself as a viable spot reliever for Wall or Beal, then all of a sudden his usefulness goes through the roof. You can catch the Wizards reaction over at our sister site, Bullets Forever here at SBNation.