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St. Louis, MO (January 16, 2009) -- Former Michigan Bucks stars Doug DeMartin (Mason, Michigan State) and Mike Holody (Clarkston, University of Michigan) were the latest of a long list of Bucks players to hear their names called at Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft held as part of the annual NSCAA convention in St. Louis. DeMartin, the Big Ten player of the year whose career with the Bucks spanned 2005-2008 was selected by the Kansas City Wizards with the 22nd pick overall (7th selection in the second round). Holody will be reunited with former Bucks coaches Gary Smith and Brett Jacobs in Colorado after the Rapids selected the talented centerback in the fourth round. Jacobs, the current U16 academy coach and assistant to Smith on the Rapids was the Bucks assistant coach in 2006 and 2007 before taking the promotion and moving to Denver. Both players will join their respective teams for preseason training camps next week to compete for a coveted spot in the country’s top tier soccer league.
After yesterday’s selections, there have now been 27 former Bucks players drafted by Major League Soccer in the past ten years. This year MLS scaled back the draft to only four rounds, eliminating the Supplemental Draft, which is usually held to add players for their reserve division. As a result the league has also eliminated the Reserve Division for the 2009 season so the 24 roster spots in this year’s fifteen team league become even more of a commodity. Bucks Chairman/CEO Dan Duggan was happy to see the two former players selected yesterday and looks for even more opportunity for additional players to get a call from MLS as well.
“Doug and Mike have worked extremely hard the past four years to achieve this goal, as have many of our players who didn’t hear their name called yesterday. Kansas City and Colorado are very fortunate to not only have talented soccer players, but two of the finest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of watching perform in a Bucks uniform,” said Duggan. “Bucks fans have fond memories of both players on the field, but what most people don’t realize is that they are both Academic All Americans as well. I couldn’t be prouder of either one of them. They are first class kids who come from first class families and we share their excitement on this big day.”
Several other former Bucks stars who finished their college eligibility were not as fortunate to get the call yesterday, but may still have an opportunity to show their skills at the MLS level. Dave Hertel (Holland, MI / Michigan State) had an excellent combine last week in Florida but was not selected in the draft. According to Duggan, there is still interest from MLS clubs.
“Each team has the ability to put a discovery tag on players who don’t get drafted. That gives them the first right to invite the player into camp to see if they can in fact play at that level. After speaking to several of the MLS general managers, there may be another player or two who will be invited into camp next week,” concluded Duggan.
Other seniors who will be playing in the USL First Division this season if they don’t hook on with a MLS club include goalkeeper Steve Clark (Mason, Oakland University), Ian Daniel (Sterling Heights, Oakland University), Kyle Russell (Coastal Carolina), Ty Shipalane (Lindsey Wilson) Zac Scaffidi (Michigan State) and Jake Stacy (Grand Rapids, University of Michigan). Meanwhile, the Bucks are actively recruiting to replace the talented pool of seniors that will move up the soccer ladder.
The Michigan Bucks will begin their fourteenth season in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) this May at Ultimate Soccer Arenas. This year’s schedule is being finalized by the USL and will be released next week. For further information on the Bucks, please visit our web site at www.buckssoccer.com.
