Former High Point University men’s basketball player Shay Shine was drafted by the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League on Friday evening. A guard, Shine played at HPU from 2010-12 and averaged 14.9 points in 62 games for the Panthers.
Shine was the fourth pick of the third round (36th overall) by the Legends, a Dallas Mavericks affiliate. He was taken three spots ahead of former UNC Asheville guards Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm, who were drafted seventh and eighth, respectively, in the third round.
The Legends open the season with a pair of road games against the Tulsa 66ers Nov. 23 and 25.
During his final season with the Panthers in 2011-12, Shine averaged 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He started the final eight games at point guard and led the Panthers to a 5-3 record to finish the year. Shine scored a season-high 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting at Coastal Carolina on Feb. 9 and posted two double-doubles.
Shine gained national attention with two dunks featured on ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays during the 2010-11 season. His dunk over UNC Asheville center D.J. Cunningham on Dec. 4, 2010 was featured as SportsCenter’s No. 1 play. He dunked over another 6-foot-10 player, Presbyterian’s Walt Allen, on Feb. 1, 2011 and that dunk was featured as SportsCenter’s No. 2 play. His dunks were featured on ESPN and other outlets countless times, including the Dunks of the Year special that aired on CBS on the Sunday of the 2011 NCAA Final Four.
In 2010-11, Shine averaged 14.3 points and 4.2 rebounds while starting all 31 games. He set the HPU single-game record for three-point percentage (6-for-6) at Presbyterian on Jan. 20, 2011 and set the single-game record for free-throw percentage (10-for-10) against North Carolina Central on Feb. 7, 2011 at the Millis Center.
Shine previously signed with BBC Monthey, a team in Switzerland, before coming back to the U.S.
Originally from Arcadia, Fla., Shine joined High Point after two seasons at Iowa Western where he was an All-Region honoree. He attended Arcadia DeSoto High School, where he was an All-State selection in both basketball and football.