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The Santa Cruz Warriors, the NBA Development League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, will hold two open tryouts in October for their inaugural season in Santa Cruz.

Aspiring pros will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of Golden State coaches on October 7 at the Warriors' training facility (the fifth floor of 1011 Broadway in Oakland) and October 14 at Aptos High 100 Mariner Way in Aptos).

"The D-League is about making dreams come true -- and it all starts at open tryouts," said Kirk Lacob, general manager of the Santa Cruz Warriors and Menlo School graduate. "Especially now that the Santa Cruz Warriors are so close to their NBA parent team, we are eager to discover untapped local talent and find ways to integrate them into the Warriors' family."

Tryouts are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and conclude by 3 p.m., with registration beginning at 8 a.m. Registration packets are available online at www.warriors.com or at the Santa Cruz Warriors' headquarters at 903 Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz.

The fee to secure a tryout spot is $100 for pre-registration and it increases to $125 the day of tryouts.

In recent years, several players have had success in the D-League after attending open tryouts. Current Santa Cruz Warrior Stefhon Hannah, the reigning D-League Defensive Player of the Year, began his D-League career two seasons ago at an open tryout. Last season, the 6-1 guard from Missouri helped the Warriors (formerly the Dakota Wizards) to a 29-21 record during the regular season and a spot in the D-League playoffs.

For more information on open tryouts, visit www.nba.com

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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