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BOSSIER CITY, La. -- Sabri Thompson had 13 points and Zeek Woodley and Devonte Hall added 11 apiece as Northwestern State started fast and then held on to beat Louisiana-Monroe 68-64 in the Shreveport-Bossier Holiday Classic on Saturday.Northwestern State sprinted to a 20-2 lead and was ahead 30-11 with 6:37 remaining in the first half. Louisiana-Monroe opened the second half on a 22-7 run to close to 47-44 midway through the second period. Northwestern State answered with an 8-2 run and held off the Warhawks in the final minutes. Louisiana-Monroe drilled four straight treys to close to 66-62 with 44 seconds left.Northwestern State (5-4) led throughout.The Demons shot 61.5 percent from the floor in the first half and finished shooting 26 of 49 (53.1 percent) while holding the Warhawks to 25-of-59 shooting.Sam McDaniel had 13 points and Travis Munnings added 12 with 12 boards for Louisiana-Monroe (4-6). Andre Tippett Jersey . 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One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.By chance, Ronald "Popeye" Jones bumped into Joe Sakic in the weight room of the arena in Denver way back when. It shouldnt have been a big deal. After all, Jones Denver Nuggets and Sakics Colorado Avalanche shared the Pepsi Center. Jones, a 6-foot-8 power forward, had more than casual conversation in mind for their first meeting almost 13 years ago, though. He told Sakic, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, that he had two young boys who wanted to play hockey and no clue how to help them. "He looked at me all the way up and into my eyes," Jones said. "He saw how big I was. He said, Hes going to be huge. Make sure he knows how to skate." So Jones signed up his boys, including youngest, Seth, for skating lessons. Sakics small piece of advice turned around one boys direction. Now, its Seths turn to return the favour for an organization. The 18-year-old Jones has grown into one of the top prospects in hockey and is the consensus No. 1 pick in the NHL draft later this month. That pick belongs to the Avalanche — now led by Sakic, the teams former captain who was recently promoted to executive vice-president of hockey operations. "All the goals hes set as a hockey player," Popeye said, "hes been able to accomplish." Hows that for a proud pop? Popeye, Seths mother and other friends and relatives will attend the June 30 draft at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Popeye worked last season as an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets and lives about 20 minutes from the draft site. Dad was a second-round pick, 41st overall. Seth could be the first black player ever taken No. 1 in the NHL draft. "Im trying to embrace it," Seth said. "Its going to be fun in New Jersey, for sure. I cant wait to share those experiences with my family." It may be a pretty big family reunion in Denver. Jones older brother, Justin, also played hockey and they all got along with Patrick Roys family as they grew up. The Roys and Joneses were close and spent time at each others houses, in fact. And it just so happens that Roy — a former goaltender who also won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche — was just hired to coach Colorado after the rebuilding franchise missed the playoffs. "Jones is a heck of a player," Roy said. "No matter what the decision for our organization — are we going to keep first overall, are we going to move first overall, whatever were going to do, we know that the team that picks first, second or third are going to get three outstanding players." Jones, Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin are expected to go 1-2-3 in the draft. The Florida Panthers hold the second draft pick and the Tampa Bay Lightning are No. 3. Based on talent and need, Jones shouldnt drop past the Avalanche. The 6-foot-4, 206-pound defenceman met with members of the Avalanche scouting team last month before moving on to the NHL draft combine in Toronto. He would become the first American picked No. 1 since Chicagos Patrick Kane in 2007 and seventh overall. In a sport where the majority percentage of players are white, its that slice of history he would make as the first black selected No. 1 — topping Evander Kane, picked fourth 2009 &mdassh; that means so much to both of them.dddddddddddd "I dont think about it too much," Seth said. "Hopefully, I can encourage young African-Americans to play hockey and try it when theyre at a young age. Its definitely a white-dominated sport. But there are a lot more that are starting to play." Kane, Pittsburghs Jarome Iginla, Philadelphias Wayne Simmonds and Washingtons Joel Ward are among the more prominent black players in the NHL. Ward was the victim of a series of racist tweets during last years playoffs after scoring the winning goal in Game 7 against Boston. During a preseason game last year, a fan threw a banana on the ice at Simmonds. Those are gloomy signs that, unlike the other big three sports, tolerance is a still a problem. "Theres never been one racial thing that happened to him," Popeye said. "I think his teammates always accepted him for Seth Jones the hockey player, the great teammate, the great team player. He never put himself above anybody. Theyve always accepted him for who he was and never looked at race." Theyve been awed looking at his career arc, though. He blossomed when he was still in elementary school and played in Pee Wee tournaments in Quebec City at 10 years old. The tournaments, however, were meant for kids 11 and 12. And he has won three gold medals in international play, including this year at the World Junior Ice Hockey championship. So, hes already seasoned, globally, as a competitor. Jones played two seasons in Toronto and was stopped in arenas each time he watched Seth play. "Theyd say, What are you doing in the hockey rink? Whats your kid doing out here playing hockey," Popeye said. "Why arent you at the gym playing basketball?" Jones, who averaged a modest 7.0 points over an 11-year career, realized early on that getting Seth to follow in his sneakers was a lost cause. Sure, little Seth tagged along with dad to the gym and theyd bond watching the NBA finals together. But those 1-on-1 father-son games in the driveway never caught steam and Seth did not play organized basketball growing up. He simply had no desire, because hockey was his passion. "That was all the motivation that I had," Seth said. With Popeye on the road, Seths mother, Amy, steered her son down the right path from home. "Mom taught me everything from how to be a young man, to a handshake, eye contact, all sorts of things," Seth said. "She just wanted me to be respectful." Seth spent more time with his dad when the latter was an assistant coach for a few seasons in Dallas. Seth broadened his worth ethic by watching how tirelessly players like Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry prepared for every practice and game all season. "You can tell anyone how to be a pro," Popeye said. "But until they see it with their own eyes, its put a whole new light about what it really takes." Lesson learned. Now its Seths turn to take all hes learned and show a team like Colorado hes ready to make an impact next season. "Its a special category to be put in. Colorado would be special," Seth said, "but at the end of the day, my goal is play in the NHL." That goal is about to be met. ' ' '