Jarrod Uthoff, Georges Niang, Peter Jok all on NBA G-League rosters

So, just how good do you have to be to play in the NBA?

Georges Niang of Iowa State and Jarrod Uthoff of Iowa were second-team All-America selections of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association in 2016. Niang was a second-team Associated Press All-America, Uthoff a third-teamer. Neither are on NBA rosters today.

There have been a lot of really fine players who played for college basketball teams in Iowa the last several years. Just one, Iowa State's Abdel Nader, has played in an NBA game this season. He is a rookie with the Boston Celtics, and scored his first NBA points last week.

Nader spent all of last season in the NBA's D-League, now called the G-League because of a sponsorship with Gatorade. In fact, Nader was the league's Rookie of the Year. He averaged 21.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 40 games.

Niang and Naz Mitrou-Long of Iowa State are on G-League rosters. So are former Hawkeyes Uthoff, Peter Jok and Adam Woodbury. And former Panthers Jeremy Morgan, Marvin Singleton and Wes Washpun.

Niang spent last season in the NBA, as an Indiana Pacer. He played in 23 games, and had a few stints with Indiana's G-League affiliate in Fort Wayne. Which is where Uthoff and Woodbury are starting this season.

Uthoff was with Fort Wayne last season before signing with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and playing in nine games with them. Woodbury played in 24 games for Fort Wayne.

Niang starts this season with the Santa Cruz Warriors after getting waived by the NBA's Golden State Warriors. Mitrou-Long is going to training camp with the G-League's Salt Lake City Stars after getting waived by the NBA's Utah Jazz.

Rookie guard Monte Morris of Iowa State was a second-round draft pick of the Denver Nuggets and signed a two-way contract with Denver. That means he can play no more than 45 days with Denver this season, and will be in the G-League the rest of the season. Denver doesn't have a G-League affiliate, so it has assigned Morris to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Uthoff was the final roster cut of the Pacers this month before the NBA season started.

Jok was the Big Ten's leading scorer and a first-team all-conference player last season. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, but was cut in camp. He is with Phoenix's G-League Northern Arizona Suns team in Prescott Valley, Ariz.

Morgan went to training camp with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. He is on the camp roster of the Grizzlies' Memphis Hustle team, located in Southaven, Miss.

Washpun and Singleton are on the roster of the Iowa Wolves. Washpun played in 34 games for Iowa last season, his first as a pro.

Also on G-League training camp rosters are Torren Jones and Keith Steffeck of William Penn University in Oskaloosa. They are with the Agua Caliente Clippers in Ontario, Calif., the G-League affiliate of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Steffeck is 28. He is from Marion and played at Marion High School. He played at Upper Iowa and Southwestern Community College in Creston before going to William Penn. He was a senior at Penn in the 2012-13 season when the Statesmen went to the NAIA Division II finals. Since then, he has played pro ball in the Czech Republic and Luxembourg.

Marcus Paige of Linn-Mar High in Marion and North Carolina is on a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets. He was made eligible to be active for the Hornets' game at Milwaukee Monday night. He was a second-round draft pick of Utah in 2016 and spent last season with their G-League team.