NATCHITOCHES – Former Northwestern State standout Ishmael Lane has traveled the world chasing his professional basketball dreams.
 
He now will have the opportunity to do so domestically.
 
Lane, a two-time All-Southland Conference performer, was the No. 57 selection in Saturday's NBA G League draft, picked by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – the Indiana Pacers' G League affiliate.
 
Since capping his career with a first-team All-Southland Conference selection in 2018-19, Lane has played four seasons in Japan and one each in Mexico and South Korea.
 
Lane spent the 2023-24 season playing for the Seoul Samsung Thunders where he averaged 9.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 54 games.
 
Lane's most productive professional season came in 2019-20 with Earthfriends Tokyo Z in the Japan B-2 League, averaging 23 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. He averaged another double-double with Earthfriends in 2022-23, scoring 16.5 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per game.
 
A Port Allen product, Lane is the ninth-leading scorer in Demon history with 1,467 points and the No. 8 rebounder in program history, grabbing 843 boards in his four seasons.
 
The 2018-19 Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Lane ranks third in program history in blocked shots with 169.
 
He saved his best season for his final year in Natchitoches, averaging 13.8 points per game, grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game and blocking 69 shots while starting all 31 of Northwestern's games.

G League training camps begin Monday and run through Nov. 7. The season begins with the G League Tipoff Tournament on Nov. 8.