CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Champaign Swarm unveiled the roster of players invited to their nine-day preseason camp on Tuesday ahead of the Jan. 11 opening game to their inaugural season.

The training period, dubbed “Vets’ Camp” by head coach Chris Daleo, begins Friday. Among the 12 players who earned invitations from Daleo, five hail from the Champaign-Urbana area: Keith Biggers, Dashon Jones, Tiger O’Neil, Matt Neaville and Jordan Walker.

“I’ve been working the phones constantly for the last few weeks finding guys who are hungry to compete at the next level and who I believe will help us win,” Daleo said. “But I’m not done. If I find more who I think fit who we are, I’ll bring them into camp.”

Midwest Professional Basketball Association rules stipulate that teams are allowed to carry up to 12 active players and an additional two inactive players. Daleo intends to keep 10 players active, he said. The Opening Day active roster will be determined by Friday, Jan. 9.

The Swarm will train at the Champaign Park District’s Leonhard Recreation Center both for preseason and in-season workouts.

More about the local players invited to camp:

Biggers is a former Champaign Central High School player who started at center for the Maroons’ 2007-‘08 run to third place in Class 3A. He was a standout player at Coffeyville Community College (Kan.) ahead of one season at Kentucky Wesleyan University.

Jones played at Champaign Centennial High School ahead of a collegiate career for two years at Porterville College (Calif.) and York College (Neb.). While at York, he earned all-conference honors in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2008 and 2009.  

O’Neil was a member of the Centennial High School Class 3A state title team in 2009 and fourth-place team in 2010.  He followed that with two seasons at Parkland College, where the Swarm will play their home games, and then transferred to play at Benedictine University at Springfield.

Neaville was an Urbana High School standout player who followed with time played at Parkland College, where he set a national junior college record with 17 three-point field goals made in one game during the 2006-’07 season. Neaville then played two seasons at Union University (Tenn.), where he was named the TranSouth Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He has also played professionally in Mexico.

Walker is a former Champaign Central High School player, competing for two seasons with the Maroons before eventually transferring to Seton Academy in South Holland, Ill., helping that school to a Class 2A state championship in 2009. He played collegiately for two seasons at Midland College (Texas) and one at Walsh University (Ohio).

Below is a list of Vets’ Camp invitees: