Tanner was the 16th player selected overall. After a 13 player territorial round, the first round began with Greensboro selecting Duke?s Troy Garner as the first pick and Tanner as the third pick. Greensboro earlier selected David Kawesi-Mukooza, a defender from Wake Forest, as the first overall pick in the territorial round.
Overall, the Greensboro franchise selected five players. Also joining Tanner will be All CAA defender Peter Luzak (Richmond) and Furman?s Seth Marks.
The North Carolina contingent will play its games in the Greensboro Coliseum and is scheduled to announce its nickname and head coach soon. Before the draft, the team did some wheeling and dealing, obtaining an extra first round pick from the Wichita Wings, which was originally slated to have the third pick in the first round.
Tanner joins the same league as his older brother, Tommy Tanner. The eldest Tanner, a midfielder, has led the Cleveland Crunch to three of the last six NPSL Championships.
The draft is the latest achievement in an outstanding 1999 season for Tanner. Among other honors, the forward earlier was named NSCAA Division I All America, All South Atlantic Region, All CAA and CAA Player of the Year. He finished in the top six in the nation in both goals scored (20) and points (44).