June 26, 2008
by Jeff Smith
Contributor, BigTen.org
With the 2008 NBA Draft upon us, BigTen.org takes a quick look at some of the prospects in this year's draft, as well as some historical facts to get you set for the annual event, which will be held this Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York. ESPN will televise the draft at 7 p.m. EDT.
So, first off, who are we looking at?
The Big Ten Network has narrowed down the list of prospects to eight conference players, including Illinois' Shaun Pruitt, Indiana's Eric Gordon and D.J. White, Michigan State's Drew Neitzel, Ohio State's Jamar Butler, Othello Hunter and Kosta Koufos, and Wisconsin's Brian Butch. The BTN's Rick Pizzo talked recently with scouting expert Ryan Blake prior to the NBA's Pre-Draft Camp. A solid 5:14 breakdown of the Big Ten's potential draftees can be viewed here. Mike Hall of the Big Ten Network was in Orlando at the Pre-Draft Camp, at which four of these eight aforementioned players attended. View his quick 1:53 recap by clicking here!
Ohio State's Greg Oden was last year's top pick in the NBA Draft. Has the Big Ten ever had back-to-back No. 1 selections?
Yes. In fact, it has happened twice. The most recent occurrence came 15 years ago when Michigan's Chris Webber (Orlando) and Purdue's Glenn Robinson (Milwaukee) were taken first overall in the 1993 and 1994 NBA Draft, respectively. However, the most remarkable stretch of consecutive No. 1 draft picks came in the late 1970s when the Big Ten boasted the top selection over four straight years. Indiana's Kent Benson (Milwaukee) was picked first in 1977 and was followed by Minnesota's Mychal Thompson (Portland) in 1978, Michigan State's Earvin Johnson (L.A. Lakers) in 1979 and Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll (Golden State) in 1980. The Big Ten nearly made it five consecutive years as Indiana's Isiah Thomas (Detroit) was taken second overall in 1981.
How many No. 1 overall picks have been Big Ten players?
Nine. Indiana's Walt Bellamy was the conference's first No. 1 overall selection as he was drafted by Chicago in 1961. Michigan's Cazzie Russell (New York) followed suit in 1966, while Indiana's Kent Benson (Milwaukee), Minnesota's Mychal Thompson (Portland), Michigan State's Earvin Johnson (L.A. Lakers) and Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll (Golden State) were each the top draft pick, respectively, from 1977-80. Michigan's Chris Webber (Orlando) was taken first in 1993, followed by Purdue's Glenn Robinson (Milwaukee) in the 1994 NBA Draft. Ohio State's Greg Oden is the conference's most recent No. 1 selection, having been drafted by Portland in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Or is that official number 10 No. 1 selections?
Technically no, because in the 1962 NBA Draft, Chicago selected Utah's Bill McGill as the No. 1 overall pick. However, from 1947-65, when teams were struggling to include fan bases, the draft included territorial picks. Before the start of the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round pick and instead select a player from its immediate area, presumably with a strong local following. That was the case in 1962 when the Cincinnati Royals elected to forfeit its first-round pick and technically selected Ohio State's Jerry Lucas as the first player in the 1962 Draft.
How many total lottery picks has the Big Ten recorded?
The NBA first began using the lottery system in the 1980 draft, touting the first 14 overall selections as lottery picks. Since that time, the Big Ten has had 44 lottery picks. The conference boasted six lottery picks in 1980, followed by four in the 1990 draft. The league recorded three lottery picks in each of the 1982, 1994 and 2000 drafts.
Last year Ohio State boasted the Big Ten's first three draftees in the first round. Was that the first time that had ever happened?
No. It was just the second time in conference history that occurred. In fact, the first occasion was in 1976 was also the fastest three teammates were drafted. Indiana's Scott May was selected second overall by Chicago, Quinn Buckner was drafted seventh by Milwaukee and Bobby Wilkerson was taken 11th by Seattle. Last year, Ohio State's Greg Oden was the number one overall draft pick by Portland, Mike Conley, Jr. was taken fourth by Memphis and Daequan Cook was the 21st overall selection by Miami.
What is the most first-round selections the Big Ten has ever had?
Six. In the 1980 NBA Draft, the Big Ten boasted four of the first 10 overall selections, including the first, third and fourth draftees. Purdue's Joe Barry Carroll was taken first overall by Golden State, followed by Minnesota's Kevin McHale at No. 3 by Boston and Ohio State's Kelvin Ransey at No. 4 by Chicago. Iowa's Ronnie Lester was drafted 10th by Portland, while Indiana's Mike Woodson was taken 12th by New York and Wisconsin's Wes Matthews was Washington's first-round selection as the 14th overall pick.
What is the record for the most Big Ten players drafted in one year?
That depends. The NBA notes that in the early years of the draft, teams would select players until they ran out of prospects. For example, the 1960 draft went 21 rounds. By 1974, it had stabilized to 10 rounds, which held up until 1985, when the draft was shortened to seven rounds. By agreement with the National Basketball Players' Association, the drafts from 1989 onward have been limited to two rounds, which gives undrafted players the chance to try out for any team. So what's the answer to the question? Well, prior to 1989 when the draft was limited to two rounds, the most Big Ten players drafted in a year was 23 in 1981. That total shattered the previous record of 19, set in 1973. Since the two-round format was implemented, the Big Ten record for most draftees is 10, which was set in 1990. Illinois' Kendall Gill was the first of the 10 taken that year, drafted fifth overall by Charlotte. Michigan's Sean Higgins was the conference's 10th and final pick that year, going in the second round and 54th overall to San Antonio.
Who was the Big Ten's first official NBA Draft first-round selection?
Illinois' George BonSalle was officially the first Big Ten basketball player to be selected in the NBA Draft. The NBA lists the 1957 NBA Draft as its first official event and BonSalle was taken in the first round by Syracuse as the seventh overall pick. Despite being drafted in 1957, BonSalle did not hit the court until 1961. His lone season in the NBA was with the Chicago Zephyrs, who are now known as the Washington Wizards.
How many all-time first-round selections has the Big Ten produced?
Since 1957, the Big Ten has garnered 109 first-round selections in the NBA Draft.
For more information on the 2008 NBA Draft, log on to the official draft website at www.nba.com/draft2008
