The NBA Draft was last night. There weren’t too many head-scratching selections (Miles Plumlee) or blockbuster trades (CLE/DAL), but this year’s selection show was very solid: Some reaches, some slides, some good insight and a bevy of unintentional humor. If you didn’t hunker down in front of the TV (or Twitter) for three hours last night, you missed out.
- But before we dive right in, it feels like the right time to have a gander at the 2013 mock NBA draft
- Draft grades: Pick-by-pick, and overall
- A great read on my favorite part of the draft: The constant booing of David Stern
- Kentucky set two records last night. The Wildcats became the first team in draft history to have players selected first and second overall. They also became the first program to have six players get selected in one draft
- If you’re keeping score at home, Kentucky led the way with six players selected. North Carolina had four. Vanderbilt, Syracuse, and Baylor had three. The following schools had two players selected: Kansas, Washington, UConn, Duke, Vanderbilt, Marquette, and Missouri. In all, 12 schools accounted for 55% of the draftees.
- The SEC had themselves a great night, as a record eight players got drafted in the first round
- Mississippi State made some history too. With the selection of Arnett Moultrie by the Miami Heat at No. 27, The Bulldogs became one of the few schools in college history to produce a first-round pick in the NBA, NFL and MLB all in the same year
- I said this earlier in the week, but it bears repeating: If you aren’t a fan of Florida State’s Bernard James, you aren’t a real fan of college basketball, or the USA for that matter. The 27-year old former military airmen provided the draft with its best story
- Dion Waiters led the list of draft risers
- Say what you will about John Calipari, but the man continues to dominate the NBA draft
- Where you get drafted does not ultimately decided how successful you are over the course of your career. Which is why I hate the “going back to school is a dumb decision” argument. Look at Perry Jones and Jared Sullinger. Sure they didn’t get guaranteed money, but now they are part of talented teams where they can learn to play from the very best.
- Am I the only one who fell in love with Tyler Zeller’s girlfriend last night?
- Here is your NBA Draft ”.Gif of the night”
- In non-draft news, the NCAA has hired former Big East executive Dan Gavitt to oversee the Men’s NCAA Tournament
- Hawaii redshirt freshman Orel Lev is leaving the program in order to fulfill military obligations in his home country of Israel
Troy Machir is the managing editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @TroyMachir.