2015 SEC Basketball Players Leaving Early for NBA Draft Watch

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Bobby BP Portis ‏@BPortistime 2h2 hours ago

DRAFT DAY BOBBY PORTIS

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Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 22m22 minutes ago

Picture time.

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Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 3h3 hours ago

New Story || Karl-Anthony Towns has come full circle and tonight could become the No. 1 pick 35 miles from home. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/06/25/uks-towns-comes-full-circle-at-nba-draft/29289219 ...

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Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 9m9 minutes ago

Karl-Anthony Towns becomes UK's third No. 1 pick in six years under Calipari, who has four No. 1 picks in 8 years. http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/kentucky/2015/06/25/uks-towns-comes-full-circle-at-nba-draft/29289219/ ...

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ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 8m8 minutes ago

Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 10.3 PPG, the fewest PPG in final college season by a No. 1 pick in the common draft era (since 1966). #NBADraft

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Sacramento takes Cauley-Stein 6th

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ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 2m2 minutes ago

Willie Cauley-Stein had the most defensive win shares (3.4) in D-I this season. He held opponents to 22% FG pct in isolation. #NBADraft

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Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 3m3 minutes ago

The Utah Jazz will select Trey Lyles with the No. 12 pick in the NBA Draft...

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ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 2m2 minutes ago

Devin Booker goes No. 13 to Suns, so make that 4 lottery picks for Kentucky -- joins 2005 UNC as only schools w/ 4 lottery picks in a draft.

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Coach Mike Anderson ‏@MikeAndersonUA 3h3 hours ago

Mark it! Any team that gets @BPortistime or Mr_WALKONAIR will love what that they bring Everyday! #heart#toughness#winners

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Bulls take Bobby Portis with 22nd pick.

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Chicago Bulls retweeted
Scottie Pippen ‏@ScottiePippen 1m1 minute ago

I can't complain about an Arkansas kid coming to Chicago! Congrats to @BPortistime and welcome to the NBA. #NBADraft

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ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 16m16 minutes ago

Bulls select Bobby Portis with No. 22 pick.

Portis was the only SEC player to average at least 17 PPG & 8 RPG this season. #NBADraft

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Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 5m5 minutes ago

The Memphis Grizzlies will select LSU's Jarell Martin with the No. 25 pick in the NBA Draft, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

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Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 2m2 minutes ago

The NBA Champion Golden State Warriors will select UCLA's Kevon Looney with the 30th pick in the draft, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

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Josh Ward ‏@Josh_Ward 9h9 hours ago

Heard a national analyst today call Bobby Portis "a little bit older" than other prospects in the draft. Portis is 20.

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SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 9h9 hours ago

Jarell is geauxing to the Grizz. #NBADraft Jarell Martin becomes @LSUBasketball's first 1st-Round pick since 2008.

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SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 8h8 hours ago

The Boston Block Party! R2, Pick 33: The @celtics select the nation's #1 shot blocker, Jordan Mickey.

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SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 8h8 hours ago

Rocky Top on South Beach. R2, Pick 40: Josh Richardson is the newest member of the @MiamiHEAT.

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SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 8h8 hours ago

Big Blue West? #NBADraft R2, Pick 44: the @Suns select Andrew Harrison (their 5th UK player on the roster).



Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 8h8 hours ago

Welp, check that on five Cats in Phoenix. Andrew Harrison quickly traded to Memphis, per @WojYahooNBA.

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SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 8h8 hours ago

R2, Pick 48: Dakari Johnson to OKC. Kentucky has tied their record for most players drafted in one #NBADraft (6)!

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Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 6h6 hours ago

Aaron Harrison will go to summer league with Charlotte, source told ESPN.

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Kyle Tucker ‏@KyleTucker_CJ 7h7 hours ago

Satnam Singh went 52nd ... and was actually here in the crowd, suited up. That dude had to be getting seriously nervous.

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Jeff Goodman ‏@GoodmanESPN 7h7 hours ago

Guys who left early and did NOT get drafted: Cliff Alexander, Brandon Ashley, Aaron Harrison, Trevor Lacey, Robert Upshaw, Christian Wood.


Qualls

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Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 7h7 hours ago

Gators shut out of draft for second straight year: Florida junior guard Michael Frazier II and sophomore forwa... http://bit.ly/1RBtE6G

Chris Walker

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Cliff Alexander, Aaron Harrison among early entrants not selected Thursday night

For some, Thursday represents a wakeup call as to how important off-court issues can be.

Below is the list of college players with eligibility remaining who were not selected in Thursday's NBA Draft.

Cliff Alexander, Kansas
Brandon Ashley, Arizona
Michael Frazier II, Florida
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
Jerome Hill, Gardner-Webb
Vince Hunter, UTEP
Charles Jackson, Tennessee Tech
Trevor Lacey, NC State
Ashton Pankey, Manhattan
Terran Petteway, Nebraska
Walter Pitchford, Nebraska
Michael Qualls, Arkansas
Jherrod Stiggers, Houston
Deonta Stocks, West Georgia
Aaron Thomas, Florida State (declared academically ineligible)
Robert Upshaw, Washington (dismissed mid-year)
Chris Walker, Florida
Christian Wood, UNLV

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NBA Draft Winners: Seven teams that should be happy with their draft

Chicago Bulls: Bobby Portis falling to No. 22 was an incredible stroke of luck for Chicago and new head coach Fred Hoiberg. He's a lottery-level talent, a 6-foot-11 forward that plays hard, can score on the perimeter and is a mobile defender. He can be another Taj Gibson, only he's more skilled offensively.

Utah Jazz: Outside of Karl Anthony-Towns, I think Lyles has the most upside when it comes to NBA potential. The versatile 6-foot-10 power forward was forced to play out of position for Kentucky last season, sliding in at the three spot. He's a matchup problem when he's a four. He's on the wrong end of being a mismatch as a three, particularly when he can't use his size in the post.

Minnesota Timberwolves: To start, the T-Wolves didn't do anything stupid with the No. 1 pick, taking Karl-Anthony Towns. They followed that up by working a trade to get Tyus Jones with the 24th pick...

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Mark Strotman ‏@markstrot 13h13 hours ago

#Bulls draft pick Bobby Portis' pregame ritual: "I sit in the locker room and I envision the other player on the team slapped my mom."

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Bobby Portis apologizes for old anti-Bulls tweets

Portis tweeted an apology to Bulls fans Thursday night, hours after he was selected with the 22nd overall pick, and offered to buy Rose and Gasol donuts.

"I was a boy then," tweeted Portis. "I'm a man now. And a Bull."

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Scarblog: Another NBA Draft, another quiet night in Alabama

The NBA Draft is almost here. In the state of Alabama, we have a name for that special day when young men take the next step in trying to realize a childhood dream.

We call it Thursday...

Richard Hendrix will remain the last Alabama draftee. The power forward went in the second round as the 49th overall pick in 2008.

Jamison Brewer still will be the last Auburn draft pick. The point guard was selected in the second round as the 40th overall pick in 2001.

It's been so long, Hendrix and Brewer could pop a bottle of champagne and raise a glass, like the 1972 Miami Dolphins, every time another draft ends and their run continues.

Anthony Grant's tenure at Alabama didn't produce a single NBA draft pick, which is part of the reason Grant is no longer the Alabama coach. Ten SEC schools have combined to produce 43 draft picks since Hendrix in 2008.

Two Auburn coaches, Jeff Lebo and Tony Barbee, came and went without developing a single player drafted by the NBA, and Toney Douglas doesn't count. He was a first-round pick out of Florida State after leaving Auburn...

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Josh Richardson's NBA dream no longer a virtual reality

When Micheal Richardson finally went to bed around 3 a.m. on Friday, his son was still partying in the living room.

Well, Josh Richardson's version of partying.

The former Tennessee guard and PlayStation junkie celebrated becoming the 46th NBA draft pick in UT basketball history by playing NBA 2K15 through the night with two of his lifelong buddies.

"Now I'm using the Heat," Richardson said Friday afternoon from his family's home in Edmond, Okla.

Miami picked the 21-year-old Richardson No. 40 during Thursday night's draft, confirming the notion that the first-team All-SEC member and defensive All-American boosted his stock significantly as draft night neared.

Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra see the 6-foot-6, 200-pound guard as a versatile addition, one who can add depth on the wing, handle the ball when necessary and defend any perimeter player.

Richardson's voluntary shift from shooting guard to point guard as a senior, a move desperately needed by the Vols, could have hurt him. Instead it paid dividends.

"They said I'm a perfect fit for the team," he said Friday, recapping the call he received from Riley and Spoelstra after he became the first Vol drafted by the Heat.

"They said position-less basketball is a big thing that's coming on now. They think they can just throw me out there and I can play a couple of different positions. They said they like to defend. And everybody knows that's what I like to do. So, I think I fit that mold."

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Tom Green ‏@AUBlog 17h17 hours ago

Auburn's KT Harrell to play with 76ers in Las Vegas Summer League http://www.oanow.com/sports/college/auburn/basketball/men/article_7a965980-1c67-11e5-8063-0fbb35e285b4.html ...


Hero of the SEC-T until he ran into the 6th draft pick.

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 Sheldon Mickles ‏@MicklesAdvocate 20h20 hours ago

#LSU came close to having two first-round picks in same NBA draft for first time http://theadvocate.com/sports/latestsports/12760912-128/possible-future-first-round-pick-tim ... @SportsManias

Tigers came within three picks of having two players selected in the first round of the same draft when Jarell Martin was taken in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies and Jordan Mickey went to the Boston Celtics in the second.

Martin, a 6-foot-10 forward, became the 14th LSU player to go in the first round of the NBA draft when the Grizzlies chose him 25th overall, while Mickey, a 6-8 forward, was the third pick of the second round — 33rd overall...

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Michael Frazier II ‏@mfrazier20 2h2 hours ago

I'm grateful to have an opportunity to play for the @Warriors in the summer league. Can't wait to get on the court and show what I can do #🏀

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Richard Davenport ‏@ArRecruitingGuy 16h16 hours ago

10 of the 14 lottery picks and 21 of the 30 1st round picks in the 2015 NBA Draft played in @RealDealLR.

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Patrick Magee ‏@Patrick_Magee 17h17 hours ago

COLUMN: Devin Booker's rise to the NBA wasn't always so simple http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/27/6297249/patrick-magee-devin-bookers-rise.html ...

On Thursday, the Phoenix Suns made the 6-foot-6 Booker the 13th overall selection in the NBA Draft.

It's been a charmed rise for Booker from Moss Point to Kentucky to Phoenix.

With his one impressive season at Kentucky as the SEC's Sixth Man of the Year and his school-record 2,518 career points at Moss Point, Booker has often made his rise to the NBA seem simple.

The truth is that his path to the pros has often been far from uncomplicated.

At Moss Point, Booker often served as the calm center of the storm while his team struggled or drama took place away from the court.

The man who served for three years as Booker's head coach at Moss Point, Micoe Cotton, is currently in prison serving 25 years for the sexual exploitation of a female student at Moss Point High School.

Cotton wasn't arrested until May 2014 after Booker's senior season was complete, but he was removed as head coach at Moss Point in January for other undiclosed reasons.

It was up to Melvin Booker, Devin's father and the former Big 8 Player of the Year at Missouri, and assistant Deadrick Bogard to help coach the team to its Region 8-4A championship in 2014.

Story of the long, hard road to the NBA for the 18-year-old.

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Michael Cohen ‏@Michael_Cohen13 Jun 25

Cameron Payne learned he was drafted by OKC when he looked at "the guy from Yahoo's tweet." Can't make this stuff up, @WojYahooNBA.


Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA Jun 25

The Bulls will select Bobby Portis at No 22, league sources tell Yahoo.

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AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 20h20 hours ago

Ex-Alabama guard Levi Randolph reuniting with Anthony Grant? http://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/index.ssf/2015/06/ex-alabama_guard_levi_randolph.html ...

Randolph, a four-year starter under Grant at Alabama, will play with the Oklahoma City Thunder's Summer League team after he wasn't selected during the NBA draft Thursday.

The Thunder hired Grant as an assistant under new coach Billy Donovan.

After participating in the Orlando Summer League with the Thunder, Randolph will then fly and be a part of the Utah Jazz's Summer League team.

Randolph worked out for both teams leading up to the NBA draft.

Should Randolph not be signed by an NBA team, he already has contract offers from two high-level European teams, according to a source.

In February, Randolph became the first Academic All-American in the history of Alabama's basketball program.

Ex-Alabama and North Carolina (sic) [State] guard Trevor Lacey, a close friend of Randolph, will play on the Cleveland Cavaliers' Summer League team.

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Matt Jones ‏@KySportsRadio 1h1 hour ago

Vince Carter schooling Andrew Harrison at Memphis practice

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Chicago Bulls ‏@chicagobulls Jun 29

First day on the job for @BPortistime

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Jerry Tipton ‏@JerryTipton Jun 30

Bovada makes Jahlil Okafor 7/2 favorite to be NBA Rookie of Year in 2015-16. Karl-Anthony Towns & Emmanuel Mudiay tied for 3rd choice at 7/1

WCS 22/1 long-shot to be Rookie of Year. Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, Bobby Portis all 33/1 long-shots.

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'#thatsapromise'

Former Arkansas player Michael Qualls was the hard-luck story of this year's NBA Draft. He injured a hip during the NBA Combine in Chicago, then tore an anterior cruciate ligament while working out for the Phoenix Suns on June 14.

Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said of learning about Qualls' torn ACL, "It just hurt my heart."

Qualls said he entered the 2015 NBA Draft to help provide for his 3-year-old son, Michael Qualls Jr., who had been taken care of by the player's family and his girlfriend's family.

"Time for me to put food on the table," Qualls said at the NBA Combine. "Three years is long enough."

A few weeks later, Qualls tore an ACL.

Eye-catching athleticism enabled Qualls to be featured on an ESPN SportsCenter top 10 play 13 times in his college career. UK fans may recall the flying put-back dunk in the final second that beat the Cats at Arkansas in 2014.

"A lot of people still hate me for that," Qualls said with a smile. He continued smiling as he noted Kentucky got payback by twice beating the Hogs this past season.

Having gone undrafted, Qualls is expected to sign as a free agent with Billy Donovan's Oklahoma City Thunder.

On the SEC coaches' teleconference Monday, Anderson expressed confidence that Qualls will bounce back from the torn ACL. That echoed what Qualls tweeted after learning about the injury.

"Minor setback for craziest come back you've ever seen," he wrote. "#thatsapromise."

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Aaron Harrison making an impression with Charlotte Hornets

Harrison started Sunday's 79-75 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished the game with 16 points, eight assists and four rebounds. He got to the rim with ease off pick-and-rolls and nearly brought the Hornets all the way back from what had been a 19-point deficit.

The Hornets need a third point guard. If Harrison continues to play as he is in Orlando, it would make great sense to bring him to training camp in October.

Hornets associate head coach Patrick Ewing, who is in charge of the summer-league team, said after Saturday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder that he wanted Harrison to be more aggressive both offensively and defensively and to share the ball more. He did all of that Sunday.

"He played a pretty good game; he attacked," Ewing said. "There were a couple of times when I thought he should have kicked it back to Frank (Kaminsky). But overall he did a pretty good job."

Harrison and Kaminsky looked quite effective in the high pick-and-roll. That sets up Kaminsky as a jump-shooter, and Harrison's drives to the rim.

"He's been able to get to the rim, get some shots off ball screens or kick it back to me," Kaminsky said. "I like playing with people who like playing off screens. He's definitely one of them."

Sunday was a first for Harrison, playing against his twin brother, Andrew, a rookie for the Grizzlies. The two never went head-to-head Sunday, since Memphis is using Andrew as a wing player. Still, they did a post-game interview together.

"We don't look at each other as competition," said Andrew Harrison, who was drafted by the Phoenix Suns, then traded to Memphis. "We push each other, but we support each other, too.

"And I won tonight, so..."

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Aaron Harrison and Hornets agree to 2-year deal

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Ben Frederickson ‏@Ben_Fred 3h3 hours ago

Josh Richardson reportedly signed a 3-year, $2.5 mil deal with Heat. Here's his recruiting profile out of high school




Kevin Nash ‏@RealKevinNash 56 minutes ago Florida, USA

@J_Rich1 Congratulations on your deal with the Heat. Looking forward to you lighting up the NBA next season #VFL

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NBA ‏@NBA 12h12 hours ago

Check out some of the best flicks from today's @PaniniAmerica #NBARooks Photo Shoot! http://on.fb.me/1W9qg8f 


NBA 2015 Rookie Class

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https://twitter.com/NBA/status/630035392792776704

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https://twitter.com/KySportsRadio/status/632532060012462080

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https://twitter.com/MikeAScotto/status/633029697803259904

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MOSS POINT - Devin Booker may only be 18 years old, but he's quickly built a reputation as an idol for children, especially those in the Moss Point community...

Booker rolled into the Magnolia Middle School gym on a Mini Segway Friday, serving as a reminder of his own youth. He won't turn 19 until Oct. 30, which falls in the opening week of the NBA season.

Booker was the 13th overall selection by the Suns in the NBA Draft in June...