Colorado State University Athletics
Smith Selected in First Round of NBA Draft
6/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 28, 2007
Colorado State University men's basketball player Jason Smith today became only the second player in school history selected in the first round of the annual National Basketball Assn. draft selection process.
Smith was chosen with the 20th selection of the first round by the Miami Heat. Moments after the selection, the Heat traded the rights to Smith to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for the rights to Ohio State freshman guard Daequan Cook.
"I think he's a terrific talent," said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas during the network's draft coverage originating from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
"He's a workout wonder. I think he's an outstanding prospect. He can put t he ball on the floor and get to the rim. He's really a talented young man and there's no question he can play in this league."
Smith is a 7-foot forward from Kersey, Colo, who led the Rams in scoring and rebounding the past two years and was a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection following both the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He averaged 16.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as a junior last season.
Smith last spring declared for the draft, one of 13 juniors to leave college early. Smith was the seventh junior to be selected, and the first individual from a Mountain West Conference member school.
Smith joins Bill Green as the only two players in school history to be selected in the first round. Green remains the school's only consensus All-American, earning honors in 1962 and '63. He was selected in the first round of the NBA draft following his senior season by the Boston Celtics. He chose to forego a professional playing career and instead became an award winning teacher and administrator in New York City.
The most recent CSU draftee was former center Joe Vogel, selected in the second round (45th pick) of the 1996 draft by the Seattle Supersonics. The entire list includes:
Year, Player, Round/Pick - Team
1951, Glen Anderson, FA/-- - Syracuse Nationals
1951, Bill Gossett, FA/-- - Tri-Cities Blackhawks
1963, Bill Green, 1/8 - Boston Celtics
1966, Lonnie Wright, 6/54 - St. Louis Hawks
1967, Bob Rule, 2/19 - Seattle Supersonics
1967, Dale Schlueter, 6/63 - San Francisco Warriors
1967, Sonny Bustion, 7/75 - San Francisco Warriors
1969, Floyd Kerr, 3/30 - Phoenix Suns
1969, Lloyd Kerr, 3/39 - Phoenix Suns
1969, Mike Davis, 12/162 - Cincinnati Royals
1970, Cliff Shegogg, 7/111 - Buffalo Braves
1971, Rick Fisher, 2/27 - Portland Trailblazers
1971, Mike Childress, 6/86 - Cleveland Cavaliers
1973, Gary Rhoades, 5/75 - Houston Rockets
1978, Larry Paige, 7/147 - Los Angeles Lakers
1978, Alan Cunningham, 8/169 - Philadelphia 76ers
1980, Barry Young, 9/185 - New Jersey Nets
1982, Eddie Hughes, 7/140 - San Diego Clippers
1983, Mark Steele, 6/138 -Los Angeles Lakers
1989, Pat Durham, 2/35 - Dallas Mavericks
1996, Joe Vogel, 2/45 - Seattle Supersonics
1999, Milt Palacio, FA/-- - Vancouver Grizzlies
2003, Brian Greene, FA/-- - Denver Nuggets
2005, Matt Nelson, FA/-- - Charlotte Bobcats
2007, Jason Smith, 1/20 - Miami Heat
