Nine ACC players chosen in the 2014 NBA Draft
Published Friday, Jun. 27, 2014, 11:04 am
Led by Duke's Jabari Parker, the second overall selection by the Milwaukee Bucks, the Atlantic Coast Conference had nine players chosen in the 2014 NBA draft, including five first-round selections. The ACC and the Pac-12 tied for the most players selected, while the Big Ten was third with seven players, followed by the SEC (6) and the Big 12 (5).
For the third time in five years, seven ACC schools had at least one player drafted, with Duke and Syracuse leading the way with two selections apiece. Clemson, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh and Virginia each had one player drafted.
The nine selections are the most by the ACC since 2010, when they also had nine players drafted.
With its five first-round selections, the ACC is the only conference to have had at least four first-round picks in each of the past six NBA drafts (2009-2014). The ACC also extended its streak of having at least one first-round selection to 26 consecutive years (1989-2014).
Over the past six years (2009-2014), the ACC leads all conferences with 32 first round drafts picks; the Pac-12 and the Big 12 are tied for second with 22 first round selections, followed by the Big East (21), SEC (20) and the Big Ten (14).
Over the past nine years (2006-2014), the ACC has accounted for 18 percent (52 of 294) of the college players selected in the first round.
With Milwaukee's pick of Parker as the second overall selection, the ACC has had at least one lottery pick in six straight drafts. The ACC has had 12 lottery picks over the last six years.
Jabari Parker, forward Duke
1st Round/2nd overall by Milwaukee Bucks
The first Duke player ever selected by Milwaukee, Parker is the sixth Blue Devil over the past four years to be selected in the first round, and 34th overall … the 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year is the eighth ACC player selected in the first round by the Bucks and the first since North Carolina's John Henson in 2012 …the USBWA National Freshman of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-America selection, Parker became the 12th freshman in ACC history to lead his team in both scoring (19.1) and rebounding (8.7) … a first-team All-ACC selection, his 19.1 points per game were the fourth-highest by a freshman in league annals, while his 18 20-point games were second.
T.J. Warren, forward, NC State
1st Round/14th overall by the Phoenix Suns
The 2014 ACC Player of the Year, Warren is the 16th NC State player to be selected in the first round and the first since J.J. Hickson was picked 19th overall by Cleveland in 2008 … Phoenix has selected an ACC player in the first round in each of the past three years (Alex Len, Maryland, 2013; Kendall Marshall, North Carolina, 2012) and 12 times overall … Warren is the highest NC State player selected (14th overall) since Todd Fuller was the 11th overall pick by Golden State in 1996 … as a sophomore in 2014, Warren set an ACC single-season record with 31 games of 20 or more points en route to leading the ACC and finishing fourth nationally in scoring (24.9) … Warren became only the third player in conference history to lead the league in both scoring and field goal percentage (.525) in the same season.
Tyler Ennis, guard, Syracuse
Ennis is the fourth Syracuse player over the past three years to selected in the first round, and the 21st overall … Ennis is the second ACC player (T.J. Warren, NC State) selected by the Suns in the first round of the 2014 draft … the Suns have now drafted four ACC players in the first round over the past three years, and 13 times overall … the selections of Warren and Ennis mark the first time an NBA team has selected two ACC players in the first round since Minnesota drafted North Carolina's Ty Lawson (18th) and Wayne Ellington (28th) in 2009 … a consensus first-team Freshman All-American after averaging 12.9 points and 5.5 assists per game … averaged 17.6 points over his last seven games … a five-time ACC Freshman of the Week selection, Ennis was the first freshman to lead the ACC in both assists (5.5) and steals (2.1).
Rodney Hood, forward, Duke
1st Round/23rd overall by the Utah Jazz
Hood is the seventh Blue Devil over the past four years to be selected in the first round, and 35th overall … the selection of Parker and Hood marks the third time in the past four years and seventh time overall that Duke has had at least two players selected in the first round … Hood is the first ACC player drafted in the first round by Utah since NC State's Cedric Simmons (18th) in 2006 … a second-team All-ACC selection this past season as a sophomore after averaging 16.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game … led the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage (.420), was fourth in field goal percentage (.464) and ninth in free throw accuracy (.807).
P.J. Hairston, guard, North Carolina
1st Round/26th overall by the Miami Heat
Miami's selection of Hairston marks the third-straight year that North Carolina has had a first-round selection … the Tar Heels have at least one player selected in seven of the last nine years and lead all ACC schools with 46 first round draft picks … Hairston is the 15th Tar Heel to play for head coach Roy Williams and be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft … only the second ACC player ever drafted by the Heat (Matt Geiger, Georgia Tech, 1992), Hairston did not play at North Carolina during the 2014 season … led the Tar Heels in scoring (14.6) and was third rebounding (4.3) as a sophomore in 2013 … averaged 21.8 points and 3.5 rebounds for the NBA D-League's Texas Legends last season.
K.J. McDaniels, forward, Clemson
2nd Round/32nd overall by the Philadelphia 76ers
The 2014 ACC Defensive Player of the Year, McDaniels is the first Clemson player drafted since Trevor Booker (Minnesota) in 2010, and the 27th overall … McDaniels is the first Clemson player selected by the 76ers since Sharon Wright in 1994 … a first-team All-ACC selection in 2014 after leading the team in scoring (17.1), rebounding (7.1), blocks (100), steals (41) and 3-pointers (42) … only the second player to lead the ACC in all five of those categories since Wake Forest's Josh Howard did so in 2003.
Joe Harris, guard, Virginia
2nd Round/33rd overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers
The seventh ACC player selected in the 2014 NBA Draft … Harris is Virginia's second NBA draft pick in the past three years (Mike Scott, Atlanta, 2012) … a second-team All-ACC selection by the coaches after earning first-team honors in 2013 … started all 37 games for the Cavaliers in 2014 and was second on the team in scoring (12.0) and third in assists (2.3) … named the ACC Tournament MVP honors after scoring 47 points in three games and leading Virginia to their first ACC title since 1976.
Jerami Grant, forward, Syracuse
2nd Round/39th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers
The eighth ACC player selected in the 2014 NBA draft … Grant is the 10th Syracuse player to be drafted over the past eight years … the Orange have had at least two players drafted in three of the last five years … led Syracuse and was 12th in the ACC in rebounding (6.8) … averaged 12.1 points per game and shot .496 from the floor.
Lamar Patterson, guard, Pittsburgh
2nd Round/48th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks
With Patterson's selection, Pittsburgh has now had players chosen in the NBA draft in back-to-back years for the first time since 1980-1981 … earned second-team All-ACC honors as a senior, leading the Panthers to 26-10 record and an NCAA Tournament berth … was the only player to finish in the top 5 in the ACC in both scoring (17.1) and assists (4.3) … was also eighth in field goal percentage (.441), fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (.388) and ninth in steals (1.4).