I would like to say a huge congratulations to the guys who made it in the NBA Draft! Of course, all of us in the Big Blue Nation knew you would do well!
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS – NO. 1 DRAFT PICK BY THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES!!
WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN – NO. 6 DRAFT PICK BY THE SACRAMENTO KINGS!!
TREY LYLES – NO 12 DRAFT PICK BY THE UTAH JAZZ!!
DEVIN BOOKER – NO. 13 DRAFT PICK BY THE PHOENIX SUNS!!
The Phoenix Suns made Andrew Harrison the No. 44 pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, he was then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies!!
DAKARI JOHNSON – NO. 48 PICK BY THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDERS!!
AARON HARRISON WILL PLAY FOR THE CHARLOTTE HORNET’S SUMMER LEAGUE TEAM!!
AND CONGRATULATIONS COACH CALIPARI!! YOU KEEP SETTING RECORDS AND DRAFT NIGHT WAS NO DIFFERENT! ALL OF THE BIG BLUE NATION CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR KENTUCKY AND FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY!
Kentucky head coach John Calipari has always said that the final day of the season is the day of the NBA Draft. In that case, the Wildcats closed out an historic 2014-15 campaign with yet another historic night.
For the first time in program history, and for just the second time in the history of the NBA Draft, Kentucky had four players taken in the NBA Draft Lottery when Karl-Anthony Towns went first overall (Minnesota Timberwolves), Willie Cauley-Stein was selected sixth (Sacramento Kings), Trey Lyles became the No. 12 pick (Utah Jazz) and Devin Booker went one pick later at No. 13 (Phoenix Suns). In all, six Wildcats were drafted, as Andrew Harrison went 44th to the Phoenix Suns and Dakari Johnson was taken with the 48th pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
UK’s six picks tie the NBA Draft record for most players taken in a two-round NBA Draft, which was also set in 2012 by Kentucky.
“Six guys get drafted and tie a record, four lottery picks and another No. 1 pick – it’s been another unbelievable night,” Calipari said. “I’m proud of the guys.”
Towns was taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, becoming the third Wildcat to be taken with the first pick, a record in the modern draft era. Towns is Coach Cal’s fourth No. 1 draft pick, which is twice as many as any other coach in the country. Speaking to ESPN shortly after hearing his name called, Towns was already looking forward to making an impact at his new home.
“I’m going to go in right away and just be as versatile as I can be,” said Towns, who became the first Wildcat to ever be drafted by Minnesota. “I’ll contribute by giving Coach any option he needs for us to win. That’s the one thing that I want Timberwolves fans to know is that I’m coming with a winning attitude. I just want to win. I’m not looking for individual success. I’m looking for the team to have success.”
After much speculation and fluctuation as to where the 7-foot Cauley-Stein would be taken in Thursday’s draft, the All-American forward was taken with the No. 6 pick by the Sacramento Kings, home of another Kentucky fan favorite in DeMarcus Cousins. While the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year is known for his prowess on that side of the ball, he said he is looking forward to expanding his game at the next level.
“I’m talented enough to do a lot of different things,” Cauley-Stein said. “When I get to Sacramento, I’m just going to work my butt off, try to become a complete player, and hopefully help bring a championship to the city.”
Towns and Cauley-Stein were then joined in the lottery by Trey Lyles, who was taken by the Utah Jazz at No. 12. A 6-10 forward who averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 23.0 minutes at Kentucky while taking on a more reserved role, Lyles is excited to show just what all he can do.
“My playmaking ability offensively (are what fans will be most surprised to see),” Lyles said. “I didn’t need to do a lot of it at (Kentucky) because we had it at other positions, but now I’m on another level and I’ll be able to do more.
“I’m the guy that can come and contribute right away and will do anything he can to help this team win.”
One pick later, the Phoenix Suns nabbed Booker, giving the Cats at least four draft picks for the fourth time in the last six NBA Drafts. Booker also became the 19th lottery pick for Kentucky in the Coach Cal era. In Phoenix, Booker will join other three other former UK guards in Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Archie Goodwin, as well as Andrew Harrison (though speculation quickly began that Andrew may be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies).
“I’m loving it,” Booker said when asked about joining so many other Kentucky products. “Big Blue Nation everywhere. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“At Kentucky, we had a really talented team. I fit in really well with the team and found my niche. I’ll have to create more for myself. I think I’m surprising people with my athleticism. Just stay tuned.”
With Andrew Harrison going at No. 44 and Johnson following soon after at No. 48, Kentucky had six players taken for the second time in four years. It also gave Kentucky 25 draft picks over the last six seasons under Coach Cal, which is 13 more than the second highest total.
“We want to win, but not at the expense of these kids,” Coach Cal said. “I want them to benefit more than the program. That’s what I want this to be. When the season’s over, you want to say, ‘They got more out of this than we did, I did, or the program did.’ If anyone wants to question me with results, please say it publicly. Final Fours, wins, and all of this stuff that we do, but it’s not about that. It’s about these kids.”
Afterward, Coach Cal still had Aaron Harrison on his mind, who was not selected in Thursday night’s draft.
“I’m disappointed that Aaron didn’t get drafted, but he will be fine,” Coach Cal said. “I will tell you that he will be on a summer league team and fighting for a position on an NBA team. My guess is he will be on an opening-season roster even though he wasn’t drafted.”
Calipari always says his players’ dreams become he and his staff’s dreams, and with the 2014-15 season now officially in the books, he was able to reflect on just how incredible a year it was.
“Our job as coaches is to help these kids realize their dreams,” he said. “I’m so happy that a lot of lives were changed tonight.” (Metz Camfield)