Roundup: Deandre Ayton turns $100 hoops camp investment into No. 1 pick at NBA Draft
Seven Pac-12 dudes heard their names called in the 2018 NBA Draft Thursday night in Brooklyn, and nobody was surprised when Deandre Ayton went No. 1 to the Phoenix Suns. Cool story here from CNBC about how Ayton used to be “terrible” at basketball, by his own description, and used $100 he made working a summer job to pay for a local basketball camp to improve his skills. Now that’s a good investment.
The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner writes that the Washington Wizards added to their wing depth by selecting Oregon’s Troy Brown at No. 15. The Wiz have a ton of solid options in his “position.”
Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star believes that the Indiana Pacers got a “perfect match” by selecting Aaron Holiday at No. 23. He’s an unselfish dude who isn’t afraid to grind it out on the defensive end. Hats off to Thomas Welsh as well for getting selected late in the second round.
Timothy Rapp of Bleacher Report writes that the Houston Rockets picked an “analytics darling” in De’Anthony Melton with the No. 46 pick (credit to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic for using that term first). Also, check out this celebration video of Chimezie Metu and friends finding out he was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 49:
Savor the moment, @Chimezie_Metu. You earned it. #USCtotheNBA pic.twitter.com/c3ahFdRJZy
— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) June 22, 2018
Last, but not least, George King snuck into the second round of the NBA Draft, getting scooped up by the Phoenix Suns at No. 59. Pat Rooney has the story. King made big waves after the college season concluded by being named Reese’s College All-Star Game MVP and shooting the lights out at the Portsmouth Invite.
Washington men’s basketball coach Mike Hopkins was an analyst for Yahoo! Sports’ NBA Draft coverage Thursday night, and Percy Allen gives us the highlights of Hopkins’ NBA Draft analysis.
Ken Goe sets the scene for Oregon State baseball’s game against Mississippi State Friday in Omaha (12 p.m. PT, ESPN). The Beavs need to beat the Bulldogs twice to advance to the College World Series championship series.
Cal wide receiver Demetris Robertson is transferring for personal reasons, he announced Thursday morning (CBSSports.com). Robertson was the nation’s top receiver in the recruiting class of 2016.
Stanford’s Valarie Allman won the discus title at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines on Thursday. Check out her interview on RunnerSpace.com in the preceding link.
Utah All-American Grayson Murphy qualified for the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the USATF Outdoor Championships, finishing with the 14th-best time in prelims at 10:01.77.
Arizona State athletics is partnering with Tailgate Guys to bring fans a new tailgating experience on gamedays. Sounds tight.
Need-to-know stuff for Coug fans next year – Washington State announced a clear-bag policy for Martin Stadium. You’ve been warned; can’t say that Pac-12 Networks didn’t tell ya.