#23 - Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, to Atlanta (via Cleveland)
#26 - Tarris Reed, UConn, to Spurs via Denver
#29 - Alex Karaban, UConn, to Sacramento (via Cleveland)

Zuby - solid player, solid pick, needs an outside shot.

Reed - Back up Wemby? Spurs wanted to add physicality.

Karaban - Alex becomes the poster boy for the benefits of staying in school for 4 yrs.

(06-24-2026 11:51 AM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  #23 - Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, to Atlanta (via Cleveland)
#26 - Tarris Reed, UConn, to Spurs via Denver
#29 - Alex Karaban, UConn, to Sacramento (via Cleveland)

Zuby - solid player, solid pick, needs an outside shot.

Reed - Back up Wemby? Spurs wanted to add physicality.

Karaban - Alex becomes the poster boy for the benefits of staying in school for 4 yrs.

And Karaban had an extra semester as he enrolled early for a second semester.

(06-24-2026 11:51 AM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  ... the benefits of staying in school for 5 yrs.

Modernized that for ya Bill

second Round

#40 - Dillon Mitchell, St John’s to Celtics (from Mil via Orl)
#49 - Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s to Den (from Atl via Bk & GS)

I guess the NBA liked St. John’s talent this year.

Worth noting (and if I'm counting correctly)

The ACC and Big 12 each had draft picks from eight members.

The Big Ten and SEC each had draft picks from seven members.

The Big East had draft picks from two members.

(06-26-2026 09:10 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Worth noting (and if I'm counting correctly)

The ACC and Big 12 each had draft picks from eight members.

The Big Ten and SEC each had draft picks from seven members.

The Big East had draft picks from two members.

Yes, it is striking. I have a feeling that it will be different next year. In the crazy world which college sports have entered, it’s worth noting that 2 former Big East players, Baba Miller and Ryan Conwell, both once from Xavier but now from Cincinnati and Louisville respectively, were also taken in the NBA draft.

(06-27-2026 11:28 AM)Bill Marsh Wrote:  

(06-26-2026 09:10 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Worth noting (and if I'm counting correctly)

The ACC and Big 12 each had draft picks from eight members.

The Big Ten and SEC each had draft picks from seven members.

The Big East had draft picks from two members.

Yes, it is striking. I have a feeling that it will be different next year. In the crazy world which college sports have entered, it’s worth noting that 2 former Big East players, Baba Miller and Ryan Conwell, both once from Xavier but now from Cincinnati and Louisville respectively, were also taken in the NBA draft.

This goes to the point many of us have noted in the past: the Big East could stand to be more balanced than has been the case. Of course, and for context, the all-sports P4 have more members, so their numbers in this case should be higher than the mark of the BE.

Here’s how many Big East players were taken in the NBA draft in each of the past 5 years:

2022 - 5
2023 - 7
2024 - 8
2025 - 5
2026 - 5

Here are some relevant numbers. 60 players were taken in this year’s nba deaft. 51 of those players were from American colleges and 9 were from other sources, mostly international.

Here’s how the P4 fared in the draft:

13 - Big XII (16 members)
12 - ACC (18 members)
10 - SEC (17 members)
8 - Big Ten (18 members)

Producing NBA draft picks does not necessarily equal high level success. Kentucky has had the most the most players retaken in the NBA draft over the past 5 years, but despite all that talent passing through their program, they don’t have much to show for it. No national championships. No Final Fours. No Elite Eights. One Sweet Sixteen. That’s it! One Sweet 16 in 5 years despite having more NBA talent than anyone. Wow.