Two of the most accomplished players in Illinois basketball history, James Augustine and Dee Brown, were on the outside looking in during the first round of Wednesday’s NBA draft, but Bradley sophomore Patrick O’Bryant was in the forefront.
The Golden State Warriors used their No. 10 pick to select O’Bryant, a 7-foot 260-pound center with a 7-foot 5-inch wing span.
Augustine was a second-round choice of the Orlando Magic, the 41st overall selection. Brown went 46th to the Utah Jazz.
The first Bradley underclassman to enter the draft, O’Bryant was the second center chosen after averaging 13.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and blocking 72 shots last season. As a freshman, he averaged 10.1 points and 7.4 rebounds and rejected 75 shots.
Draft analysts consider O’Bryant’s height, hands and footwork to be the most important physical attributes he will bring to Golden State.
“I think Patrick can run with our guys and play with our guys,” Golden State general manager Chris Mullin said. “We feel really good about that pick.”
Dee Brown’s high school teammate, Shannon Brown, was the first Big Ten player chosen. The Michigan State junior shooting guard was selected 26th by Cleveland.
The only other Big Ten player picked in the first round was another Michigan State shooting guard, senior Maurice Ager, taken 28th by Dallas. The third Big Ten player chosen was a third member of the Spartans, senior center Paul Davis, picked No. 34 by the L.A. Clippers.
Another high-profile player from the Midwest who went early in the second round was Steve Novak, the 6-9 senior from Marquette whose forte is shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. Houston made Novak the No. 32 selection.
Augustine or Brown weren’t considered to be a prime candidate to be taken high in the draft even though both finished as four-year starters after having played in a school-record 114 victories.
Brown was the 2006 recipient of the Bob Cousy Award as the nation’s No. 1 point guard. The Illinois leader in scoring (14.2 points per game), assists (4.8 per game) and steals (1.6 per game), he was a second-team All-American as a senior after making the first team as a junior.
