University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Tradition in the NBA Still Holding Strong
6/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
With the 2004 NBA Draft taking place on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York City, two UConn Huskies await their fate. Both Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, of UConn’s 2004 National Championship team, declared themselves eligible for the draft back in April. The UConn Husky tradition and the NBA have a solid background and with Okafor and Gordon as draft picks, the tradition will continue to grow.
Under the guidance of head coach Jim Calhoun, the University of Connecticut basketball program continues to deliver a steady stream of top-flight stars to the National Basketball Association. A total of 13 UConn standouts have been selected in the annual NBA draft of college stars during the past 15 years.
Ray Allen is a three-time NBA All-Star and won the All-Star weekend three-point shooting contest in 2001. He also won an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2000 Summer Games in Australia as a member of the victorious United States Men's Basketball Team and was also a member of the USA squad that captured a spot in the 2004 Olympics this past summer.
UConn has been fortunate enough to have a former player in five of the last six NBA finals. Notable Huskies that have captured NBA Championship titles include Travis Knight (1992-1996) and Scott Burrell (1989-1993). Knight played for the 2000 LA Lakers Championship Team, and most recently was a member of the New York Knicks. Burrell became the first UConn star to earn an NBA Championship ring with the Chicago Bulls in 1998. Most recently, Richard Hamilton captured the World Championship title with the 2004 Detroit Pistons.
UConn's first NBA product under Jim Calhoun was Clifford Robinson, taken in the 1989 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Robinson enjoyed an outstanding eight-year career in Portland, becoming a NBA All-Star pick. He joined the Phoenix Suns prior to the 1997-98 season and played four years in Phoenix, averaging 16.4/game during 2000-2001. He has scored over 18,000 points in his pro career, carrying a 15.5/game career scoring average. He played for the Detroit Pistons the following two seasons and was a member of the Golden State Warriors in his 15th NBA season in 2003-2004.
Following Robinson to the NBA in 1990 was UConn's first-ever First Round selection, Tate George, who played in four NBA seasons for the New Jersey Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 1992, UConn's all-time leading scorer Chris Smith was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves and played for two seasons in the NBA before moving on to a successful pro career in Europe.
In 1993, UConn star Scott Burrell was selected in the First Round of the NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets, becoming the first athlete in history to be drafted in the First Round in two different professional sports (he had been a First Round pick of the Seattle Mariners in the 1989 major league baseball draft-as a pitcher). Burrell played for three NBA seasons with Charlotte before being traded to the Golden State Warriors during the 1996-97 season. During the summer of 1997, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls and played an important role in helping the Bulls win the NBA Championship in 1998. Burrell then played for two seasons with the New Jersey Nets and rejoined the Charlotte Hornets for their playoff run in 2000-2001. He has played eight NBA seasons.
In the 1994 NBA draft, UConn First Team All-American Donyell Marshall became Connecticut's highest pick ever when he was selected No. 4 pick in the First Round. He started his 10th NBA season in 2003-04, playing for the Chicago Bulls, but after 16 games was traded to Toronto where he completed the year averaging almost 17 points a game. During the 2002-2003 season, Donyell Marshall averaged 13.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game for the Bulls and carries a 10-year NBA career scoring average of 12.5/game.
In the 1995 NBA draft, Donny Marshall became UConn's sixth pick under Jim Calhoun, being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played three seasons for Cleveland and was a valuable member of the New Jersey Nets bench in their 2001-02 and 2002-03 NBA Finals runs.
In the 1996 NBA draft, UConn First Team All-American Ray Allen was selected as the No. 5 pick in the First Round. Allen has become one of the bright young stars in the NBA, averaging 20.2 points per game in eight pro seasons. In the summer of 1999, he signed a new contract worth an estimated $70 million with the Milwaukee Bucks and was traded to the Seattle Sonics during the 2002-03 season. He won an Olympic Gold Medal as a key member of the United States Olympic Men's Basketball Team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. Allen entered his eighth season in the NBA in 2003-04 and is a four-time NBA All-Star.
Also being selected in the First Round of the 1996 NBA draft was UConn's Travis Knight, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers and became one of the biggest surprises of the draft, earning All-Rookie honors and joining former teammate Ray Allen in the 1997 NBA Rookie All-Star game. During the summer of 1997, Travis was acquired by the Boston Celtics as a free agent and signed a seven-year contract worth an estimated $22 million. He returned to the Lakers for the 1998-99 season and in his fourth NBA season in 1999-2000 earned a NBA Championship ring as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He then played three seasons with the New York Knicks.
The third UConn standout selected in the 1996 NBA draft was guard Doron Sheffer, picked by the Los Angeles Clippers. Doron opted to sign a lucrative professional contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv in his native Israel where he compiled an outstanding four-year pro career before announcing his retirement in the spring of 2000.
Hard work has paid off for former UConn star guard Kevin Ollie who has played for eight different NBA teams (Orlando, Dallas, Sacramento, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Chicago, Indiana and Seattle). During the 2002-2003 season, his sixth in the NBA, Ollie played in 82 games for the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Sonics. In the summer of 2003, Ollie signed a five-year, $15 million contract to play with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and in his first season averaged 4.2 points in 82 games played.
UConn All-American Richard "Rip" Hamilton followed up his brilliant play in helping guide Connecticut to the NCAA National Championship by being selected as the No. 7 pick in the First Round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards. Rip signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the Detroit Pistons during the summer of 2003 and in his first four NBA seasons has become one of the top young guards in the league. He is averaging 16.9/game in his five seasons. He completed his fifth season in the NBA in 2003-04 with the Detroit Pistons, while claiming the NBA Championship title.
Two more Huskies were selected in the June 2000 NBA Draft as 6-11 center Jake Voskuhl and 5-10 guard Khalid El-Amin were both selected by the Chicago Bulls. Voskuhl has played four NBA seasons, the past three for the Phoenix Suns, with whom he signed a three-year, $5.1 million contract during the summer of 2003. El-Amin played in 50 games for the Bulls during 2000-2001 and then he played in the CBA in 2001-02.
Husky All-American Caron Butler is the latest performer to join the NBA ranks and burst upon the NBA in 2002-03. He was the 10th pick in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat and started all 78 games he played for legendary coach Pat Riley. He averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds, earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie team and finishing third in the NBA Rookie of the Year balloting. After two seasons in the NBA, Butler continues to play for Miami averaging 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
