Jayhawks prepping for 2018 NBA Draft

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Four Kansas men’s basketball players will be looking to have their name called Thursday, June 21, at the 2018 NBA Draft.
 
The event will be held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and televised on ESPN beginning at 6 p.m. (Central). KU’s Devonte’ Graham, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Malik Newman and Billy Preston will be with family and friends watching closely.
 
Since the NBA adopted a two-round draft in 1989, Kansas ranks fourth in first-round selections with 24 and has had 37 chosen. Last year, Josh Jackson was the No. 4 overall pick, while 2017 national player of the year Frank Mason was a second-round selection. Since the NBA Lottery began in 1985, KU has had 17 players selected among the top 14 names called draft night, with Jackson being the 11th in the head coach Bill Self Self era.
 
Graham was the 2018 Big 12 Player of the Year and Kansas’ 30th Consensus All-America First Team selection. The Raleigh, North Carolina, guard broke two KU single-season records in 2017-18 with 282 assists and 1,474 minutes played. Also this season, Graham was the only player in the NCAA to averaged 17.0-plus points (17.3), 7.0-plus assists (7.2), 1.6-plus steals (1.6) and less than 3.0 turnovers per game (2.8). Graham concluded his career No. 13 in points (1,750), No. 5 in assists (632), No. 2 in 3-point field goals made (296), No. 7 in steals (197) and No. 2 in minutes played (4,498).
 
A two-year starter for KU who was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection in 2018, Mykhailiuk broke the Kansas single-season record for 3-point field goals made with 115 in 2017-18. The Cherkasy, Ukraine, guard, who was also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, was second on the KU team with a 14.6 scoring average and was the only player to rank in the Big 12 in the top three in 3-point field goals made (third at 2.9) and 3-point field goal percentage (second at 44.4). Mykhailiuk concluded his career No. 4 on the 3-point field goals made list at 237, No. 5 on the 3-point field goals attempted list at 579 and No. 41 in scoring with 1,181 points..
 
Newman transferred to Kansas following the 2015-16 season at Mississippi State and sat out 2016-17 due to NCAA rules. The Jackson, Mississippi, guard started 33 of 39 games this last season and was the 2018 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, an all-conference honorable mention selection and member of the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. He averaged 14.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and was twice named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Newman was the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player where he averaged 24.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in leading Kansas to the tourney title. Like the Big 12 Tournament, Newman led Kansas in the NCAA Tournament where he averaged 21.6 points. He also pulled down 6.2 rebounds in KU’s five NCAA tourney contests and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Midwest Region.
 
A 2017 McDonald All-American, Preston had a brief career at Kansas. The Los Angeles forward played in three of four games in KU’s Italy exhibition in summer of 2017 where he averaged 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in three blowout victories. Preston scored 12 points, on 4-of-5 shooting, with four rebounds in Kansas’ 93-87 exhibition win against Missouri on Oct. 22, 2017, at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Awaiting an NCAA ruling, Preston practiced but did not play with the Jayhawks during the 2017-18 regular season and in January left KU to play professional. Prior to KU, Preston ended his high school career ranked in the top 20 nationally by most recruiting services, including No. 10 by Rivals.com.
 
KANSAS NBA DRAFT HISTORY
Year – Name (Round/Overall Selection)
1948 – Otto Schnellbacher (Providence region)
1952 – Clyde Lovellette (1/10)
1953 – Dean Kelley (8/56), Gil Reich (11/32)
1954 – B.H. Born (3/22), Alan Kelley (7/56)
1957 – Maurice King (6/48)
1958 – Wilt Chamberlain (Territorial selection)
1959 – Ron Loneski (10/134)
1961 – Wayne Hightower (1/5), Bill Bridges (3/32)
1963 – Nolen Ellison (4/29)
1966 – Walt Wesley (1/6), Al Lopes (13/106)
1967 – Ron Franz (4/33)
1968 – Roger Bohnenstiel (9/120)
1969 – Jo Jo White (1/9), Dave Nash (4/48), Bruce Sloan (11/153)
1971 – Dave Robisch (3/44), Roger Brown (4/64), Pierre Russell (13/207)
1972 – Bud Stallworth (1/7)
1975 – Rick Suttle (7/110), Roger Morningstar (8/144)
1976 – Norm Cook (1/16)
1977 – Herb Nobles (6/124)
1978 – Ken Koenigs (5/99), John Douglas (6/118)
1979 – Paul Mokeski (2/42),
1981 – Darnell Valentine (1/16), Art Housey (3/47), John Crawford (7/160), Randolph Carroll (10/220)
1982 – Tony Guy (2/46), David Magley (2/28)
1984 – Carl Henry (4/80), Brian Martin (9/185)
1986 – Greg Drieling (2/26), Ron Kellogg (2/42), Calvin Thompson (4/71)
1988 – Danny Manning (1/1), Archie Marshall (3/75)
1990 – Kevin Pritchard (2/34)
1991 – Mark Randall (1/26)
1993 – Rex Walters (1/16), Adonis Jordan (2/42)
1994 – Darrin Hancock (2/38)
1995 – Greg Ostertag (1/28)
1997 – Scot Pollard (1/19), Jacque Vaughn (1/27)
1998 – Raef LaFrentz (1/3), Paul Pierce (1/10)
1999 – Ryan Robertson (2/45)
2001 – Eric Chenowith (2/42)
2002 – Drew Gooden (1/4)
2003 – Kirk Hinrich (1/7), Nick Collison (1/12)
2005 – Wayne Simien (1/29)
2007 – Julian Wright (1/13)
2008 – Brandon Rush (1/13), Darrell Arthur (1/27), Mario Chalmers (2/34), Darnell Jackson (2/52), Sasha Kaun (2/56)
2010 – Xavier Henry (1/12), Cole Aldrich (1/11)
2011 – Marcus Morris (1/13), Markieff Morris (1/14), Josh Selby (2/49)
2012 – Thomas Robinson (1/5), Tyshawn Taylor (2/41)
2013 – Ben McLemore (1/7), Jeff Withey (2/39)
2014 – Andrew Wiggins (1/1), Joel Embiid (1/3)
2015 – Kelly Oubre Jr. (1/15)
2016 – Cheick Diallo (2/33)
2017 – Josh Jackson (1/4), Frank Mason III (2/34)
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