Richardson And Fellow Spartans Anxiously Await Draft
6/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 27, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - With the 2001 NBA Draft just hours away, four members of last year's Michigan State men's basketball team are ready to realize a childhood dream. The draft will begin at 7:00 p.m. and be televised by TNT from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Spartan sophomore Jason Richardson is expected to be the first member of MSU's Final Four squad to be selected in the draft. The 6-6, 220-pound shooting guard is a consensus top-10 pick, with many experts expecting him to be selected sixth (Vancouver Grizzlies) or seventh (New Jersey Nets). A Second-Team Associated Press All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten honoree, Richardson averaged a team-best 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in helping MSU capture a fourth-straight Big Ten Championship and make an appearance in a third-straight Final Four.
Richardson has worked out Atlanta (No. 3 pick), Chicago (No. 4), Golden State (No. 5), Vancouver (No. 6), New Jersey (No. 7) and Cleveland (No. 8). With so many teams showing interest, Richardson is not concerned about where he will end up.
"Wherever I get picked and go, I'm not going to complain about it," said Richardson. "I just want to be on an NBA team and have an NBA jersey on my body in a couple of months."
Another early-entry candidate, freshman Zach Randolph should be the second Spartan selected. The 6-9, 270-pound Randolph averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest for MSU despite playing just 19.8 minutes per contest. MSU head coach Tom Izzo has repeatedly called Randolph the best rebounder per minute played that he has ever coached. Randolph scored a career-best 27 points in a December contest vs. Florida and earned Sporting News Freshman All-America honors.
Randolph has worked out for Chicago (No. 4), Vancouver (No. 6 & 27), Boston (No. 10 & 11), Seattle (No. 12), Houston (No. 13, 18 & 23), Golden State (No. 14), Orlando (No. 15 & 22), Charlotte (No. 16) and Toronto (No. 17). The consensus on Randolph is that he will be selected in the middle of the first round.
Spartan seniors Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson round out the Spartans expecting to hear their name called on Wednesday night. Bell and Hutson were both four-year starters for MSU and are part of the winningest senior class in Big Ten history.
Bell averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and led the Big Ten with 5.1 assists per game. He was a Third-Team Associated Press All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten honoree. Hutson led Michigan State in rebounding at 7.6 per contest and was second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game. Hutson earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors as well as earning all-district honors.
Both Bell and Hutson are expected to be second-round picks although there is a chance that both of them could find their way into the first round. Bell worked out for Vancouver (No. 27, 33 & 48), Golden State (No. 31) and Phoenix (No. 51). Hutson had workouts with Golden State (No. 31), Seattle (No. 40 & 42), Vancouver (No. 27, 33 & 48), Detroit (No. 38), New York (No. 39 & 43), New Jersey (No. 35) and Houston (No. 23).
Michigan State Draft Facts
? 47 Spartans have been selected in the draft.
? 12 Spartans have been selected in the first round.
? Earvin Johnson is the only Spartan to be selected with the first pick in the draft - 1979.
? Michigan State had two first-round selections in both 1979 (Earvin Johnson and Greg Kelser) and 2000 (Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson).
? Three Spartans have never been selected in the same draft.
