Ager, Brown And Davis Selected In NBA Draft
6/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 29, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Childhood dreams became a reality for three Spartans on Wednesday night as Maurice Ager, Paul Davis and Shannon Brown were selected in the 2006 NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden in New York. Brown and Ager were both picked in the first round as the Cleveland Cavaliers chose Brown at No. 25, followed by Ager going to the Dallas Mavericks at No. 28. Davis was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the fourth pick in the second round (No. 34 overall).
"It's awesome (to have three Spartans selected in the draft)," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "I was a little worried there, I didn't know exactly where they would go. It was a very difficult draft to get a read on. But they all landed in great situations.
"Cleveland is a team that's really been high on Shannon for a long time. It's really exciting to me for him to have a Michigan State owner. That's going to be great and they really wanted him. I thought Maurice might go a hair earlier, but I talked to Avery Johnson tonight and Dallas is really excited about him and I think he's going to a great place. It's a very well coached team. Both teams have been in the playoffs already and of course Dallas went very far. For Paul, even though he slipped to the second round, you have to remember that he is really their first pick which makes it a little better for him. It's a well coached team. I think this is going to be a good deal for Paul. I'm really excited for all of them and I know they're excited."
With three Spartans selected, Michigan State has had 10 players drafted in the last seven drafts, ranking behind only Connecticut (11) and Duke (11). With Ager and Brown going in the first round, the Spartans have produced six first rounders in the last seven years, including Mateen Cleaves (14th) and Morris Peterson (21st) in 2000 and Jason Richardson (5th) and Zach Randolph (19th) in 2001. Only Connecticut (8) and Duke (7) have produced more, while MSU's six equals North Carolina's total. In addition to the 10 draft picks, both Charlie Bell and Alan Anderson made NBA squads as free agents in the last seven seasons.
"I thought it was a huge night for the program," Izzo said. "The way they talked about our program, there was nothing but positives for Michigan State tonight, not just the basketball program, but the entire university."
"It's great (to be picked along with Maurice and Shannon)," Davis said. "You go to war with those guys for three and four years. Mo is obviously going to a great team. Shannon is going to a team that is up-and-coming and so am I. We are going to teams that are going to be good and competing against each other for a long time. It shows not just for us individually, but for Michigan State as a program, Coach Izzo and the coaching staff, that they turn out pros and they are going to continue to do so. As soon as us three can get together, I'm sure we are going to celebrate."
This is just the second time in school history that three Spartans have been selected in the same draft, equaling the draft class of 2001 when Andre Hutson was selected in the second round, joining Richardson and Randolph in the first round. It also marks just the fourth time in MSU history that two Spartans have been selected in the first round, as Ager and Brown join Magic Johnson (1st) and Greg Kelser (4th) in 1979, Cleaves and Peterson in 2000 and Richardson and Randolph in 2001.
This past season, Ager (19.3 ppg), Brown (17.2 ppg) and Davis (17.5 ppg) were the only trio in the nation with each player averaging more than 17 points per game. The three players shared Michigan State's MVP award as voted on by their teammates.
Brown averaged 17.2 points in 2005-06, ranking third on the squad and sixth in the conference. In Big Ten games, he averaged a team-best 18.8 points, third-highest in the league, earning second-team all-conference accolades. He also improved his all-around game as a junior, averaging career bests in rebounding (4.4 rpg) and assists (2.7 apg), ranking second on the squad in both categories. Among his individual honors, he was named to the USBWA and NABC all-district teams and was a Naismith Award candidate. Brown also excelled on the defensive end of the court, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
"(The Cavaliers) like to get out and run. They like to play hard. They have a great coaching staff," said Brown, who shared MVP honors with his new teammate Lebron James at the 2003 Jordan Capital Classic. "I couldn't be happier right now. It's a great opportunity. Whatever they need me to play, point guard, two guard; hard work and determination is going to help me."
"He's a great athlete, works hard, a gym rat," Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry said. "His athleticism is off the charts. He can make the open shot, he can go to the basket. He can finish with authority ... We're excited. We really did not believe that Shannon Brown would be available at 25. We thought a lot of teams in front of us would want to take him but a couple of picks threw it out of whack."
Last season, Ager led the Big Ten in overall scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game, becoming the first Spartan to accomplish that feat since Shawn Respert in 1995. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and third-team accolades from the coaches, while also earning USBWA and NABC all-district honors. In the Big Ten Tournament, Ager averaged 19.0 points and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team. In addition, he was one of 10 finalists for both the USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Senior CLASS Award, and was also a candidate for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy. He finished his career ranked 11th in MSU history in scoring (1,554 points), fourth in made 3-point field goals (202) and third in 3-point field-goals attempted (532).
"It's a perfect situation going on there (in Dallas)," Ager said. "I love the way they play, I love Avery Johnson. I just think things are going to work out perfect ... I think (staying in school for four years) was a great decision. I had a chance to grow up and become a man. I think four years of college really helps."
"Mo kept saying to me that he wanted to walk across that stage and shake David Stern's hand," Izzo said. "God love it that a guy got to fulfill one of his dreams. For him, that's what he wanted to do. I thought that was pretty neat. One thing about Mo and Shannon, they were obsessed with getting there, and consequently at the end when you achieve something like that, you react in different ways. I did enjoy watching him react that way because I knew what it meant to him."
"We are excited about taking Maurice Ager with our late first round pick," Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson said. "He was a four-year player at Michigan State for Tom Izzo and improved every year. He fits into our system and fills a need for us as a guard who can play tough defense and solid offense. This is the guy we were hoping would fall back to us and we are glad to have him."
In 2005-06, Davis ranked second on the team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and led the squad in rebounding (9.1 rpg), while ranking second in the Big Ten. The Big Ten leader with 14 double-doubles, he ranked among the top seven in the Big Ten statistics in seven different categories, standing second in rebounding (9.1 rpg), fifth in scoring (17.5 ppg), fourth in field-goal percentage (.566), third in free-throw percentage (.870), seventh in blocked shots (0.88 bpg), sixth in offensive rebounds (2.64 orpg) and first in defensive rebounds (6.48 drpg). Davis ranks in the top 10 in Michigan State history in six statistical categories. In addition to being the career leader in free throws made (477) and attempted (625), he also ranks among the leaders in scoring (8th, 1,718), rebounds (4th, 910), blocked shots (4th, 87) and field goals (9th, 614). Among the many honors Davis amassed this past season, he was a second-team All-Big Ten selection, USBWA and NABC all-district honoree and a candidate for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.
"It was a nerve-racking night," Davis explained. "I was upset I didn't get selected in the first round, but the more I thought about it, getting drafted by the L.A. Clippers, an up-and-coming team who had a great run last year, the coaches and players they have and the city of L.A. and being their first pick in the draft, I really think it's going to help me. It's going to be a great fit for me. I'm excited that they liked how I worked out and they like me out there. I'm a Clipper now."
"He's strong, he's tough, he's physical," Clippers vice president of basketball operations Elgin Baylor said. "He doesn't mind banging."
"He's more of a high-post player," Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He's a player who has some bulk and can knock down open J's."
Quotes from the Associated Press and NBA.com were used in this report.
