HUGE NIGHT FOR #WCCHOOPS IN 2021 NBA DRAFT
Thursday, July 29, 2021 | Barclays Center | Brooklyn
BROOKLYN, NY – What a magical, historic night for #WCChoops Alumni. The West Coast Conference set a modern record for the most first and second round picks with four – two each in the first and second round – and Gonzaga continued to set program records Thursday night at the Barclays Center.
Two members of Gonzaga’s 2020-21 NCAA National Runner-Up squad were selected in the top-15 picks – cementing yet another program first. The Zags were not done making history with a second rounder giving them three overall draftees for the first time in program and conference history.
#WCCHOOPS IN THE 2021 NBA DRAFT
First Round
5. Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga (Orlando)
15. Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (Washington)
Second Round
44. Kessler Edwards, Pepperdine (New Jersey)
50. Filip Petrusev, Gonzaga (Philadelphia)
SUGGS CONTEXT
#WCChoops has produced five (5) top-5 draft picks since 1956
2021 – Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga – 5 (Orlando)
2006 – Adam Morrison, Gonzaga – 3
1979 – Bill Cartwright, USF – 3
1958 – Mike Farmer, USF – 3
1956 – Bill Russell, USF – 2
FIRST ROUND CONTEXT
Multiple First Round selections for #WCChoops Alums
2021 – Jalen Suggs (5/Orlando) & Corey Kispert (15/Washington) – Gonzaga
2019 – Rui Hachimura (9/Washington) & Brandon Clarke (21/Oklahoma City – Gonzaga
1978 – James Hardy (11/New Orleans Jazz) & Winford Boynes (13/New Jersey – San Francisco
JALEN SUGGS DRAFT NOTABLES
- 2021 Consensus All-American
- 2021 WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- 2021 #WCChoops Newcomer of the Year
- Highest Zag selection since Adam Morrison was chosen No. 3 in 2006
- Fourth Zag to be selected with a top-10 pick since 2006
- Rui Hachimura – No. 9 Washington, 2019
- Zach Collins – No. 10 Portland, 2017
- Adam Morrison – No. 3 Charlotte, 2006
- First #WCChoops alum selected by Orlando
COREY KISPERT DRAFT NOTABLES
- 2021 Consensus First Team All-American
- 2021 WCC Player of the Year
- 2021 #WCChoops Newcomer of the Year
- Second Zag selected by the Wizards since 2019 (Rui Hachimura)
- Kispert and Hachimura (the 2019 WCC Player of the Year) combined to lead Gonzaga to a 65-9 overall record and a 33-1 league slate from 2017-18 to 2018-19
KESSLER EDWARDS DRAFT NOTABLES
- 2021 All-WCC First Team
- 2021 CBI MVP
- Set to play for #WCChoops legend Steve Nash in Brooklyn
- First from WCC drafted by New Jersey since 1978 (James Hardy, USF)
- First Wave drafted since 2005 (Alex Acker, 2nd/60/Detroit)
- Brother, Kameron, was an All-WCC performer at Pepperdine
FILIP PETRUSEV DRAFT NOTABLES
- 2020 Consensus All-American
- 2020 WCC Player of the Year
- Third Gonzaga Bulldog selected – the most for a single program in the first two rounds in WCC history