College basketball coaches who were NBA 1st-round picks – azcentral.com
Nearly every one of college basketball’s 351 Div. I college basketball head coaches are connected to the NBA Draft in some way. Some have had players selected in the past. Others have coached against them.
But only a small group share an experience that ranks among the sport’s best. As players, only 10 entered the NBA as first-round draft picks. Two of those 10 – Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley and Grand Canyon’s Dan Majerle – just happen to coach in the Valley.
RELATED: Hurley, Majerle share first-round pick bond
Here’s the entire group, listed in order of highest draft selection:
Danny Manning, Wake Forest
If you were drafting college coaches for a pick-up game, this is where you’d start. After leading Kansas to the national title, Manning was the first pick of the 1988 draft. A two-time All-Star, he played 15 seasons in the NBA, including five with the Suns. After his retirement, Manning coached at Kansas as an assistant before accepting the head job at Tulsa. He took over at Wake Forest last year.
Bobby Hurley, ASU
The Sacramento Kings selected Hurley with the seventh pick in 1993. The point guard from Duke started his first 19 games, averaging 7.1 points and 6.1 assists. But on Dec. 12, 1993, Hurley, driving home from a game at Arco Arena, was blindsided at an intersection, suffering injuries that nearly took his life. He battled back to play six NBA seasons, but never was the same player. As a coach, Hurley has worked as an assistant under brother Dan at Wagner and Rhode Island. He served as head coach at Buffalo for two seasons before landing the ASU job in April.
PHOTOS: Bobby Hurley through the years
Chris Mullin, St. John’s
Mullin – the only Hall of Famer in this group – was the seventh pick in 1985, a draft that ultimately produced 10 NBA All-Stars. Considered one of the game’s all-time great shooters, Mullin averaged 18.2 points over 16 seasons, playing in five All-Star games. Upon retirement, Mullin worked as an NBA executive with the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. In March, he accepted the head-coaching job at St. John’s, his alma mater.
Reggie Theus, Cal-State Northridge
After starring at UNLV, Theus went ninth to the Chicago Bulls in 1978. He played in two All-Star games over a 15-year career, finishing with averages of 18.5 points and 6.3 assists. He later served as head coach of New Mexico State, the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA’s development league. Theus was hired at Northridge in 2013 and is about to begin his third season.
Johnny Dawkins, Stanford
The Naismith Player of the Year, Dawkins went 10th to the San Antonio Spurs in 1986. Over nine seasons with the Spurs, 76ers and Pistons, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 assists. Upon retirement, Dawkins worked on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke before taking the Stanford job in 2008.
Dan Majerle, Grand Canyon
After a standout career at Central Michigan, Majerle went 14th to the Suns in 1988. “Thunder Dan” played 14 NBA seasons, showing off tremendous shooting range, making three All-Star games and averaging 11.4 points. After working as a Suns assistant, he took over at Grand Canyon in 2013.
PHOTOS: Dan Majerle through the years
Bryce Drew, Valparaiso
On March 13, 1998, Drew hit one of the more memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history, a buzzer-beating jumper that lifted 13th-seeded Valparaiso over No. 4 Mississippi. Three months later, he went to the Houston Rockets with the 16th pick of the NBA Draft. Drew started 46 games over six seasons, averaging 4.4 points and 2.2 assists. After his playing days, Drew coached on his father’s staff at Valparaiso. In 2011, he took over as head coach.
Rex Walters, San Francisco
Walters averaged 15.3 points and 4.3 assists his senior season at Kansas, production that caught the attention of the New Jersey Nets, who selected the guard with the 16th pick in 1993. Walters played nine seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.6 points. He started his coaching career in 2003 as an assistant at Valparaiso. He is in his eighth season at San Francisco.
Brooks Thompson, Texas-San Antonio
Thompson – taken 27th by the Orlando Magic in 1994 — shot 47.2 percent from 3-point range his senior season at Oklahoma State. He showed flashes of similar accuracy over a six-year NBA career that included a stint with the Suns. As a coach, he worked as an assistant at Arizona State under Rob Evans. He took over at Texas-San Antonio in 2006.
Scott Padgett, Samford.
After a solid career at Kentucky, Padgett went to the Utah Jazz with the 28th pick in 1999. He spent nine NBA seasons as a role player, finishing his career in Spain. From there, Padgett coached as an assistant at Kentucky, Manhattan and Samford. He took over the Samford program last year.
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