[Stats and/or bios of the new Mavs are appended to the end.] Well, it was an eventful and interesting night for the Mavs on draft night last night. The night started off with other teams giving surprises of the Clippers taking Michael Olowokandi (talk until yesterday had them taking Bibby). Vancouver then took Mike Bibby at 2 and Denver threw a wrench in the mix by selecting Raef LaFrentz at 3. Toronto then took Antawn Jamison at 4 and Golden State took Vince Carter at 5 and then the two strangely swapped picks with Golden State throwing some cash at Toronto (a little more on that later). That meant that the talented Paul Pierce had slipped and was available at #6 for Dallas. And the much talked about young Larry Hughes was still there. So David Stern goes up to the podium and announces that the Mavs have selected ... Robert Traylor. Imagine my surprise that the Mavs took the one player I was sure that the Mavs would not take. After a few minutes of "what???", it became clear that the Mavs were not keeping him. Of course, I got a good clue that he wasn't staying as Don Nelson did not come out to talk about the pick (I was at the Mavs media draft party). Then came the speculation as to who the trade was with. When Milwaukee took Dirk Nowitzki at #9, most believed that the previous rumored (and debunked by publically by the sneaky Nelson) trade of #6 for #9 and #19 had occurred. That meant a lot of waiting for the #19 pick to finally take place. There were a lot of groans when it was announced that Milwaukee took Pat Garrity at #19. Just what the Mavs' needed - another stiff power forward. After about 10 more minutes, Nelson finally came out to speak to the media. We sat there waiting to hear what happened and he started off his 5 minute monolog (not exactly - from memory), "Well, we got a point guard we wanted. We think that Nash will be a good fit. And we got the guy we really wanted. Nowitzki ..." I don't know about any one else there, buy my mind was still going "Nash? We got Nash? What did we give up to get him? ..." After Nelson finished singing the praises of Nowitzki, he asked for any questions. Greatfully, the first questioner first stated that we didn't know exactly what had occurred and could he please explain what happened. So, the Mavs traded the rights to #6 Robert Traylor to Milwaukee for the rights to #9 Dirk Nowitzki and #19 Pat Garrity. Dallas then turned around and traded the rights to #19 Pat Garrity, Bubba Wells, Martin Muursepp, and an unprotected 1st round draft pick in 1999 to Phoenix for Steve Nash. Dallas selected Traylor for Milwaukee; Milwaukee selected Nowitzki for Dallas, and Dallas told Milwaukee to select Garrity per Phoenix's wishes. Wells and Muursepp, who have one year left on their contracts (and whose contract the Mavs might have eaten next year), were thrown in the trade to make the salary cap work with Nash. The jewel for Phoenix in the trade is, of course, the unprotected pick (I don't put much value in #19). The Mavs get a good, young point guard in Nash. Nash will be a free agent next summer, but Nelson is already talking about the possibility of re-signing him. He has completed the 2nd year of his rookie contract and the Mavs do have the option of signing him to a contract extension before October 1 (as the Mavs did with Finley last summer). Reportedly Nash is very happy to be coming to Dallas - he calls it his favorite road stop, he and Finley are best friends [though Mavs fans slightly wince at reflecting back to the last "good friendship" between the point guard and shooting guard in Dallas; of course, Mavs fans also wince at the last time the Mavs traded an unprotected 1st rounder - Eric Montross], and he has a real good relationship with Donnie Nelson. Point guard was definitely a position the team needed help in. Phoenix did have better offers for Nash, but Nash want to come to Dallas and Phoenix went with a good deal that fit in with his wishes. Nash is a good pickup - how much getting him really costs us won't be determined until next March or May when it is know what number that Dallas pick will be. The real questions surround Dirk Nowitzki. When ask mid-way through the first round if I was disappointed, I thought about it for a minute and had to truthfully say, "Well, yes." With Pierce still out there, I don't see how the Mavs could pass on him. Nelson said that he ranked Pierce as #2 in the draft with it implied that he had Nowitzki as #1. There is the possibility that the Milwaukee deal (#6 for #9 and #19) was already done before the draft started, but even then Pierce was still there at #9. If Pierce wasn't there, I'd have absolutely no problem with what happened. It's just that having a known in Pierce compared to the unknowns in Nowitzki makes me question if taking Nowitzki was the right thing to do. There are questions as to when Nowitzki will come to Dallas. There is talk that he may stay in Europe a year or two. Both Nelsons are heading to Germany today to talk to Nowitzki, his family, and his agent and try to convince him that coming to Dallas now is the right decision. Ross Perot, who is Europe on business, is going to take a day off to stop by and visit Nowitzki. The problem is that Nowitzki can get more money immediately in Europe. Several European clubs are vying for his services and the Mavs are restricted to offering him a 3 year, about $1.5 million contract. Nelson says that Nowitzki was the best talent in the draft and that he would be a top pick if he came out next year. Donnie Nelson did coach Nowitzki in the Nike Hoop Summit game last March where he scored 33 points on 6-12 FG and 19-23 FT and had 14 rebounds. He has been compared to Detlef Schrempf. Nelson has said that the Mavs were not the only ones interested in Nowitzki. Reportedly Boston was very interested in him. One of the reasons the deal was made with Milwaukee was that Milwaukee had the #9 pick and Boston had the #10 pick. There was also some concern that Boston would trade up to take him. Quotes: Don Nelson On the draft and trade "Things could not have gone better." "Everything we wanted to accomplish, we did. That doesn't happen very much in life." "Everything we were tempted to do we got done; it worked like clockwork. Nash is the point guard we've wanted for a long time, and we're hopeful of changing Dirk's mind and getting him to sign with us right now." "We want to turn the franchise around. And we made a major step in that direction today." "Our plan was to have our draft this year and our free agent year next year. This move speeds up the process. Nash was highly coveted by lots of teams. We're fortunate to get him a year early." "Nash is a guy that we've liked, and we were able to get him a year early. Nowitzki has not yet signed a contract overseas. Donnie and I are going over to Germany tomorrow and we're hoping to convince him to sign here now." On Paul Pierce: "I couldn't believe it when he didn't go [#3]. But it's just my opinion that Nowitzki will be better." On the fan's reaction: "It doesn't matter if the fans are excited; they can be skeptical if they want to. To me, we took a major step." On trading an unprotect 1st round pick: "That's the first time I think I've ever done that. It's a gamble that I don't like to take, but I think it's worth it." "I don't like to part with number ones like that [unprotected]. But we evaluated next year's draft, and I don't like it much. Plus, we plan on that pick not being very good." On Nowitzki "He's 20 years old and loaded with talent, and we have to let him develop. So I don't want you to think we're going to get Larry Bird here in his first year, but he's a very exciting player." "I want him here right away if it's possible. If it doesn't happen, we'll have to wait. I think he's worth the wait. Hopefully we won't have to wait." "He's going to have some very fine offers over there. We would hope to change his mind. We're going to give it our best shot." On signing him: "I shouldn't be optimistic, but this is a special situation. [Nowitzki and his agent] told us he wouldn't sign [in Europe], that they would at least show us that respect. I'm just hoping, really. But he's a major player with incredible skills. If we don't get him now, he's worth the wait." What he said to Nowitzki and his agent: "We just said, 'We're coming. Make sure you don't sign a contract before we talk to you.' And they're not. They're going to wait and show us that respect. That's about all we can expect at this point." "I'm going to sell the fact that we've got a young and upcoming team and he's a young and upcoming player. We have a need for his skills. He fits right into what were doing. He's going to be able to play." When asked Thursday morning how the imposing lockout would affect the Mavs' chances of getting Nowitzki: "Let's hope he doesn't know about it. I'm not going to tell him." On Steve Nash "He's a hot commodity. We're lucky to get him for what we did. He's one of the top point guards in the league, probably in the 10-15 range. He needs his own team, and he'll be here for a long time." "He needs his own team. He's going to have it. This is going to be Steve's team. We're going to build around him." "A lot of teams were offering a great deal for him. We feel very lucky to get him for what we did. He's a very fine player." "He's going to be our point guard. He'll be terrific in our system." Donnie Nelson On the possibility of signing Nowitzki: "I really think it's a coin flip." "We hope to influence him that this is the place to go. We can't compete with price, but he'd be a fine piece to what we're trying to do." John Nash, Steve Nash's father On being traded to Dallas: "It's great. He was sad about Phoenix. But he wants to be a starting point guard, and he feels he has the ability and is ready to step up to the challenge." "Steve and Michael [Finley] used to sit beside each other on the plane in Phoenix. He loves Michael. Steve spent one Christmas with Michael. He met Donnie and Don Nelson both at Golden State when he played in Seattle when he was on the Canadian National team, so their connection goes back a long way." As for the other picks, Dallas surprisingly did not trade their 2nd round picks, as was speculated that they would do. With the #30 pick (1st of the 2nd round), the Mavs selected Ansu Sesay. Sesay is a 6-9, 225 forward from Mississippi. He averaged 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds and was named Second Team All-America as a senior. He will be given a shot at making the roster, but will have to earn his way on what is a crowded roster. With the #35 pick, the Mavs selected Bruno Sundov. He is a 7-2, 220 (skinnnny) center playing for Split Croatia. He will likely remain in Europe and the Mavs will retain the NBA rights to him. With the #53 pick, the Mavs selected Greg Buckner. Buckner is a 6-4, 210 guard from Clemson. He averaged 16.3 points including 53.7% FG and 4.1 rebounds as a senior. He is a loooong shot to make the team. Also, the "interesting" #4-#5 swap was partly due to Dallas. Golden State had heard that Dallas was really interested in Jamison and was talking with Toronto to trade up to get him. Golden State wanted Jamison and the trade Golden State made with Toronto was to prevent Toronto from trading with someone else who might take Jamison. Of course, by draft time, Dallas only had eyes for Nowitzki and Nelson said that Golden State got taken to the cleaners. In 16 1/2 months that he has been in Dallas, Nelson has made 6 or 7 trades (depending on if you count yesterday's actions as one or two trades) which involved trading away 11 players, trading away the draft rights to 3 players (not including the 1999 pick), and acquiring 12 players (not including Garrity). Nelson was named GM February 7, 1997 Trade date Players traded away Players acquired 2/14/97 Jamal Mashburn Kurt Thomas Sasha Danilovic Martin Muursepp 2/17/97 Jim Jackson Shawn Bradley Chris Gatling Robert Pack Sam Cassell Khalid Reeves George McCloud Ed O'Bannon Eric Montross 6/25/97 rights to Kelvin Cato rights to Chris Anstey 9/24/97 Derek Harper Dennis Scott Ed O'Bannon 2/18/98 Dennis Scott Cedric Ceballos 6/24/98 rights to Robert Traylor rights to Dirk Nowitzki rights to Pat Garrity 6/24/98 Bubba Wells Steve Nash Martin Muursepp rights to Pat Garrity 1999 1st round pick patricia ---- Steve Nash - ?? Position: Guard Height: 6-3 Weight: 195 Birthday: February 7, 1974 Birthplace: Johannesburg, South Africa High School: St. Michael's Victoria (British Columbia) College: Santa Clara '96 1996 Phoenix draft pick, 1st round (#15) Acquired from Phoenix 6/24/98 for Bubba Wells, Martin Muursepp, the draft rights to Pat Garrity (#19), and a 1999 1st round draft pick Played 96-97 and 97-98 with Phoenix | Rebounds | Year GP-GS MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT OFF DEF TOT AVG 96-97 65-2 684 10.5 74-175 0.423 42-51 0.824 16 47 63 1.0 97-98 76-9 1664 21.9 268-584 0.459 74-86 0.860 32 128 160 2.1 Total 141-11 2348 16.7 342-759 0.451 116-137 0.847 48 175 223 1.6 Year AST AVG PF-D STL TO BLK PTS AVG HI 96-97 138 2.1 92-1 20 63 0 213 3.3 17 97-98 262 3.4 145-1 63 98 4 691 9.1 24 Total 400 2.8 237-2 83 161 4 904 6.4 24 3-pointers: 96-97 23-55 0.418, 97-98 81-195 0.415, Total 104-250 0.416. Played 96-97 and 97-98 with Phoenix Playoffs | Rebounds | Year GP-GS MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT OFF DEF TOT AVG 96-97 4-0 15 3.8 2-9 0.222 0-0 0.000 1 0 1 0.3 97-98 4-0 51 12.8 8-18 0.444 5-8 0.625 2 8 10 2.5 Total 8-0 66 8.3 10-27 0.370 5-8 0.625 3 8 11 1.4 Year AST AVG PF-D STL TO BLK PTS AVG HI 96-97 1 0.2 5-0 1 2 1 5 1.2 5 97-98 7 1.8 7-0 2 3 0 22 5.5 13 Total 8 1.0 12-0 3 5 1 27 3.4 13 3-pointers: 96-97 1-4 0.250, 97-98 1-5 0.200, Total 2-9 0.222. Santa Clara stats | Rebounds | Year GP-GS MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT OFF DEF TOT AVG 92-93 31-5 743 24.0 78-184 0.424 47-57 0.825 19 60 79 2.5 93-94 26-23 778 29.9 122-295 0.414 69-83 0.831 25 40 65 2.5 94-95 27-27 902 33.4 164-369 0.444 153-174 0.879 13 89 102 3.8 95-96 29-29 979 33.8 164-381 0.430 101-113 0.894 22 80 102 3.5 Total 113-84 3402 30.1 528-1229 0.430 370-427 0.867 79 269 348 3.1 Year AST AVG PF-D STL TO BLK PTS AVG 92-93 67 2.2 54-1 26 62 4 252 8.1 93-94 95 3.7 57-1 34 74 1 380 14.6 94-95 174 6.4 53-3 48 113 2 565 20.9 95-96 174 6.0 43-0 39 103 0 492 17.0 Total 510 4.5 204-5 147 352 7 1689 14.9 3-pointers: 92-93 49-120 0.408, 93-94 67-168 0.399, 94-95 84-185 0.454, 95-96 63-183 0.344, Total 263-656 0.401. ---- Dirk Nowitzki - ?? Position: Forward Height: 6-11 Weight: 237 Birthday: June 19, 1978 Birthplace: Wurzburg, Germany High School: Rontgen Gymnasium (Wurzburg, Germany) 1998 Milwaukee draft pick, 1st round (#9) Draft rights acquired from Milwaukee 6/24/98 (draft day) with the draft rights of Pat Garrity (#19) for the draft rights to Robert Traylor (#6) [note: Jed Tai pointed out that these can't be correct] Year GP FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT REB AVG AST AVG PTS AVG 97-98 20 188-313 0.601 135-177 0.763 198 9.9 40 2.0 350 17.5 3-pointers: 97-98 160-405 0.395. From the NBA Draft Guide: Early entry candidate for the 1998 NBA Draft. Played on 1996 German National Junior Team, 1996 European Junior Select team, 1996 World Junior Select Team, and 1996 German Under-22 National Team. Member of 1993 German Champion, Bavarian Select team. Drafted by and was a member of the German Army (9/1/97 through 6/30/98). Made visits to the University of California-Berkeley and the University of Kentucky. Scored a team high 33 points for the International Juniors in the 1998 Nike Hoop Summit game that was played in San Antonio on 3/29/98. Made an amazing 19-23 free throws and 6-12 field goals, including 2-3 3-pointers. Also grabbed a game high 14 rebounds and notched 3 steals. Plays for Wurzburg in the second division of Bundesliga. Team won their division and moved up to the first division for next season. Played in 18 games for Wurzburg and averaged 19.4 points (123-227 FG and 76-102 FT), 6.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Scored 350 points in the 18 games played. ---- Ansu Sesay - ?? Position: Forward Height: 6-9 Weight: 225 Birthday: July 29, 1976 Birthplace: Greensboro, North Carolina High School: Willowridge High School (Houston, Texas) College: Mississippi '98 1998 Dallas draft pick, 2nd round (#30) Mississippi stats | Rebounds | Year GP-GS MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT OFF DEF TOT AVG 94-95 27-?? 586 21.7 63-178 0.354 52-76 0.684 ?? ?? 103 3.8 95-96 25-?? 664 26.6 93-235 0.396 70-99 0.707 ?? ?? 146 5.8 96-97 29-29 987 34.0 150-329 0.456 114-152 0.750 89 140 229 7.9 97-98 29-29 961 33.1 181-397 0.456 157-216 0.727 71 150 221 7.6 Total 110-?? 3198 29.1 487-1139 0.428 393-543 0.724 ?? ?? 699 6.4 Year AST AVG PF-D STL TO BLK PTS AVG 94-95 32 1.2 65-?? 12 59 17 195 7.2 95-96 44 1.8 85-?? 26 66 20 264 10.6 96-97 71 2.4 75-2 25 72 36 429 14.8 97-98 80 2.8 83-4 36 75 26 540 18.6 Total 227 2.1 308-?? 99 272 99 1428 13.0 3-pointers: 94-95 17-72 0.236, 95-96 8-42 0.190, 96-97 15-54 0.278, 97-98 21-60 0.350, Total 61-228 0.268. From the NBA Draft Guide Named Second Team All-America by the Associated Press as a senior, and was also the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, as voted by AP. A 3-year starter for the Rebels, he was also an All-SEC First Team selection his junior and senior seasons by AP and he is only the 2nd player in school history (along with former NBA player Elston Turner) to surpass 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, and 200 assists. Averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 110 career games. Helped lead the Rebels to back-to-back SEC Western Division titles and consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and 1998. Scored in double figures over the final 53 games of his career. Was a member of the USA Basketball squad that captured the gold medal at the World University Games during the summer of 1997. As a senior, led the team in scoring and rebounding for the 2nd consecutive year, post a career high 18.6 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Was also 2nd on the team in assists (2.8 apg) and blocks (26) and 3rd in steals (40). Scored 20 or more points 11 times and grabbed 10 or more rebounds 11 times. Was Mississippi's leading scorer 12 times and leading rebounder 12 times. Had 11 points and 5 rebounds in the Rebel's 70-69 loss to Valparaiso in the 1st round of the NCAA Midwest Regional. Scored a career high 33 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in an 81-77 double-overtime victory over Mississippi State. Pulled down a career high 14 rebounds in a road win at Alabama. Also had 24 points and 10 boards in a win over Auburn. As a junior, was named Mississippi's MVP after leading the team in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg) and finishing 2nd with a career best 36 blocks. tied for 2nd in the SEC in rebounding and 9th in scoring. Led the team in scoring 9 times and in rebounding 13 times. scored 20 or more points 4 times and reached double figures in rebounding 6 times. Had season highs of 29 points and 13 rebounds and a school-record 8 blocks in a victory over Mississippi State and also had 27 points and 11 rebounds in a road win at Auburn. As a sophomore, was the Rebels' 2nd leading scorer (10.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.8 rpg) while earning team MVP honors. also ranked 1st on the team in free throws made (70) and attempted (99) and in blocks (20). Scored in double figures in 15 games and had a pair of double-figure rebounding games. Grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over East Tennessee and accounted for 15 points and 12 rebounds against Arkansas. As a freshman, came off the bench in 22 of 27 games and earned Most Improved Player recognition after averaging 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds. Was 4th on the team with 103 rebounds and the leader with 17 blocks. Scored a season high 20 points and had 11 rebounds against Arkansas. ---- Bruno Sundov - ?? Position: Center Height: 7-2 Weight: 220 Birthday: February 10, 1980 Birthplace: Split, Croatia 1998 Dallas draft pick, 2nd round (#35) From the NBA Draft Guide In the 1998 Albert Schweitzer Tournament, an international high school tournament, he led all players in blocks with nearly 2 per game as well as being one of the leaders in rebounding. Averaged 13 points per game in 97-98 and 10 rebounds while shooting 88.6% from the free throw line and 65.8% from the field. Current coach in Croatia is Niksa Bavcevic, who also coached Toni Kukoc, Dino Radja, and Zan Tabak. In the International Junior Tournament played in early 1998, scored 18 points as Croatia defeated Greece 87-79. In same tournament, scored 13 points as Croatia defeated France, 67-38. Helped Croatia to 3-0 record and 1st place finish in the tournament. ---- Greg Buckner - ?? Position: G Height: 6-4 Weight: 210 Birthday: September 16, 1976 Birthplace: Hopkinsville, Kentucky High School: University Heights academy (Hopkinsville, Kentucky) College: Clemson '98 1998 Dallas draft pick, 2nd round (#53) Clemson stats | Rebounds | Year GP-GS MIN AVG FGM-FGA PCT FTM-FTA PCT OFF DEF TOT AVG 94-95 28-28 911 32.5 141-268 0.526 41-80 0.512 46 119 165 5.9 95-96 29-29 950 32.8 144-305 0.472 92-137 0.672 59 88 147 5.1 96-97 33-33 1071 32.5 190-393 0.483 119-168 0.708 51 99 150 4.5 97-98 32-32 1022 31.9 204-380 0.537 94-135 0.696 26 104 130 4.1 Total 122-122 3954 32.4 679-1346 0.504 346-520 0.665 182 410 592 4.9 Year AST AVG PF-D STL TO BLK PTS AVG 94-95 58 2.1 69-2 63 38 12 336 12.0 95-96 48 1.7 64-1 30 38 8 381 13.1 96-97 63 1.9 86-2 35 63 10 516 15.6 97-98 83 2.6 93-2 51 47 10 521 16.3 Total 252 2.1 312-7 179 186 40 1754 14.4 3-pointers: 94-95 13-44 0.295, 95-96 1-25 0.040, 96-97 17-54 0.315, 97-98 19-58 0.328, Total 50-181 0.276. From the NBA Draft Guide: Started in 122 consecutive games during his career, setting a Clemson record. Became 1st player in school history and only the 5th in Atlantic Coast Conference annals to lead his team in scoring 4 straight years. Was selected to the All-ACC Second Team his junior and senior seasons and was the Tigers' 1st ever ACC Rookie of the Year after the 94-95 season. Placed 3rd on Clemson's all-time scoring list with 1,754 points (trailing only Elden Campbell and Butch Zatezalo). Was also 2nd all-time in minutes played (3,954), 2nd in field goals (679), 3rd in games (122), and 3rd in steals. Career averages included 14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 steals. Just the 3rd player in Clemson history to surpass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 200 assists in a career. Ranked 2nd in team history with 85 points in 5 NCAA Tournament games (17.0 ppg). At Portsmouth Invitation Tournament, named to all-tournament team after averaging 16.6 points and 4.6 rebounds and shooting 59% from the field As a senior, averaged a career best 16.3 points, along with 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and a career high 53.7% FG. Was the Tigers' leading scorer in 18 games and scored 20 or more points 8 times. Was in double figures in 29 of 32 games. Shot over 50% from the field in 17 of his last 22 games. Scored 21 points in Clemson's 75-56 win over Wake Forest in the 1st round of the ACC Tournament. Had 29 points in a 76-62 win over Georgia Tech and tied a career high with 30 points, along with 7 rebounds and 5 assists, in 73-70 loss to North Carolina. Also had 12 rebounds in a 74-69 loss at Maryland and 6 steals in a 78-65 home win over the Terrapins. As a junior, earned 1st All-ACC nod after averaging 15.6 points and 4.5 rebounds. Scored in double figures in 28 games and had 6 games of 8 rebounds or more. Scored 20 or more points 9 times. Averaged a team high 17.7 points in 3 NCAA Tournament games, along with 6.3 rebounds. Scored 22 points and had 9 rebounds in 1st round victory over Miami-Ohio and had 22 points in Clemson's loss to Minnesota in regional finals. Scored a season high 24 points vs Charleston Southern and also had 23 with a season high 10 rebounds vs Maryland. As a sophomore, made 29 starts and averaged 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Scored in double figures in 20 of the 29 games. Had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and a season high 7 assists in Clemson's loss to Georgia in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. His dunk with less than a second left helped the Tigers upset North Carolina 75-73 in the 1st round of the ACC Tournament. Followed that in the next round of the tournament with 16 points and 8 rebounds in a loss to Wake Forest. Scored 30 points for the 1st time in his career in a win over NC State. As a freshman, became Clemson's 1st ACC Rookie of the Year after averaging 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds in 28 starts. Scored in double figures 20 times and had 3 games of 20 points or more. Scored a season high 23 points vs The Citadel and grabbed a season high 12 rebounds vs NC State.