The Year of the Bear rolled on into the 2012 NBA Draft last night, as three Baylor men’s basketball players were selected, a program record. Combined with the NFL and MLB drafts, a school-record 14 Bears were picked across the three leagues this spring, shattering the previous mark of 11 set in 1983.
Last night, it was the NBA Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder that got things started by drafting sophomore Perry Jones III with the 28th overall pick, making the Duncanville, Texas, native the fifth first-round pick in Baylor men’s basketball history (and the second in three years under head coach Scott Drew).
Senior Quincy Acy (No. 37 overall, Toronto Raptors) and sophomore Quincy Miller (No. 38, Denver Nuggets) were selected with back-to-back picks early in the second round, giving Baylor three of this year’s top 38 picks.
[VIDEO: Thunder select PJ3 || Raptors take Acy || Nuggets draft Miller || BaylorBears.com post-draft coverage from NJ]
In the last three years, only six programs have had more NBA selections than Baylor, and only eight have had more first-round NBA picks. Across all three leagues, only Kentucky has had more draftees in 2012 than Baylor.
Sic ’em, Baylor basketball!
