Five Takeaways from Wednesday’s NBA Draft

Five Takeaways from Wednesday’s NBA Draft

November 19, 2020 | Men's Basketball

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Robert Woodard II and Reggie Perry had their childhood dreams become a reality during Wednesday's NBA Draft.

Woodard II was originally selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the No. 40 overall pick during the second round before being traded to the Sacramento Kings, while Perry was originally chosen with the No. 57 overall pick later that round by the Los Angeles Clippers before being dealt to the Brooklyn Nets.

"For Robert and Reggie to join Quinndary Weatherspoon as drafts picks potentially playing in the NBA a year from now is great for Mississippi State and for our program," head coach Ben Howland said. "I'm really excited for them to join Q, and I'm very proud of all three of them."

"It's especially unique and very special that they [Woodard II and Perry] are legacy players, meaning both their dads played at Mississippi State and were really good players," Howland continued. "I hope they move on and do better than their fathers, which is what we as fathers want our sons to do is to be successful. I know that Al Perry and Robert Woodard Sr. are very proud of their sons for what they've accomplished at Mississippi State. They're so proud, not only because they're great players, but because they're great kids. On top of that, we also have Tyson Carter, whose dad Greg Carter played here and was an All-SEC performer in his own right, is playing in Greece. Tyson is over there and having a very good first campaign right now. We're extremely proud of him as well."

Below are five takeaways from last night's NBA Draft.

1. Mississippi State is the only school in the country to have multiple 2020 NBA, NFL and MLB Draft picks.

On the hardwood, the Woodard II-Perry duo marked the sixth time that the Bulldogs had multiple players selected during the same NBA Draft. Mario Austin and Derrick Zimmerman were the last MSU pair to accomplish the feat in 2003.

Mississippi State baseball had a program-record three Diamond Dawgs selected during the first two rounds of the MLB First Year Player Draft. Justin Foscue (No. 14 – Texas Rangers), Jordan Westburg (No. 30 – Baltimore Orioles) and JT Ginn (No. 52 – New York Mets) enabled Mississippi State to tie for the nation's top spot with Miami (Florida) and Texas A&M for the draft's first two rounds.
On the gridiron, the Bulldogs had a trio of players in Willie Gay Jr. (No. 63 – Kansas City Chiefs), Cameron Dantzler (No. 89 – Minnesota Vikings) and Tyre Phillips (No. 106 – Baltimore Ravens) go over the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. State has had seven players selected in the first three rounds over the past two NFL Drafts.

2. Mississippi State is one of nine schools nationally and one of three SEC schools to have multiple players selected during the 2020 NBA Draft.

The Bulldogs are joined by Kentucky and Vanderbilt among SEC schools. In fact, Mississippi State trails only Kentucky and is tied for the second-most SEC players chosen with Tennessee and Vanderbilt over the last two NBA Drafts. Quinndary Weatherspoon made his NBA debut last season and went No. 49 overall to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Nationally, Mississippi State is in elite company with Arizona, Duke, Florida State, Kentucky, Memphis, Michigan State, Washington and Vanderbilt with multiple players in the 2020 NBA Draft.

3. National reaction to Woodard II and Perry's selection.

ESPN's Jay Bilas on Robert Woodard II
"He's a very smart player and a good defender with length. Another guy with over a seven-foot wingspan. He's a good cutter that is constantly moving. He really improved his jump shooting. He shot 28 percent from three [as a freshman], up to 43 percent last year. He's a skilled finisher, active rebounder and reminds a little bit of [Dallas Mavericks forward] Dorian Finney-Smith. He's also an excellent singer and fantastic guitarist."

ESPN's Jay Williams on Reggie Perry
"My cousin, he did it. I'm so proud of him. It's been a battle for him. He was the SEC Co-Player of the Year, and somebody that was a McDonalds All-American. He grabbed 10-plus rebounds per game and averaged around 17.5 points per game. He really started to solidify himself in the paint and started knocking down outside shots consistently last season."

4. Woodard II and Perry continue Ben Howland's NBA Draft legacy.

Howland has now coached 21 NBA Draft selections. The group is headed by current pros Russell Westbrook (2008 – No. 4), Kevin Love (2008 – No. 5), Zach LaVine (2014 – No. 13), Jrue Holiday (2009 – No. 17), Kyle Anderson (2014 – No. 30), Trevor Ariza (2004 – No. 43), Norman Powell (2015 – No. 46) and Quinndary Weatherspoon (2019 – No. 49). LaVine was recruited by Howland at UCLA but played under Steve Alford.

Woodard II and Perry mark the fourth time in Howland's career that he has had multiple picks during the same NBA Draft. The three UCLA pairs include Westbrook/Love (2008), Holiday/Darren Collison (2009) and Anderson/Jordan Adams (2014).

5. Woodard II and Perry's reaction following the NBA Draft

Woodard II
"I truly am excited, it's a special moment that I've waited 21 years for. I feel like Sacramento they took a chance on me, and I'm not going to let them regret it. The Kings are getting a great player with a great work ethic and great character that is going to check all the boxes. Mississippi State and the coaching staff has prepared me greatly for the NBA. Coach [George] Brooks has been putting it in my head since high school that this day was going to happen. They threw me in the fire, have shown me the ropes and have prepared me well. "

Perry
"It definitely feels good to hear my name called. I was nervous but confident at the same time all throughout the second round. Playing in the NBA has been a dream of mine since I was little. I can't wait to get to Brooklyn and get to work. I'm on a great team, a championship contending team, with great players. I know a lot of people in the front office, and I feel they have a lot of confidence in me. Mississippi State prepared me for the NBA by helping me mature on and off the court. The coaching staff made me a better leader, held me accountable and made sure I'd stayed in tip-top shape in the gym."

Mississippi State embarks on its 2020-21 season against Clemson on Wednesday, November 25, as part of the Space Coast Challenge from Titan Field House, located on the campus of Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Florida. Tip time is slated for approximately 7:30 p.m. CT televised by CBS Sports Network.

Mississippi State won 11 of its last 15 SEC games to earn a top four finish in the conference standings last season, the program's highest overall regular season finish since 2010-11. The Bulldogs have tucked away three consecutive 20-plus win seasons under sixth-year coach Ben Howland. The last time the program accomplished that feat was the 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. The 68 victories also are the fourth-highest total in program history for a three-year span.

Mississippi State will look to punch its return ticket to March Madness in 2020-21 led by returnees Abdul Ado, Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. The trio will be joined by talented transfers in Javian Davis, Jalen Johnson and Tolu Smith along with a skillful freshmen class headed by Derek Fountain, Andersson Garcia, Cameron Matthews, Keondre Montgomery and Deivon Smith.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.