Gordon, Johnson Add to Arizona’s NBA Draft Legacy

By: Francisco Romero 

Gordon becomes 12th lottery pick in UA history, Johnson selected 42nd overall.

The list of University of Arizona men’s basketball student-athletes selected in the NBA Draft grew by two on Thursday night, as former Wildcat stars Aaron Gordon and Nick Johnson both had their names called at the Barclays Center.

Gordon became the 19th first-round pick and 12th lottery pick in UA history when the Orlando Magic selected him fourth overall, while Johnson became Arizona’s 67th all-time draft choice when he was taken 42nd overall by the Houston Rockets.

The two selections give Arizona 38 NBA Draft choices since 1988, tied for the national lead over that period of time. UA has had at least one player selected in 22 of the last 27 drafts, including 17 first-round selections and 12 lottery picks over that time. With Gordon’s selection in the 2014 lottery, 10 of the Wildcats’ last 12 first-round picks have been lottery selections. Overall, five of UA’s last eight NBA Draft picks have been first-round choices.

Gordon was a force during his lone season in Tucson, earning third-team All-America honors from the Sporting News and being selected as one of six finalists for the Wayman Tisdale National Freshman of the Year Award after averaging 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Wildcats. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and became the seventh UA player to claim Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors.

A finalist for all three major National Player of the Year awards and a first-team All-American by nearly every major organization in 2013-14, Johnson was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team as a junior. He was also honored as the United States Basketball Writers’ Association District IX Player of the Year.

He averaged a team-high 16.3 points per game in 2013-14, and finished his UA career with averages of 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 108 games. His 1,333-career points in an Arizona uniform rank 24th on the program’s all-time chart.