PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The trio of SMU’s Semi Ojeleye and Sterling Brown, along with Houston’s Damyean Dotson, were selected in the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday evening at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The three selections match the most in The American’s short history, equaling the output from the 2014 NBA Draft, when Shabazz Napier, DeAndre Daniels and Russ Smith all heard their names called.
Ojeleye, the 2017 American Player of the Year, was the first of the trio chosen, selected by the Boston Celtics with the seventh pick of the second round and 37
th overall. Ojeleye averaged 19.0 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 48.7 percent overall and 42.4 percent from 3-point range.
Additionally, Ojeleye was also named American Scholar-Athlete of the Year, CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team, American All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player, All-American Athletic Conference First Team, USBWA All-District VII and to the NABC District 25 First Team.
Ojeleye joins a Boston organization that earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2016-17, reaching the conference finals in head coach Brad Stevens’ third season with the team. Ojeleye is the first SMU player drafted since Jeryl Sasser went 22
nd overall in the 2001 NBA Draft.
Dotson, who earned most valuable player accolades at the Portsmouth Invitational, started every game in his two seasons at Houston, ranking in the top 10 in both scoring and rebounding in The American. The sharp-shooter hit at least one three-pointer in all 32 games in 2016-17, averaging 17.4 points per game.
Dotson was a first team all-conference selection, becoming the first Houston Cougar selected in the NBA Draft since Alton Ford (50
th overall) in 2001. It was the highest a Cougar was selected in the NBA Draft since Alvaro Teheran was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 44
th pick in the second round in 1991.
Just two picks after Dotson’s name was called, SMU’s Brown was tabbed to come east, being selected 46
th overall by Philadelphia, with the rights traded to Milwaukee later in the evening. Brown averaged 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds to go along with 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Brown paced The American, shooting 44.9 percent from three-point range, hitting 61 threes on the year.
Part of the winningest senior class in SMU history, Brown tallied six double-doubles last season as he earned second team all-conference honors. The selections of Brown and Ojeleye mark the first time in SMU history the Mustangs have had two players selected in the same draft.
American Athletic Conference Players Chosen in the 2017 NBA Draft
| Round |
Overall |
Player |
Pos |
School |
NBA Team |
| 2 |
37 |
Semi Ojeleye |
F |
SMU |
Boston |
| 2 |
44 |
Damyean Dotson |
G |
Houston |
New York |
| 2 |
46 |
Sterling Brown |
G |
SMU |
Philadelphia (rights traded to Milwaukee) |