NBA Draft

In 2005 Andrew Bogut led the Utes to the Sweet Sixteen on his way to being drafted #1 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks. Four years later fellow Aussie big man Luke Nevill led Utah back to the NCAA tournament, and now he is looking to be drafted in tomorrow's NBA Draft. Nevill isn't the caliber of player that Bogut is, but under coach Jim Boylen's tutelage (a coach with an NBA resume of developing big men) he has developed into a reliable post presence. While Nevill won't go #1 and may not go in the first round, he could be a good value pick in the second round. TNT analyst David Aldridge has Nevill listed as the third best center in the draft on his board, behind UConn's Hasheem Thabeet and Ohio State's B.J. Mullens.

Perhaps the better comparison is not between Bogut and Nevill, as natural as that may seem, but between Nevill and Morgan Warburton, a former Ute selected in the second round of this year's WNBA Draft. Warburton was taken by the Sacramento Monarchs with the 33rd pick, but did not make the team's final roster.

There hasn't been much support for the WNBA in Utah - the Starzz franchise relocated from Salt Lake City to San Antonio and was renamed the Silver Stars - but, to her credit, coach Elaine Elliott has seen four of her players drafted by the league in recent years.

2009 - Morgan Warburton, #33, Sacramento Monarchs
2008 - Leilani Mitchell, #25, Phoenix Mercury
2006 - Shona Thorburn, #7, Minnesota Lynx
2006 - Kim Smith, #13, Sacramento Monarchs

Of the four only Leilani Mitchell is presently playing in the league with the New York Liberty (Smith and Warburton were both waived before the 2009 season began). The WNBA has fewer teams and fewer roster spots than the NBA does, however, so the 7' 2" Nevill should face better prospects of being drafted and making a team roster.

Update on Shelton, Khoury

Chris Shelton had five hits and four RBIs in his last two games for the Tacoma Rainiers (both losses). Tacoma has three home games against the Reno Aces this weekend. Shelton is hitting .322 and leads the team with 49 RBIs.

On the opposite coast, Ryan Khoury hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday. Khoury is batting .246 for the Portland Sea Dogs, who will host the Akron Aeros for three games this weekend.

MLB Draft Results

Hot on the heels of Utah's unheralded run through the MWC and NCAA tournaments, Brian Budrow, pitcher, was drafted in the 28th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Budrow was named to the all-MWC second team at the completion of his senior season after posting a record of 5-5 with a 5.75 ERA.

Other noteable Utes playing professionally include Chris Shelton and Ryan Khoury. Shelton, who is best known for hitting 9 home runs in the first 13 games of the 2006 season with the Detroit Tigers, had a good outing in spring training with the Seattle Mariners before being assigned to their minor league organization. Khoury plays for the Portland Sea Dogs, a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

Andre Miller

As the Orlando Magic prepare for game three against the L.A. Lakers tonight, let's take a look back at the leader of their first round opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Miller. In leading his team to the playoffs this past season Miller started all 82 games, increased his scoring average, and recorded his ninth career triple double. The Magic beat the 76ers 4-2 in the first round, but they could use a floor leader like Miller right about now!

Free Agents

Bradon Godfrey, a sure-handed receiver from Layton High and the University of Utah, signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent. Godfrey worked out for the Buffalo Bills and the Falcons following the draft. The Falcons called him back Tuesday morning, and he was in the ATL that night. Read more about it on Lya Wodraska's Utes blog for the Salt Lake Tribune.

Brent Casteel, a big play receiver for the Utes, signed a free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns, potentially making him the third Ute member of Cleveland's offense, along with quarterback Brett Ratliff and tight end John Madsen.

2009 NFL Draft Results

Four Utes from the 13-0 Sugar Bowl Champions were drafted by NFL teams in April:

#57, Baltimore Ravens, Paul Kruger, de
#61, Miami Dolphins, Sean Smith, db
#188, Houston Texans, Brice McCain, db
#252, Cincinnati Bengals, Freddie Brown, wr

More Utes were drafted in 2005, following the team's first BCS busting season, including the number 1 overall pick:

#1, San Francisco 49ers, Alex Smith, qb
#88, New York Jets, Sione Pouha, dt
#204, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chris Kemoeatu, og
#225, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Paris Warren, wr
#233, Cincinnati Bengals, Jonathan Fanene, de

With the exception of Warren (now with the New Orleans Saints), all of those players are still with the teams that drafted them four years ago. Smith has had a rocky start to his career with the Niners, but the team has re-signed him to a restructured contract, demonstrating a continuing commitment to the former top pick. Kemoeatu was a starter for the Steelers this year, demonstrating that Utes can win bowl games at every level!