Oregon’s Bol Bol slips to 44th pick, acquired by Denver Nuggets

Bol Headed to Mile High City

Online Version: https://goducks.com/news/2019/6/20/mens-basketball-bol-headed-to-mile-high-city.aspx

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Oregon made it three consecutive NBA drafts with at least one player selected when freshman center Bol Bol was chosen by the Miami Heat with the 44^th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft Thursday night. Bol’s draft rights were then traded to the Denver Nuggets.

“I’ve been dreaming about this my whole life and it feels pretty good,” Bol told ESPN. “I just want to prove everyone wrong and be the best player I can be.”

Bol, who became the first-ever Duck to be drafted by Miami, follows the footsteps of another Duck post to the Mile High City, Blair Rasmussen, who played for the Nuggets from 1986-91. Aaron Brooks also had a short stint with Denver in 2014.

The Ducks are now one of just seven programs nationally that has produced five or more NBA Draft picks over the last three seasons. Oregon is joined in that elite echelon of college programs by Duke (11), Kentucky (10), UCLA (6), Villanova (6), Florida State (5) and North Carolina (5).

“It means we’ve had some really talented guys who were with us for a few years when you think of Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey who got us to a Final Four and I’d include Chris Boucher in that group as well,” said Oregon head coach Dana Altman. “Building on that success, we’ve had some players who have decided to go one-and-done because of their talent level.

“Whether it’s staying here and developing or coming in here and being part of our program for a year, we’ve been very fortunate to work with some really good young men who have represented our school at a high level and won us a lot of ball games.”

Overall, Bol is the seventh draft pick during Altman’s tenure at Oregon.

He is the 52^nd all-time NBA Draft pick in UO history.

The 2019 Draft marked the first time Ducks have been selected in three consecutive years since 2002-04 when Frederick Jones went to Indiana (2002), Luke Ridnour went to Seattle (2003) and Jackson went to Cleveland (2004). The 2017 Draft saw three Ducks drafted off that Final Four team: Bell (Chicago), Dorsey (Atlanta) and Brooks (Houston). Troy Brown Jr. (Washington) was the Ducks’ lone selection in 2018.

BOL BOL, 2^nd ROUND/44^th OVERALL PICK, MIAMI HEAT/TRADED TO DENVER NUGGETS

Prior to suffering a foot injury in December that caused him to miss the remainder of the 2018-19 season, Bol led Oregon in scoring (21.0 points per game), rebounding (9.6 per game) and blocks (2.7 per game). He reached double figures in all nine games he played and recorded a double-double in four of those games. Bol is the first UO freshman to open his career with back-to-back double-doubles. He scored a season-high 32 points with 11 rebounds against Texas Southern. Bol was named to the 2018 2K Classic all-tournament team after scoring 26 points against Syracuse and putting up 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks versus Iowa.

“Bol is a very talented young man who will continue to grow as a player as he gets stronger,” said Altman. “He has some unique skills that will allow him to have a long and prosperous career.”