Butler, Ebanks Go 42, 43 in NBA Draft
Da'Sean Butler heard his name called 42nd overall on Thursday night to the Miami Heat.
WVillustrated.com Photo by David Miller
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By Geoff Coyle for wvillustrated.com
June 24, 2010
On a night when Devin Ebanks was expected to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft, it was Da’Sean Butler who heard his name called first. The Miami Heat selected Butler with the 42nd pick in the second round of the 2010 draft.
It didn't take long before Ebanks was off the board, however, as he was selected with the very next pick by the Los Angeles Lakers. The long wait for both players and a nation of WVU fans ended almost simultaneously.
Thursday night's draft marks the first time since 1983 that two WVU players were selected in the same draft. That year, the Pacers picked Greg Jones and the Bucks chose Russell Todd.
Butler becomes the first Mountaineer to be selected for the NBA since Joe Alexander was picked 8th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2008.
While Ebanks had a choice as to whether or not he would leave West Virginia behind, Da’Sean Butler did not. He played out his four years of eligibility before looking forward to taking his game to the next level. On Thursday night, he watched the draft from Morgantown and heard his name sooner than many may have expected.
Opinions varied on where Butler would be selected, or if he would be picked at all, but opinions on the man himself were never in doubt. Butler has impressed NBA coaches and executives with his maturity and character off the court, as well as his ability to lead a team from a variety of positions on it.
Bob Huggins said Wednesday that he felt teams would not let Butler slide too far down their list in the second round, saying they would be afraid to let him pass them by. Apparently the Heat weren’t willing to take that risk.
Butler finished his career as WVU’s third-leading scorer in program history. His 2,095 points trail only Jerry West and “Hot Rod” Hundley.
Miami finished the 2009-10 season with a 47-35 record before losing to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
When Ebanks came to West Virginia, many viewed the Long Island City native as a one-and-done prospect. A coming out party in the BIG EAST tournament may have added fuel to talks that he would declare for the draft after his freshman campaign. But a smart decision to return and continue to learn from Bob Huggins found Ebanks spending another season in Morgantown..jpg)
It was not quite the start Ebanks and the Mountaineers envisioned to continue his late-season success when he started the first three games of his second season on the bench for reasons that have still not risen to the surface. A hand injury in his first game back just added to the problems in the early going.
Finally, the 6-foot-8 forward got his game rolling, highlighted by a 22-point, 17-rebound effort in an overtime victory over Seton Hall in BIG EAST play.
Ebanks proved himself to be one of the better defenders in the BIG EAST as a sophomore for the Mountaineers, frequently getting matched up with the best offensive player on opposing teams. But questions surrounding his offensive presence may have led to NBA teams passing on him in the first round.
His 12 points per game were good for third on the team, while he led the Mountaineers with 8.1 rebounds per outing. Still, as he worked out for NBA squads, his jump shooting was frequently in question. In his career, he shot just 8-for-70 from three-point range, and more often than not found success driving to the basket.
Now he enters a league where he will be asked to score from all over the court, and early reports are he is finding his stroke through all his workouts this summer.
The road to a successful pro career now continues for both Butler and Ebanks, who join teams that have won three of the last five NBA titles. Not bad places to begin a career.
