Penn State Men’s Basketball Hopeful for History During Thursday Night’s NBA Draft

Penn State men’s basketball could make history as the NBA Draft unfolds on Thursday night in Brooklyn with former Nittany Lions Seth Lundy and Jalen Pickett possible selections in the draft’s two round affair. If both are drafted, Penn State would have two players tabbed in the same draft for the first time in program history.

Overall just 14 players in program history have been selected during the NBA Draft, with just three players selected since the draft changed to a two round format in 1989 (Tony Carr, Calvin Booth and Mike Iuzzolino).

Carr is the most recent Nittany Lion to be chosen during the process going in the second round by the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2018 draft. Carr would not end up ultimately seeing the league. Former Penn State forward Lamar Stevens is the only Nittany Lion currently playing in the NBA. Stevens has turned into a key locker room piece and bench contributor with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Former Penn State guard Tim Frazier currently plays overseas but also boasts a nine-year NBA career bouncing around the league from 2015 until 2022.

As for Booth while his playing career has long been over, the Denver Nuggets GM is coming off a fresh NBA title with the Nuggets, the first in franchise history.

Back to Pickett and Lundy, the one-two-punch are both looking at second round selections per most mock drafts. Lundy’s standout performance at the NBA Combine has elevated his stock in many’s eyes and is the more likely of the two to be selected. Pickett and Lundy have both been projected by ESPN as late second round selections although many comparable mock drafts list Pickett as undrafted.

Thursday’s draft begins at 8 p.m. eastern and will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC.