TicketsMax: First Round!
Bearcat forward taken at No. 26 by Detroit.
Contact: Brian Teter
6/29/2005
University of Cincinnati departing senior Jason Maxiell was selected in the first round of the National Basketball Association Draft by the Detroit Pistons.
The Pistons made the 6-7, 250-pound Maxiell the 26th player selected in the draft.
Maxiell became the ninth Bearcat selected in the NBA Draft in the last nine years and the fifth first round selection from UC since 1993. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds last season while leading Cincinnati to a 25-8 record, earning first team All-District 10 and second team All-Conference USA honors.
Noted for his defensive play, Maxiell led C-USA in blocked shots, averaging 2.8 per game, and ranked No. 18 nationally. His 91 blocked shots was the second-highest UC single season total.
Maxiell?s productive career as a Bearcat featured 1,566 points and 908 career rebounds, ranking 11th and ninth, respectively, at UC. His 252 rebounds was second to the career mark of 292 set by Kenyon Martin, the No. 1 pick of the 2000 draft.
Maxiell also drew attention for his endurance. He played in 129 consecutive games, the second-longest streak by a Bearcat, and started the last 77 contests.
Maxiell became the 12th Bearcat to be drafted since 1993, when Corie Blount was taken in the first round by the Chicago Bulls and Nick Van Exel was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2000 NBA Draft was a rich one for Cincinnati as Martin was the No. 1 selection of the entire draft, taken by the New Jersey Nets. DerMarr Johnson was taken with the No. 6 pick by the Atlanta Hawks and Pete Mickeal was the No. 58 pick of the draft by the Dallas Mavericks.
Six former Bearcats were on NBA rosters when the 2005 season concluded: Tony Bobbitt, Los Angeles Lakers; Danny Fortson, Seattle Super Sonics; Johnson and Martin, both with the Denver Nuggets; Ruben Patterson and Van Exel, both the Portland Trail Blazers.