Spencer Hawes Picked 10th by Sacramento in NBA Draft
June 28, 2007
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SEATTLE -
University of Washington freshman center Spencer Hawes was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the first round of Thursday's NBA Draft with the 10th pick overall.
Hawes is the fifth player with UW ties to be taken in the last three drafts, the fourth first-round selection. He is the ninth all-time Husky to be drafted in the first round.
Washington is the only school to have a player picked in the first round during each of the last three NBA Drafts.
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NBA DRAFT PICKS IN THE ROMAR ERA
2007
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UW's last two first-round picks have thrived. Brandon Roy, selected sixth overall last year, won the 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year award with the Portland Trailblazers. Nate Robinson was the 21st pick in 2005 and went on to win the 2006 NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a member of the New York Knicks.
Hawes was in attendance with his parents Thursday at Madison Square Garden. After having his named called, he donned a new Sacramento Kings baseball cap, walked to the stage and was congratulated by NBA comissioner David Stern.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm just trying to soak it all up," Hawes said of the draft headquarters' atmosphere. "It's extremely nerve-wracking. Five minutes seems like about 50 when you are sitting there just watching the clock tick away. I'm lucky that I didn't have to wait too long."
Having his name announced on draft day helped Hawes realize a life-long dream.
"I've been waiting ever since I started playing basketball. To finally hear my name called as the 10th pick in the 2007 draft, it was unbelievable.
"It's a great culmination to the hard work that I've put in," he added. "But, at the same time it's just the beginning of my pro career."
During the 2006-07 season, Hawes led the Huskies and ranked 10th among Pacific-10 Conference players with a 14.9 point scoring average. His 53.2 percent accuracy from the field was the league's fourth-best figure. Hawes ranked second on the team and ninth among Pac-10 players with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game.
The 7-foot center was a first-team All-Pac-10 Freshman Team selection and an honorable mention all-conference pick. He established two new school freshman records with 461 points and 54 blocked shots.
"Our staff and everyone involved is very excited for Spencer. There is not a big player in the draft that is more skilled than Spencer Hawes," UW coach Lorenzo Romar exclaimed. "He can definitely play in the NBA and the Sacramento Kings certainly think so."
A product of Seattle Prep (Wash.) High School, Hawes was a prep teammate of Martell Webster who currently plays with the Portland Trailblazers. Both players were McDonald's All-Americans. Webster was the sixth overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Hawes is the nephew of Steve Hawes, a two-time All-American (1971, 1972) at Washington who went on to a 10-year NBA career. Steve was the 24h overall selection in the 1972 NBA Draft, a second-round pick by Cleveland.
Spencer's father, Jeff Hawes, was a three-year Husky basketball letterman from 1972-74.
Hawes is the first player to declare for the draft after spending less than two seasons at Washington. Three former players left school early to declare for the NBA Draft, but all of them departed after their junior seasons.
Robinson was a first-round selection in the 2005 draft, the 21st pick overall by the Phoenix Suns who immediately traded him to New York. Mark Sanford was picked by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 1997 draft, the 30th player overall. Doug Wrenn applied for the 2004 draft, but was not selected.
In the professional ranks, Hawes will join five athletes who played at UW during the last three years and saw NBA action last season.
Two Huskies were selected in the 2006 NBA Draft, both by Minnesota. Roy, the No. 6 overall pick, was traded to the Portland Trailblazers and No. 37 selection Bobby Jones was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Huskies completed the 2007 campaign with a 19-13 record, capping the regular-season with a 61-51 victory over second-ranked and national runner-up UCLA on March 3.
All-Time University of Washington 1st Round Draft Picks
Year Player Pick Team
2007 Spencer Hawes 10 Sacramento
2006 Brandon Roy 6 Minnesota
2005 Nate Robinson 21 Phoenix
2005 #Martell Webster 6 Portland
2002 %Dan Dickau 28 Sacramento
1987 Chris Welp 16 Philadelphia
1985 Detlef Schrempf 8 Dallas
1953 Bob Houbregs 3 Milwaukee
1948 Jack Nichols 12 Washington
# UW letter of intent signee who declared for the draft directly out of high school
% Played two seasons at UW before transferring to Gonzaga
