The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Quartet of Longhorns set for 2021 NBA Draft
07.28.2021 | Men's Basketball
Kai Jones looks to become the 10th lottery pick in program history during Thursday’s NBA Draft.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Former University of Texas basketball standout Kai Jones will look to have his name called early during Thursday night's NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Former Longhorns Greg Brown, Matt Coleman III and Jericho Sims are also draft eligible.
ESPN and ABC will exclusively televise the 2021 NBA Draft presented by State Farm on Thursday at 7 p.m. Central, with pre-draft coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPN. For the first time, round one of the draft will simulcast on ESPN and ABC, while round two will air on ESPN. The NBA Draft will also be available on ESPN Radio and the ESPN App.
Since the NBA Draft lottery started in 1985, UT has produced nine lottery picks (a draft pick whose position is determined through the lottery). Those nine selections include Kevin Durant (No. 2 pick in 2007), LaMarcus Aldridge (No. 2 pick in 2006), Tristan Thompson (No. 4 pick in 2011), Mohamed Bamba (No. 6 pick in 2018), Chris Mihm (No. 7 pick in 2000), T.J. Ford (No. 8 pick in 2003), Jaxson Hayes (No. 8 pick in 2019), D.J. Augustin (No. 9 pick in 2008) and Myles Turner (No. 11 pick in 2015). Since 2004, a lottery pick has included the top 14 selections in the draft.
Texas is one of five schools to have a lottery pick in two of the last three NBA Drafts, joining Alabama, Duke, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. UT is also one of nine colleges to have a first-round selection in three of the last four NBA Drafts, joining Arizona, Duke, Florida State, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Villanova and Washington.
Jones played in 53 career games (14 starts) during his two seasons at Texas. For his career, he averaged 6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 block in 19.8 minutes per contest and reached double figures in scoring 15 times, including one 20-point effort.
As a sophomore in 2020-21, Jones became the first Longhorn to earn the Big 12 Conference's Sixth Man Award since the honor began in 2006-07 and garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades. He played in 26 of a possible 27 games (four starts) and ranked third on the team in rebounding (4.8 rpg) and blocks (24), fourth in steals (22) and sixth in scoring (8.8 ppg) in 20.3 minutes per contest. Jones converted 58.0-percent from the field (83-143), including a 38.2-percent mark from three-point range (13-34), and 68.9-percent from the free throw line (51-74).
During his one season at Texas, Brown received honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition and earned a spot on the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team and five-person Big 12 All-Freshman Team. He played in 26 of a possible 27 games (24 starts) and ranked second on the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and blocks (26) and fourth in scoring (9.3 ppg) in 20.7 minutes per contest. Brown converted 42.0-percent from the floor (81-193), including a 33.0-percent mark from three-point range (30-91), and 70.8-percent from the free throw line (51-72). A two-time Phillips 66 Big 12 Newcomer of the Week selection (Dec. 21 and Jan. 11), he reached double figures in scoring in 13 games and double digits in rebounds five times, and he recorded four double-doubles.
A four-year starter at point guard, Coleman became the first player in UT program history to lead the team in assists four consecutive seasons. He completed his Texas career ranked third in school history in career games started (128), fourth in career assists (477), seventh in career assist-to-turnover ratio (1.73, 477-275) and 16th in career scoring (1,448 points). He played and started 128 of a possible 129 career games (missed the home TCU contest on Feb. 19, 2020 with a bruised right heel) and reached double figures in scoring 76 times and topped the 20-point mark 12 times. For his career, he averaged 11.3 points and 3.7 assists in 33.0 minutes per contest
Coleman earned four All-Big 12 selections during his career, including third-team accolades as a junior and senior and honorable mention recognition as a freshman and sophomore. He earned his bachelor's degree in Communication and Leadership with a minor in Business this May and was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
During his senior year in 2020-21, Coleman led the team in assists (4.0 apg), steals (32) and minutes (34.4 mpg) and ranked second in scoring (13.2 ppg). He converted 48.5-percent from the floor (126-260), including a 37.7-percent mark from three-point range (43-114), and 81.3-percent from the free throw line (61-75). Coleman earned Most Valuable Player honors at the 2021 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, averaging 24.5 points per game while hitting 17-of-30 (.567) field goals, including 6-of-11 threes, in leading Texas to its first Big 12 tourney title in program history. He posted a career-high 30 points in the championship game victory over No. 12/14 Oklahoma State.
Sims was a four-year letterwinner who played in 119 career games (77 starts). For his career, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 20.5 minutes per contest. He completed his Texas career ranked first in career field goal percentage (.639, 325-509, min. 600 points scored), topping the previous mark held by Dexter Pittman (.623, 337-541) from 2007-10. Sims reached double figures in scoring 35 times and double digits in rebounds 16 times and posted nine double-doubles in his career.
Sims garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 selections in both his junior and senior seasons. He earned his bachelor's degree in African & African Diaspora Studies with a minor in Anthropology this May.
During his senior season in 2020-21, Sims played and started 26 of a possible 27 games and led the team in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and blocks (28) and ranked fifth in scoring (9.2 ppg) in 24.6 minutes per contest. He converted a team-best 69.6-percent from the floor (94-135) on the year, good for second on UT's single-season field goal percentage chart (min. 200 points scored) behind Jaxson Hayes in 2018-19 (.728, 123-169). Sims earned a spot on the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team, averaging 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks while hitting 13-of-17 (.765) field goals in the two contests. He posted a career-high 21 points (8-11 FG) and 14 rebounds in the championship game victory against No. 12/14 Oklahoma State.
Since the NBA Draft began in 1947, a total of 45 Longhorns have heard their names called on draft night. Texas has produced a total of 18 first-round selections and 11 second-round picks in program history. UT has had 20 players drafted in the last 22 years, dating back to the 1999 Draft.
