Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV’s Vaughn selected No. 17 overall by Milwaukee Bucks; Wood not drafted

Despite early projections as a first-round draft pick, 6-11 forward Christian Wood wasn’t picked and will have long road to reach NBA

UNLV Faces New Mexico

L.E. Baskow

UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn (1) defends against New Mexico guard Hugh Greenwood (3) during their game Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Updated Thursday, June 25, 2015 | 9:30 p.m.

Rashad Vaughn’s decision to leave the UNLV basketball program after one season for the NBA was considered risky by some.

Only first-round selections receive guaranteed contracts, and some projections had Vaughn, whose lone UNLV season was cut short in February with a torn meniscus in his left knee, not being selected until the second round.

As it turns out, the 6-foot-5 guard made the right call. Christian Wood, his UNLV teammate who left declared for the draft after two college seasons, wasn't as fortunate.

Vaughn was selected Thursday with the 17th overall pick of the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the second Rebel in three seasons to leave school after their freshman season and be picked in the first round. Anthony Bennett went No. 1 overall in 2013.

But Wood, who in May was projected as a solid first-round selection, failed to be selected in the 60-pick, two-round draft.

"I loved [Milwaukee]. I'm already from the Midwest ... It's a great fit for me. A young team with great young players," Vaughn, who watched the draft from a hotel room in his hometown of Minneapolis, said on a conference call with reporters.

Vaughn, who averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for the Rebels, saw his draft stock rise in recent weeks following strong workouts for teams. Vaughn, who made 38 percent of his 3-point attempts at UNLV, reportedly impressed NBA coaches and scouts with his outside-shooting ability in workouts, including Monday during his workout with the Bucks.

“I came in there and had a good workout, but I didn’t have a clue they were going to draft me,” Vaughn said. “I moved up (in the draft) because, most important, I prayed every day and I believed. I went to every workout and gave it my all and showed what I can do.”

Vaughn's UNLV teammates and coaches took to social media to show their support and excitement.

"Just an incredible moment. All the hard work and faith paid off! Runnin Rebel for Life!!! #Unlv #Family," assistant coach Todd Simon posted on Twitter.

Added sophomore Jordan Cornish, "Congrats to my brother man! You proved all doubters wrong. Keep grinding boy, Imma meet you at the top!"

While the night quickly ended for Vaughn, Wood was forced to wait through the entire five-hour draft for his phone to ring. Despite the 6-foot-11 forward — who averaged 15.7 points, 10 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 1.3 assists per game last season — urging teams to selected him on social media, Wood fell out of the draft.

"Don't be scared to draft me I'm the biggest sleeper in the draft #JustWait," Wood tweeted near the end of the first round.

Wood will have to earn a spot in the NBA as a free agent, which could be considered one positive in not being picked. Now, Wood can handpick a team to play with during the NBA Summer League, finding a situation he feels could best yield a roster spot.

"Obviously, tonight was tough (for Chris), but he still has a lot to play for and we will continue to support him," UNLV coach Dave Rice said.

Wood, who is just 19 years old, was arguably one of the nation's most improved players from his freshman year in 2013-14 to last season. As a freshman, he averaged just 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

“He is very determined. We are optimistic he can continue the same progress from his freshman to sophomore season to next year,” Rice said.

Some will surely question Wood's decision to leave UNLV with two years of eligibility remaining and no guarantee of being picked. Most "experts" had him penciled in as being selected in their mock drafts.

"If I did a 'Big Board,' I would have had Christian Wood somewhere in the low 20s. Pure talent/upside is tremendous. Baffled he's undrafted," wrote Jeff Borzello, an insider for ESPN.

Vaughn, who was the 49th all-time draft pick in UNLV history, and Wood each played in high school at Findlay Prep in Henderson. So did Kelly Oubre, who went 15th overall to the Atlanta Hawks after one season at Kansas. His draft rights will be reportedly traded to Washington.

The Minnesota Timberwolves opened the draft by taking post player Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky with the first pick. Guard D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State went second to the Los Angeles Lakers, Jahlil Okafor of Duke went No. 3 to Philadelphia and Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis was fourth to the New York Knicks. Mario Hezonja of Croatia rounded out the top 5 when the 6-foot-8 guard was selected by Orlando.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy