NEWARK, N.J.--Morehead State graduate and former men's basketball player Kenneth Faried was selected 22nd overall by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of Thursday's 2011 NBA Draft, held at the Prudential Center.
Faried is the eighth first-round pick in Ohio Valley Conference history and the first ever NBA first-round draft pick for Morehead State. He is the 18th player in Eagle history to be drafted. He is the first player to be taken from MSU since 2004 (Ricky Minard) and will be the fifth OVC player taken in the past 10 years. Tennessee State's Carlos Rogers, taken in 1994 by the then Seattle SuperSonics, was the last first-round pick from the OVC.
“I’m excited to be playing for Denver. I’m going to bring everything I’ve learned," Faried said. "I want to thank my Mom and my Dad and my family and my beautiful daughter because she gave me an extra boost to want to reach my dreams for her. I want to thank the people of Morehead and the coaching staff of Morehead State to help me reach my goal, and the support they gave me."
The two-time Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and three-time OVC Defensive Player of the Year, Faried led Morehead State to its second OVC Tournament championship in the last three years. He established the NCAA modern-era (post-1973) career rebounding record with 1,673 rebounds. Faried’s 86 career double-doubles place him just one behind only Tim Duncan in doubles-doubles in NCAA Division I history.
Faried, who was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year and earned seven different All-America honors, led the Ohio Valley Conference in blocks per game at 2.3 and was tied for second in the league in steals per game at 1.9. Faried and the Eagles tied a school record with 25 wins this season. He led the team with 17.3 points and 14.5 rebounds per game while shooting 62.3 percent from the field.
ALL TIME MOREHEAD STATE DRAFT PICKS
1950 - Sonny Allen - Indianapolis Olympians (Round 5 - 53rd pick overall)
1956 - Dan Swartz - Boston Celtics (Round 4 - 10th pick overall)
1957 - Steve Hamilton - Philadelphia Warriors (Round 9 - 67th pick overall)
1958 - Steve Hamilton - Minneapolis Lakers (Round 2 - 8th pick overall)
1958 - Dave Keleher - Boston Celtics (Round 6 - 47th pick overall)
1962 - Ed Noe - Detroit Pistons (Round 6 - 47th pick overall)
1966 - Henry Akin - New York Knicks (Round 2 - 11th pick overall)
1969 - Lamar Green - Phoenix Suns (Round 3 - 33rd pick overall)
1969 - Willi Jackson - Baltimore Bullets (Round 5 - 71st pick overall)
1969 - Jerry Conley - Seattle SuperSonics (Round 14 - 182nd pick overall)
1969 - Danny Cornett - Seattle SuperSonics (Round 16 - 197th pick overall)
1971 - Jim Day - Portland Trail Blazers (Round 6 - 88th pick overall)
1974 - Leonard Coulter - Seattle SuperSonics (Round 8 - 134th pick overall)
1984 - Earl Harrison - Philadelphia 76ers (Round 4 - 91st pick overall)
1984 - Jeff Tipton - Chicago Bulls (Round 6 - 118th pick overall)
1987 - Bobb McCann - Milwaukee Bucks (Round 2 - 32nd overall)
1992 - Brett Roberts - Sacramento Kings (Round 2 - 54th pick overall)
2004 - Ricky Minard - Sacramento Kings (Round 2 - 48th pick overall)
2011 - Kenneth Faried, Morehead State - Denver Nuggets (Round 1 - 22nd pick overall)
ALL TIME OVC FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS
1950 - Bob Lavoy, Western Kentucky - Indianapolis Olympians (No. 8 overall)
1952 - Jim Baechtold, Eastern Kentucky - Baltimore Bullets (No. 2)
1954 - Tom Marshall, Western Kentucky - Rochester Royals (No. 7)
1954 - Jack Turner, Western Kentucky - New York Knicks (No. 8)
1967 - Clem Haskins, Western Kentucky - Chicago Bulls (No. 3)
1971 - Clarence Glover, Western Kentucky - Boston Celtics (No. 10)
1994 - Carlos Rogers, Tennessee State - Seattle Supersonics (No. 11)
2011 - Kenneth Faried, Morehead State - Denver Nuggets (No. 22)
