Missouri's Keyon Dooling Selected by Orlando in NBA Draft
6/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
June 28, 2000
Columbia, Mo. - Former University of Missouri guard Keyon Dooling became the 10th first-round draft pick in Tiger history when he was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 10th pick overall in the NBA Draft, which was held tonight in Minneapolis, Minn. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dooling became the 10th first round draft pick in MU history. The last Tiger taken in the first round was Anthony Peeler, who went to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 15th pick in the 1992 draft. The highest a Tiger has been selected since 1985 - when the current lottery system was introduced - came when the Dallas Mavericks selected Doug Smith with the sixth overall pick in the 1991 draft.
Dooling is the 36th player in Tiger history to be drafted in the NBA since 1952, but he is the first to be picked by the Magic. The last Tiger taken in the draft came when Jevon Crudup was picked in the second round by the Detroit Pistons in 1994.
"It's a great day for Keyon and Missouri Basketball," said MU Head Coach Quin Snyder. "I'm incredibly proud of him with his crowning accomplishment today. With his commitment and work ethic, this is just a continuation of a brilliant career," he said.
Tiger senior guard Brian Grawer was also thrilled for his former teammate. "I'm happy for Keyon and his family," said Grawer. "I'm excited to see a teammate achieve his dream. The one thing I know - it's like he said, he'll always be a Tiger. I'm proud to have been his teammate. Orlando is not only getting a great player, but a great person. Orlando is going to fall in love with him real fast," he said.
Clarence Gilbert, Dooling's longtime friend and fellow Fort Lauderdale native, had the following comment: "I'm just happy for him."
Dooling was a unanimous second-team all-Big 12 selection as a sophomore, after leading Missouri to an 18-13 record and an appearance in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Dooling led MU in scoring (15.3 ppg), assists (3.7 apg) and blocked shots (17) last year, after averaging 8.7 points per game as a freshman in 1998-99.
