Rush is the second Tiger in three years to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft under MU Head Coach Quin Snyder. He joins his former Tiger teammate Keyon Dooling, who was the 10th pick of the 2000 Draft by Orlando. The highest any Tiger has gone in the draft came when Steve Stipanovich was the second pick in the 1983 Draft by the Indiana Pacers.
"Kareem is a great all-around player who has the total offensive package," Snyder said. "He has been a great representative of our program and the University of Missouri. We couldn't be happier for him."
Rush, an honorable mention All-American each of the last two seasons, averaged 18.9 points during his three-year Missouri career - the 4th-highest career average in MU history. He won Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 1999-2000, led the league in scoring as a sophomore, and helped lead MU to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight as a junior. The Kansas City, Mo., native announced in April that he was bypassing his final year of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA Draft.
Missouri's first-round picks include: 2002 - Kareem Rush (20th, Toronto Raptors); 2000 - Keyon Dooling (10th, Orlando Magic); 1992 - Anthony Peeler (15th, Los Angeles Lakers); 1991 - Doug Smith (5th, Dallas Mavericks); 1989 - Byron Irvin (22nd, Portland Trailblazers); 1988 - Derrick Chievous (16th, Houston Rockets); 1983 - Steve Stipanovich (2nd, Indiana Pacers) & Jon Sundvold (16th, Seattle Supersonics); 1980 - Larry Drew (17th, Detroit Pistons); 1974 - Al Eberhard (15th, Detroit Pistons); 1973 - John Brown (10th, Atlanta Hawks).