Utah Jazz draft Weber State's Bolomboy in 2nd round


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OGDEN — When Weber State coach Randy Rahe was recruiting soon-to-be star power forward Joel Bolomboy in high school, he saw a 6-foot-8, 200-pound "thoroughbred" with a lot of potential for future success.

But potential is a scary word — one made a little less scary by Bolomboy's work ethic.

Bolomboy was drafted by Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2016 NBA Draft on Thursday night, becoming the second draft pick in five years from Weber State. He joins former Weber State teammate Damian Lillard.

“Potential is a dirty word; you have to make the most of it," Rahe said. "Joel has earned the right to be here tonight. There aren’t a lot of guys out there who work as hard as he does.”

Bolomboy, the Wildcats' all-time leader in career blocked shots and free throw attempts, was the Jazz's first pick of the night. Utah traded out of the No. 12 pick in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks, and traded down with its first of three second-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Jazz never worked out Bolomboy. But after playing four-straight years a short drive away in Ogden, Utah knew exactly what it was getting with the No. 52 overall selection in the draft.

Jazz coaches even made mention of another former Jazz man and second-round draft pick who had a pretty good career at power forward when they called Bolomboy with the news: Paul Millsap.

Courtesy photo: Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics
Courtesy photo: Robert Casey, Weber State Athletics

“He was a second round pick, and it doesn’t matter where you are drafted," Bolomboy said during a conference call with local media. "At the end of the day, you have to come in and play.

“I could get drafted in the second or go undrafted. But no matter what happens, I’m going to show everybody why I can play and why I belong.”

The Jazz echoed their enthusiasm.

"We're very excited about Joel for a number of reasons," Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said. "His character, how great of a job Weber State does in developing all their guys, but Joel in particular. We have great respect for their program. Athleticism is a good place to start — to move laterally, run, jump."

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Texan was the Big Sky Conference’s Most Valuable Player as a senior in 2015-16, when he was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award. Twice the Big Sky defensive player of the year, Bolomboy took home AP All-American honorable mention honors as a senior when he set a school record with 26 double-doubles — the third-most in the nation.

After leading Weber State to the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Bolomboy worked out for 12 teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets.

Bolomboy leaves Weber State as an all-time great rebounder and shot blocker. But he also said his shot is improving enough that cutting him from an NBA roster will be a difficult decision for any team.

“I’m just improving every day," Bolomboy said. "The stuff I’m great at, I’ll stay great at. But the stuff I’m working on is great.”

A native of Kiev, Ukraine, who grew up near Dallas, the 22-year-old Bolomboy spent the past four seasons at Weber State after only the Wildcats and New Mexico showed interest before the latter stages of his high school career. With the Wildcats, Bolomboy played in two NCAA Tournaments (2014, 2016).

With the pick, Bolomboy became Weber State’s first draft pick since Lillard was the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft to the Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to Lillard, the Wildcats didn’t have a draft pick in 27 years — since Shawn Campbell was selected in the fifth round (102nd overall) by the Phoenix Suns in 1985. Other Weber State draft picks include Bruce Collins, David Johnson and Richard Smith in 1980; Willie Sojourner in 1971; and Jerry Trice, Weber State’s first-ever draft pick in 1966.

But playing just down the road in Salt Lake City is extra special for Bolomboy, who has already received tremendous support from the Wildcat faithful in Ogden.

“I really appreciate their support. I’m grateful for the opportunity the Jazz have given me," he said. "They see a future for me, and they want to give me an opportunity. I’m grateful for that, and I’m just going to come in and have a long career.”

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Ben Simmons of Louisiana State with the first overall pick. Duke’s Brandon Ingram went to the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 2 pick, followed by Jaylen Brown of Cal to Boston at No. 3.

Phoenix selected Dragan Bender from Croatia with the fourth pick, and Providence’s Kris Dunn rounded out the top five to Minnesota.

The Toronto Raptors went to the University of Utah for the second-straight year, grabbing Austrian center Jakob Poeltl with the No. 9 overall pick to pair with Utah alum Delon Wright.

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