BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Charles Bassey became the 46th NBA Draft pick in WKU Hilltopper Basketball history on Thursday night when he was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
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The All-American center Bassey was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the draft, which aired live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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Bassey – a native of Lagos, Nigeria – is the first Hilltopper to be selected in the draft since Jeremy Evans was chosen by the Utah Jazz with the 55th overall pick in 2010.
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He's the highest Hilltopper draft pick since Courtney Lee went to the Orlando Magic with the 22nd overall pick in 2008.
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Bassey was named an All-American by several outlets after the 2020-21 campaign, including USBWA (Third Team), USA TODAY (Third Team), Basketball Times (Second Team) and Lute Olson Award. He was also chosen as an honorable mention All-American by The Associated Press.
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The big man was also a finalist for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year and a semifinalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
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Bassey finished the 2020-21 season averaging 17.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per contest while shooting 59% from the field. He's the only player in the nation since at least 2010 with four games in a season of at least 20 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
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He also became the fourth player in Conference USA history to win the league's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season, joining the likes of Dwyane Wade and Kenyon Martin.
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Bassey is the 10th NBA Draft pick recruited and coached by WKU head coach Rick Stansbury during his time as an assistant or head coach at WKU, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.
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In five seasons at the helm at WKU, 13 of Stansbury's 16 outgoing players (seniors who completed eligibility and Bassey) have had the opportunity to play professional basketball, with 12 still actively playing. One of the other three, Carson Williams, signed a NFL contract upon graduation this spring.
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