Turner and Holmes Set for NBA Draft

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Former University of Texas basketball standouts Myles Turner and Jonathan Holmes will look to have their names called during Thursday night’s NBA Draft at Barclays Center. ESPN will provide start-to-finish coverage of the draft beginning at 6 p.m. Central (LIVE on ESPN).

In his lone season in Austin, Turner earned Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year and All-Big 12 Third Team honors in addition to claiming a spot on both the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. He played in all 34 games (seven starts) and led the team in blocked shots (89, 2.62 bpg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg) and ranked third in scoring (10.1 ppg) while averaging 22.2 minutes per contest.

The 89 blocks ranked second on the UT freshman season chart (Chris Mihm, 90 in 1997-98) and fourth on the school’s single-season list. Turner reached double figures in scoring 13 times and in rebounding seven times during the 2014-15 season. He also posted four double-doubles and converted 94-of-112 (.839) free throws.

During his four seasons at Texas, Holmes played in 127 career games (108 starts) and averaged 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per contest. Holmes reached double figures in scoring 58 times and in rebounds 15 times while recording nine career double-doubles. For his career, he converted 397-of-869 (.457) field goals, including 94-of-299 (.314) from three-point range, and 258-of-350 (.737) free throws. Holmes concluded his career ranked 24th on UT’s all-time scoring list with 1,166 points and ninth in rebounds (749).

In his senior season in 2014-15, Holmes played in 32 games (31 starts) and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. He ranked second on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) and fourth in blocked shots (33) in 26.1 minutes per contest. Holmes claimed 2K Classic Tournament MVP and Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week (Nov. 24) honors by averaging 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while hitting 13-of-23 (.565) field goals and 10-of-13 (.769) free throws in wins against Iowa and California at Madison Square Garden.

Since the NBA Draft began in 1947, a total of 41 Longhorns have heard their names called on draft night. Texas has produced a total of 14 first-round selections and 11 second-round picks in program history. Raymond Downs, a sixth-round pick by St. Louis in 1957, was the first Longhorn to be drafted.

Texas has had 16 players drafted in the previous 16 years, dating back to the 1999 Draft. The Longhorns have had at least two players selected in a single draft a total of nine previous times in program history: 1978, 1979, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1994, 2006, 2010 and 2011. Since the NBA Draft was reduced to two rounds in 1989, UT has produced a pair of picks in a single draft a total of five previous times.

Year-by-Year University of Texas NBA Draft Selections (41 total)

First-Round Selections (14 total)

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