NBA Draft: In-state players' names not called

Leading up to Thursday's NBA Draft, most league experts predicted in their mock drafts that University of Utah center Luke Nevill would go unselected.

They were right.

Despite a resume that included a Mountain West Conference Player of the Year award and a frame that stretches to 7-foot-2, Nevill was bypassed in the NBA Draft's 60 selections. Nevill will now have to sign with a team as a free agent, and earning a roster spot will be difficult.

Nevill's agent, Keith Glass, said late Thursday that he and Nevill will quickly decide which team the Australian center will try to latch on with.

It had to have been disheartening for Nevill to go unpicked in what was a weak draft class — especially at his position. Only three centers were selected on Thursday. ESPN's Chad Ford ranked Nevill as the eighth-best center available.

The Jazz contemplated taking Nevill with their No. 50 pick in the second round, but instead they went with another senior big man, 6-10 Bosnian center Goran Suton of Michigan State.

"Luke," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said, "was somebody that was under serious consideration."

Nevill enjoyed a solid career at Utah, earning honorable mention All-American honors as a senior. He averaged at least 15 points per game in three of his seasons at Utah, and led the Utes to the MWC championship and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament as a senior.

Nevill showed he can score, rebound and block shots in college, and that he had a nice shooting touch in workouts for NBA teams. Questions about his strength and toughness, however, seemed to prevent him from being drafted on Thursday.

Lee Cummard and Ryan Toolson

As many predicted, former BYU guard Lee Cummard and former Utah Valley guard Ryan Toolson will have to take the long and winding road to a career in professional basketball.

Neither was selected in Thursday's NBA draft. Toolson was an extreme long shot, while some thought Cummard might be picked late in the second round. His agent, Chris Emens of Octagon Sports, really expected a team to recognize Cummard's all-around unselfish game and basketball IQ and take him somewhere between the 40th and final pick.

"I just spent five hours on the edge of my seat, so I'm a bit disappointed," Cummard said late Thursday from his parents' home in Mesa, Ariz. "Any player wants to hear his name called, but I understand it's a business."