Patric Young leads three Florida Gators not selected in 2014 NBA Draft

By Adam Silverstein
June 27, 2014

The Florida Gators, with a core group that brought the team to three-straight Elite Eights and a Final Four this past season, did not have any of their three seniors selected on Thursday in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Regarded as an early second-round pick entering the draft, center Patric Young was expected to be selected between picks 25-40 but did not get chosen among the 60 players drafted on Thursday. Young, who averaged a career-high 11.0 points per game as a senior and also contributed 6.2 boards per contest, was the 2014 Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Neither point guard Scottie Wilbekin, the 2014 SEC Player of the Year, nor forward Casey Prather were selected, though both entered the draft projected as undrafted free agents. Forward Will Yeguete, who was also draft-eligible, did not participate in the process.

Young, Wilbekin and Prather each came with their share of concerns. For Young, who was one of 60 players invited to the 2014 NBA Pre-Draft Combine, issues concerning his offensive game and range likely came into play.

Wilbekin was seen as an undersized floor general who also had to answer plenty of questions about off-court troubles that got him suspended twice during his collegiate career. Though athletic, Prather is seen as a player without a jump shot and very much a work in progress as he did not truly blossom until his senior season.


According to agent Matt Ramker, Wilbekin will play in summer league games with the Memphis Grizzlies in Orlando, Florida, and Philadelphia 76ers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Florida finished the 2013-14 campaign with a 36-3 record including 30-straight wins and a spotless 21-0 record in SEC play. UF swept its league regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2007.

It is the first time since 2010 that the Gators did not have a player picked in the two-round event, snapping a three-year streak of seeing Florida players be drafted.

A total of 35 former Gators have been selected in the history of the event. UF has only had one first-round pick (Bradley Beal, No. 3 overall, 2012) in the last six drafts after having five in a four-year span from 2005-08.

8 Comments

  1. Ken (CA) says:

    not hugely surprised on others, but wow, expected to be last pick of first round then not even a 2nd round, I was shocked watching draft. I am sure he will find a spot somewhere, they may be thrilled didn’t have to use a draft pick on him and then pick him up

  2. SaraGator says:

    Wow, I can’t believe all 60 players are better than Pat! It’s not over yet, Gators… you just have to work harder to prove them wrong.

  3. Basshole says:

    I kept watching the draft hoping Young would fall to some solid team. I was really hoping for the Spurs at 29.

    • Marlex says:

      Yeah. And with them holding two of the final three picks I was really hoping them would swoop him up. Never watched an NBA draft before and was pretty shocked to see seemingly random foreign guys go before Patric.

  4. Robin says:

    Dang, none of them ain’t got drafted God has something better for them.

  5. uf_84 says:

    When I look at some of the other power forwards that were drafted instead of Patric Young all I can say is there are a lot of idiot GM’s in the NBA. Little wonder there are so many bottom feeder teams in the league that stay there. Some team is going to get a steal signing him as an undrafted FA.

  6. Michael Jones says:

    They will always go down as one of my favorite group of Gators. Very proud of how they represented our university. And it ain’t over yet . . . . I’m sure one of more of these kids will work their way up through the ranks until they get a shot.

    GO GATORS!!!!! YOUR FUTURE IS STILL BRIGHT!!!

  7. Michael Morris says:

    Sorry my beloved Gator fans, but the bitter truth is. You can not be expected to get drafted with 11 PPG, and 6 RPG. Especially for a center.

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