C.J. McCollum ‘13 set to make history at the NBA Draft

This week, C.J. McCollum '13 is expected to make history by becoming the first Lehigh University basketball player to be selected in the NBA Draft. Draft experts from ESPN and other outlets expect McCollum to be a lottery pick in the draft, meaning that he will likely be among the first 14 players selected.
If McCollum is selected in the lottery, he will join Colgate’s Adonal Foyle as the only Patriot League players chosen that high. Foyle was the eighth overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft.
The 2013 NBA Draft will be held Thursday, June 27 at 7:00 PM at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN and online at WatchESPN.com. Tickets for the draft are available through Ticketmaster. Lehigh fans are encouraged to tag their thoughts, photos, videos and congratulations using the hashtag #DraftCJ.
In “Poked, Prodded… Then Picked,” an editorial that appeared in the June 24 issue of Sports Illustrated, McCollum described the rigorous evaluation process that NBA prospects face ahead of the draft. He also wrote about how the time he spent at Lehigh prepared him for the life of a professional athlete.
“A lot of guys leave college early, but I wouldn’t have been ready for this process two years ago,” wrote McCollum. “That extra maturity helped me.”
In addition to his column for Sports Illustrated, McCollum, a journalism major at Lehigh, has written blog posts for NBA.com’s All Ball blog.

In advance of Thursday’s Draft, Lehigh hosted a Google+ Hangout on June 24, which featured Lehigh head coach Brett Reed, former teammate Gabe Knutson ’13 and Adam Figman ’10, associate editor of SLAM Magazine. The group discussed McCollum’s Lehigh career on and off the court, as well as his prospects in this year’s draft. Matt Markus from ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM served as the host. 

NBA.com video: Draft Prospect Profile: CJ McCollum 

Before projected lottery pick C.J. McCollum moves on to his NBA career, spend graduation day with him at Lehigh University.

Video: Lehigh University NBA Draft Preview

Lehigh University’s Google+ Hangout featuring Coach Brett Reed, Gabe Knutson ’13, Adam Figman ’10 of SLAM Magazine and Matt Markus of ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM. 

Video: CJ McCollum 2013 Draft Promo by Lehigh Sports

Lehigh's C.J. McCollum recently wrapped up a standout career in the Brown and White and is expected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Watch the 2013 NBA Draft on ESPN this Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m. as he looks to become the first player in school history ever selected.