BATES-DIOP

He was finally selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 48th overall pick. He became the first reigning Big Ten player of the year not to be taken in the first round since Draymond Green was taken at No. 35 overall by Golden State in the 2012 draft.

As the second round got underway, CBSSports college basketball analyst Seth Davis tweeted, “Someone’s gonna get a great pick in Keita Bates-Diop.”

Bates-Diop was not invited to the “green room” for the draft but made the trip to Brooklyn anyway to take in the draft from the audience along with Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann.

Back in Columbus, his former Buckeyes teammates all gathered together to watch the night unfold. Entering the night, Bates-Diop was projected to be taken somewhere during the final 10 picks of the first round.

As Denver contemplated the No. 14 pick, Bates-Diop moved into the No. 10 spot on analyst Jay Bilas’ list of the top remaining available players during the ESPN broadcast.

The 6-foot-9, 224-pound forward was the sixth Big Ten player to be selected.

A former top-30 recruit, Bates-Diop worked his way into Ohio State’s lineup as a sophomore and was poised for a breakout junior season until he suffered a leg injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery.

He took a medical redshirt for the 2016-17 season and then, fully healthy, blossomed into a star player.

Bates-Diop led the Big Ten in scoring at 19.8 points per game and was second in rebounding at 8.7 per game as the Buckeyes surprised by finishing 25-9 overall and 15-3 and tied for second in the conference.

He drilled his final shot, a straight-on three-pointer, at the end of Ohio State’s season-ending loss to Gonzaga in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.