Orange County’s Riller, Reed go in Round 2
Montverde Academy’s Achiuwa goes to Heat at No. 20 in NBA Draft
Ocoee High School grad Grant Riller and former Wekiva High standout Paul Reed made Central Florida history on Wednesday when both were selected in the second round of the NBA Draft.
Riller, a 6-foot-3 guard who was one of last season’s top NCAA scorers for College of Charleston, was the No. 56 overall pick taken by the Charlotte Hornets.
Reed, a 6-9 forward who averaged a double-double for DePaul as a junior, was selected two picks later as the No. 58 pick by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Riller and Reed became the first Orange County duo to be drafted by NBA teams in the same year.
Riller, 23, is No. 2 on the College of Charleston career scoring list with 2,474 points. He was a fifthyear senior for the Cougars who finished No. 2 on the Cougars career scoring list with 2,474 points.
ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas has said of Riller: “He’s a very talented player that not only will play in the NBA, but will play in the NBA for a long time because of his skill level.”
Reed is 20 and his athleticism, length and versatility as a defender who can protect the rim and guard multiple positions made him an attractive pick.
“I’m feeling good, feeling blessed, feeling grateful,” Reed said by phone Thursday afternoon. “I feel like I have a good opportunity. I’d rather get picked later with a good situation than be picked earlier with a bad situation. I kind feel I can earn my minutes and give
some support to Joel Embid.”
Early reports out of Philadelphia note that with Al Horford on the way out via trade, Reed could step into a backup big man role behind Embid.
Riller did not respond to the Sentinel’s requests for comment.
The good news for Riller is that Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak told the Charlotte Observer he was surprised and happy that Riller was still available as the 56th pick. The bad may be that Charlotte made a heavily-hyped point guard, LaMelo Ball, the No. 3 overall pick before it tapped Riller.
Precious Achiuwa, a 6-foot-9, 234-pound forward who played his high school senior season at national powerhouse Montverde Academy in Lake County, was drafted by the Miami Heat as the 20th selection.
Achiuwa averaged 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in his one year
of college basketball at Memphis. He is regarded as one of the most athletically gifted players in this year’s draft class.
Montverde coach Kevin Boyle was quoted ahead of the draft by ZAGSBLOG stating that Achiuwa “has the body, size, athletic ability and skill to be a very good pro.”
Riller, Reed and Achiuwa are poised to join 10 former area high schoolers who were on NBA teams in the 2019-20 season.
That list, which has grown to record levels in the past few years, included former Winter Park High star Austin Rivers with the Houston Rockets in his eighth pro season, along with 7-foot-5 Boston Celtics rookie Tacko Fall, who completed high school at Liberty Christian Prep in Tavares before playing for UCF.
Other recent arrivals to the league are Anfernee Simons (Edgewater) and Nassir Little (Orlando Christian Prep) with the Portland Trailblazers and Joe Chealey (Apopka) with the Charlotte Hornets.
Chealey Tweeted this message after Riller was picked by the pro team he plays for: “I’m so happy for my dawg”.
Montverde had five NBA players last season with Ben Simmons starring for the Philadelphia 76ers, R.J. Barrett starting as a lottery pick rookie with the New York Knicks, D’Angelo Russell finishing the year as Minnesota Timberwolves starter, and both Michael Frazier and 12-year veteran Luc Mbah a Moute on the Houston Rockets roster.
Oak Ridge grad Antonio Blakeney, who played for the Chicago Bulls during the 2017-18 and 201819 seasons, was out of the league this season. He averaged 34 points per game in the Chinese Basketball Association and is regarded as a player who might return to an NBA roster.