Philadelphia 76ers select St. John's small forward Maurice Harkless at No 15 - NBA News
Philadelphia 76ers selected St. John's small forward Maurice Harkless as the 15th overall 1st round pick on Thursday. The move surprised people close to the club, as they were expecting Sixers to select a
big man.
The 19-year-old became the 1st Queens native since 2001 to be drafted. He averaged 15.3 points and 8.6 rebounds in his freshman season at St. John and Philadelphia’s president Rod Thorn believed that Harkless was too
gifted a player to be overlooked;
“We felt this kid had too much potential to pass up," team president Rod Thorn said. "He was our No. 1 choice. All of our basketball people felt this is a guy we should take for our franchise going forward for our future."
Maurice, at 6 ft 8 in, was the Big East Rookie of the Year last season. He is athletic and has great foot work, an unusual attribute for the player of his size. The player impressed while participating in the pre-draft workout
sessions with Sixers;
"He's good, real good," Thorn said. "We had him in our top 10. He's a big, he's athletic, and he’s a good defender, a good rebounder and has a good jump shot. He should be a good player for us. We think we got an outstanding player."
Interestingly, on Thursday, he was not amongst the lot invited to sit in the prestigious green room. Maurice sat in the benches designated for the audience with his family and friends and his name certainly came as a surprise at
the 15th spot.
Harkless was obliged and jubilant after shaking hands with David Stern, NBA commissioner. He later said that he knew that Sixers will draft him as he successfully managed to impress them with his skills during the workout.
“Thankful for the opportunity and thankful to Philadelphia for drafting me”
Sixers already have an established small forward in Andre Iguodala but he has been in the rumour factory for long. Iguodala has long stated that he wants to be a part of a championship calibre team and there is a possibility that
the Sixers might trade him.
However, for now Iguodala is there and under him, Maurice can learn a lot.
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