NBA Draft Coverage
 
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – With the 57th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, UTA senior forward Kevin Hervey was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
 
Hervey is the 79th Sun Belt Conference player from its current membership drafted and the first since Georgia State’s R.J. Hunter was selected in the first round (28th overall) by the Boston Celtics in the 2015 NBA Draft.
 
Hervey, a native of Arlington, Texas, is the fourth UTA player ever selected in the draft and the first since the NBA reduced the number of rounds to just two in 1989.  Paul Renfro became UTA’s first-ever draft pick when he was taken in the ninth round (181st overall) by the Utah Jazz in 1980.  Two Mavericks were selected in 1982 – both by the Dallas Mavericks.  Ralph McPherson was selected in the ninth round (188th overall) and Albert Culton was picked in the 10th round (209th overall).
 
UTA’s all-time leader in rebounds and second-leading scorer, Hervey was a two-time, first-team All-Sun Belt selection and the 2016-17 Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Player of the Year and Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He was twice named to the Lou Henson All-America team and was an honorable mention All-America selection by the Associated Press as a junior.
 
As a senior, Hervey finished second in the conference in scoring and rebounding with 20.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He led the team in scoring 19 times and was just two points shy of the highest single-season point total in program history.