June 25, 2009

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Making history has become commonplace for the University of Memphis basketball program the past few seasons, and Thursday night, it made a little more when the Sacramento Kings selected the Tigers' Tyreke Evans with the No. 4 overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Robert Dozier joined his former teammate as former Memphis Tigers drafted into the National Basketball Association on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City, when he was selected with the 60th pick in the second round by the 2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat. The selection was the final pick of the day in the sixty pick draft which began with the Los Angeles Clippers taking former Oklahoma Sooner big man Blake Griffin with the first pick.

With Evans as the No. 4 pick, the Tigers have had NBA lottery selections in back-to-back years for the first time in the program's history. Last year, Chicago picked Derrick Rose with the No. 1 overall pick. Evans is the sixth Memphis player to be an NBA lottery pick since it started in 1985. Other Tigers taken as NBA lottery selections were Rose (No. 1 in 2008), Dajuan Wagner (No. 6 in 2002), Lorenzen Wright (No. 7 in 1996), Anfernee Hardaway (No. 3 in 1993) and William Bedford (No. 6 in 1986).

Evans was college basketball's 2008-09 consensus National Freshman of the Year, taking home seven National Freshman of the Year awards. He received the National Freshman of the Year accolade from ESPN.com, U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), The Sporting News, CBSSports.com, FoxSports.com, CollegeHoops.net and NaismithLives.com. Evans is the first freshman in Tiger basketball history to earn consensus National Freshman of Year distinction.

The 6-foot-6 guard was named to five Freshman All-America teams, including CollegeHoops.net, NaismithLives.com, The Sporting News, CBSSports.com and FoxSports.com.

CollegeHoops.net also named Evans its High-Major National Player of the Year and also selected him a High-Major All-America first team pick. The web site's High-Major group includes the following conferences - Atlantic 10, Conference USA, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Western Athletic and West Coast. The Chester, Pa., native was a CollegeHoops.net National All-America honorable mention pick.

Evans was also a finalist for the 2008-09 Wooden Award and Oscar Robertson Trophy - both National Player of the Year honors. He was the only freshman to be listed among the finalists for both awards.

The honors began rolling in for Evans while the Tigers were playing in the postseason in March. He was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and earned All-C-USA first team accolades. Evans was also selected to the USBWA All-District 4 Team and the NABC All-District 11 first team. Sports Illustrated and CBSSports.com also named Evans an All-America third team pick.

Evans, the 2009 C-USA Tournament MVP, led the Tigers in scoring (17.1 ppg) and steals (77). He averaged 5.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists, while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free throw line. The nine-time Conference USA Rookie of the Week finished the 2008-09 season ranked among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, assists and steals.

He finished 2008-09 first on the Memphis all-time freshman steals list with 77 swipes (eighth-most on the Tiger career list). He is also second on the Tiger all-time freshman scoring chart with 632 points.

Dozier, The Tigers' 6-foot-9 forward, was a 2008-09 All-Conference USA second team pick and also earned 2009 Conference USA All-Tournament Team honors. Dozier, who was an All-C-USA third teamer the previous season (2007-08), was named to the 2008-09 Conference USA All-Defensive Team.

As a senior this past year, Dozier was the Tigers' second-leading scorer (12.9 ppg) and rebounders (7.5 rpg) and led the squad in blocks (61) and field goal percentage (51.9 percent). He shot 72.1 percent from the free throw line and had 47 steals (third on team).

Dozier completed his career as a member of the winningest four-year class in NCAA Division I history with 137 wins (137-14 record). The Lithonia, Ga., native helped lead Memphis to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to four Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights, one Final Four and a championship game appearance. Dozier was also a member of four-consecutive Conference USA regular season and tournament title teams.

He finished his career No. 13 on the Memphis all-time scoring chart with 1,381 career points, and was also in the top 10 on the Tiger career lists for rebounding (No. 5 with 961 boards) and blocked shots (No. 6 with 228 blocks). Dozier is one of six players in Tiger history to have 1,000 points and 900 rebounds, joining Keith Lee, Forest Arnold, Kelly Wise, Ronnie Robinson and David Vaughn in that group. He had 17 career double-doubles.