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Going into last night, pretty much everyone expected MSU PF Arnett Moultrie to be taken in the middle of the 1st round in last night's 2012 NBA Draft. After picks 1-10 and then 10-20 came and went, we still had not heard Arnett's name called, and began to get nervous that he may slip out of the first round altogether. Finally, with the 27th overall pick, the Miami Heat ended that slide for the Junior out of Memphis, as Arnett Moultrie was taken by the world champion Miami Heat.
Even before he had his name called by the Commissioner David Stern as being selected by the Heat, there was already widespread talk that Moultrie would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers shortly after being selected. That trade became official, and when everything shook out last night, Arnett was headed to Philadelphia to join fellow MSU alumn's Fletcher Cox, Jamar Chaney and Jonathan Papelbon. The Miami Heat got the 76ers' 2012 2nd round pick (LSU F Justin Hamilton), as well as a future 1st round pick for Moultrie.
Other Draft Notes:- The drafted finished without Dee Bost or Renardo Sidney hearing their names called, so it's likely the two will now test the free agency market, and then possibly look to play overseas.
- The coolest thing about Arnett being taken in the 1st round last night? After Texas A&M failed to produce a 1st rounder in last night's NBA Draft, Mississippi State officially became the ONLY NCAA team with a 1st Round pick in all 3 major professional drafts: NFL (Fletcher Cox), MLB (Chris Stratton), and NBA (Arnett Moultrie). What an exciting accomplishment, and something State fans should definitely be proud of. Pretty neat to think about, considering all the great athletic programs out there, and yet we were the only one to produce 1st round picks for all 3 sports.
- Sounds like Scott Stricklin and the rest of the Athletic Department were expecting this 1st round hat trick to happen, and thus are preparing a billboard to boast about it:
If you want to see the billboard going up tomorrow across #OurState, follow @HailState. It’ll have a sneak peek in the morning. #1stRound
— Scott Stricklin (@stricklinMSU) June 29, 2012
- Last night, Arnett Moultrie became the first Bulldog to be taken in the 1st Round since we had two in 1996: Erick Dampier and Dontae Jones:
Arnett Moultrie is 1st Mississippi State player selected in 1st round since 1996 (Erick Dampier, Dontae Jones)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 29, 2012
Also, here's a nice SBNation produced scouting video on Arnett:
2012 NBA Draft: Arnett Moultrie Scouting Report (via sbnnba)
Congrats to Arnett on his 1st round pick, and best of luck to him in the NBA!