Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball: How many players were drafted in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft?
Alabama basketball was in the spotlight again predraft with fans arguing whether prospect Brandon Miller would be the No.2 pick after Victor Wembanyama. It was a straight shootout for second, with Scoot Henderson being the other favored choice.
Brandon Miller wasn't the only Crimson Tide player in this year's draft though. He was joined by teammate Noah Clowney, who also declared for the draft. Clowney was widely expected to either be a late first round or early second round pick.
It has been 28 years since two Crimson Tide prospects have been picked in the first round of the NBA draft. Miller was selected with the No.2 pick to the Charlotte Hornets, and Clowney surprised many by being the No. 21 pick to the Brooklyn Nets.
Miller and Clowney continued a proud history by the Crimson Tide of producing more than one player picked in the same draft. Thursday night was the 12th time.
Much has been said about the different paths NBA prospects are taking these days. Of the top five, only Brandon Miller took the college basketball route.
Jordan's draft call with Brandon Miller 😂
(via @hornets)
https://t.co/1v7DljLdNK
The journey to the draft for Alabama's prospects
Brandon Miller's talent has always been known, and he was a certified one-and-done player. A stellar college basketball season propelled him up the pecking order, higher than most expected.
The Hornets zeroed in on his talent and never had any doubts after picking him.
Noah Clowney, though, had a different journey to the No. 21 pick. In the 2022 class, Clowney was the lowest-rated player. The fact that he found himself as high as No.21 in the draft is testament to the work he put in last season and the coaching of coach Nate Oats.
The Crimson Tide coach is starting to get a reputation as a certified molder of NBA-ready basketball players. In his three years as coach, six of his players have been drafted into the NBA.
This is the second time that two of his players have been picked in the same draft. During his time as coach, only Kentucky and Duke have produced more first-round picks than Alabama.
Is Miller Alabama's highest ever draft pick?
Technically, Brandon Miller is the highest ever Crimson Tide pick in the draft. Although he is tied with Antonio McDyess who was also a No.2 pick to the L.A Clippers in 1995.
Ironically, in that draft, McDyess' teammate Jason Caffey was the No. 20 pick to the Chicago Bulls. History almost repeated itself on Thursday night with Clowney who ended up at No.21.
Alabama has a long, storied history of producing NBA players with Miller and Clowney bringing the total to 48. They are also the No.18 and No.19 first round picks in Alabama's history.