Syracuse knew it had a superstar on its hands, and the rest of the country noticed. Wes Johnson [14] was the No. 4 pick last night for the Minnesota Timberwolve [15]s, as two of Syracuse Orange's finest were drafted into the NBA, onto bigger and better careers.
And Syracuse native Andy Rautins [16] was the No. 38 second-round draft pick for the New York Knicks [17].
Johnson was a first-round pick after his stellar first (and only) year at SU. Johnson led the SU basketball team in scoring with 16.5 points and rebounds with 8.5, Syracuse.com [18] reports. He also won the title of Big East Player of the Year.
It seems like Johnson left just as quickly as he came. After transferring from Iowa State, Johnson was forced to sit out for one year before joining the court and winning the hearts of his new college community. Johnson will be joining another SU favorite, Jonny Flynn [19], who also plays for the Timberwolves. This is the first time the two will play together. Both will return to the Carrier Dome for a preseason game [20].
Rautins was a fifth year senior and basketball captain at SU. This past season, he proved to be more than just a sharp three-point shooter and was named second-team All-Big East. Rautins' father, Leo, was an SU alum who was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers [21] in 1983.
