USF's Izaiyah Nelson winds up in Orlando after juggling in the NBA draft

As expected, USF's Izaiyah Nelson heard his name called Wednesday night in the second round of the NBA. He was chosen 51st overall by Washington, who quickly traded his rights to the Orlando Magic.

Nelson is the first USF player to be selected in the draft since Dominique Jones went 25th overall in the 2010 first round.

Nelson transferred to USF for his senior season, following head coach Bryan Hodgson from Arkansas State. His dominating play this season led the Bulls to both the American Conference regular season and tournament championships.

"Izaiyah Nelson had a great year," ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. "He's about 6-8, 6-9, another guy who's really long. He's got a 7-2 wingspan. He had 89 dunks this year that led the NCAA. He had 135 offensive rebounds. That was sixth in the country. He had 18 double-doubles and averaged just under 10 rebounds a game. That led the American Conference."

Nelson swept a trifecta of top conference honors: Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year.

He ranked 18th nationally in rebounding (9.6 rpg) and ninth in double-doubles (18) this past season.

"He does all the intangibles -- rebounds, blocks shots, plays with max effort, and is elite defensively," Hodgson told Green, Gold and Bold. "He is everything you want from an NBA big, and his best basketball is ahead of him."

His NBA stock began to rise as USF's season drew to a close with a narrow loss to Louisville in the NCAA tournament. He was one of only three non-power conference players invited to the 73-player NBA draft combine.

His NBA draft profile praised his high motor, rim protection, and second-chance points.

"Nelson is a disruptive defensive playmaker everywhere on the court, with the lateral speed to switch onto smaller scorers and the length to wipe out shots from the weak side," the league said in an analysis of his game.

"His length and burst make him a menace on the offensive glass, where he chases down boards and turns them into putback dunks. He finishes with efficiency around the basket and sets hard screens. Nelson is more effective inside the arc right now, but the high release and clean free-throw stroke give him room to grow as a perimeter threat. He still has frame to fill out, and an NBA strength program will help."

Rob Higgins, USF's CEO of Athletics, called Nelson "a special player."

"Congratulations to Izaiyah Nelson on being drafted by the NBA. He’s such a special player, but even better person," Higgins said.

"His passion and work ethic helped lead USF to a historic season and we can’t wait to build upon every thing he helped accomplish last season. Izaiyah will always be a USF Bull and we will be constantly cheering him on in this next exciting chapter."

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