Leading up to Thursday's NBA Draft, most league experts predicted in their mock drafts that University of Utah center Luke Nevill would go unselected.
They were right.
Despite a resume that included a Mountain West Conference Player of the Year award and a frame that stretches to 7-foot-2, Nevill was bypassed in the NBA Draft's 60 selections. Nevill will now have to sign with a team as a free agent, and earning a roster spot will be difficult.
Nevill's agent, Keith Glass, said late Thursday that he and Nevill will quickly decide which team the Australian center will try to latch on with.
It had to have been disheartening for Nevill to go unpicked in what was a weak draft class — especially at his position. Only three centers were selected on Thursday. ESPN's Chad Ford ranked Nevill as the eighth-best center available.
The Jazz contemplated taking Nevill with their No. 50 pick in the second round, but instead they went with another senior big man, 6-10 Bosnian center Goran Suton of Michigan State.
"Luke," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said, "was somebody that was under serious consideration."
Nevill enjoyed a solid career at Utah, earning honorable mention All-American honors as a senior. He averaged at least 15 points per game in three of his seasons at Utah, and led the Utes to the MWC championship and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament as a senior.
Nevill showed he can score, rebound and block shots in college, and that he had a nice shooting touch in workouts for NBA teams. Questions about his strength and toughness, however, seemed to prevent him from being drafted on Thursday.
Lee Cummard and Ryan Toolson
As many predicted, former BYU guard Lee Cummard and former Utah Valley guard Ryan Toolson will have to take the long and winding road to a career in professional basketball.
Neither was selected in Thursday's NBA draft. Toolson was an extreme long shot, while some thought Cummard might be picked late in the second round. His agent, Chris Emens of Octagon Sports, really expected a team to recognize Cummard's all-around unselfish game and basketball IQ and take him somewhere between the 40th and final pick.
"I just spent five hours on the edge of my seat, so I'm a bit disappointed," Cummard said late Thursday from his parents' home in Mesa, Ariz. "Any player wants to hear his name called, but I understand it's a business."
What seemed to hurt Cummard were projects and surprise picks. Also, some projected first-round selections slipped to the second round. Cummard was ranked the 53rd best prospect by ESPN.com, but several players ranked below him — like Henk Norel, Robert Vaden, Emer Preldzic and Lester Hudson — were drafted.
Cummard's age also didn't appear to be a factor considering several other 24-year-olds were picked. Some experts think Cummard's frame is too frail, but since the college season ended Cummard has put on 15 pounds through a professionally monitored nutrition program.
The ninth all-time scorer for the Cougars will now try to catch on with an NBA team as a free agent and should get a chance to showcase his game on a summer-league roster. He also has offers to play overseas, but will wait for Emens to sort through all the free-agent offers that come his way.
"I still have aspirations to play at the next level and I still have a lot of chances out there, so I'm staying positive. But right now I really don't know what will happen," Cummard said.
Toolson, UVU's all-time leading scorer, also will likely try to impress an NBA team this summer, but also has options in Europe.
"I'll talk to my agent and just see what's out there in the summer leagues and see which teams need what," Toolson said.
Gary Wilkinson
Utah State's Gary Wilkinson hoped to hear his name called during the 2009 NBA Draft.
The Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year, despite working out for several teams leading up to Thursday's draft, never got that call.
To be honest, he wasn't expecting to.
"I spent the night speaking to youth at some firesides," Wilkinson said of his draft-night activities. "Just talking to kids in Logan."
The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder was a two-time all-WAC honoree, but his age of 26 and questions about the injured back he played with throughout his senior season likely prevented NBA teams from using a draft pick on the South Jordan native.
Instead, Wilkinson will have to try and impress NBA coaches and player personnel directors when he suits up for a team — he's already been told by the Utah Jazz he will be invited to join their squad at the Orlando summer league — later this summer.
"We're just kind of waiting to see where everyone winds up," Wilkinson said. "We'll definitely take the Jazz offer unless there's a better situation that comes up. I'm excited about that."
Wilkinson led the Aggies to top-25 rankings as a senior and was named the WAC's Player of the Year after averaging 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 58 percent. He was named the WAC tournament MVP after leading the regular-season champ Aggies to three wins in three days in Reno and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
From there, he participated in the Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia and was named to the all-tournament team.
Still, his path to the NBA — if he makes it that far — will have to be as a free agent.
"I'm still hoping I can impress somebody," he said, "and convince them to give me a shot."
Contributing: Jared Eborn, Jim Rayburn, Tim Buckley
E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com