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BYU Basketball: The Top 10 Cougars in NBA Draft history

By Shaun Gordon

NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 23: Jimmer Fredette from BYU greets NBA Commissioner David Stern after he was selected #10 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round during the 2011 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 23, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - JUNE 23: Jimmer Fredette from BYU greets NBA Commissioner David Stern after he was selected #10 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round during the 2011 NBA Draft at the Prudential Center on June 23, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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T1. Mel Hutchins

BYU’s first basketball superstar, Mel Hutchins led the Cougars to the 1951 NIT Championship. He dominated on both sides of the ball, and set BYU’s all-time rebounding record, which he held for 22 years until Kresimir Cosic broke it.

After winning the NIT and earning Second Team All-American honors, Hutchins was invited to play in the East-West College All-Star Game, where he was named MVP.

That solidified him as a high draft prospect, and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks took him with the No. 2 pick in the 1951 draft. He never played there, though, instead spending his first two seasons with the Milwaukee Hawks. As a rookie, he led the league with 13.3 rebounds per game, and he’s still one of only two rookies to ever lead the league in rebounding. Wilt Chamberlain is the other.

He earned Co-Rookie of the Year Honors, and followed that up with an All-Star appearance in his second year.

Hutchins spent the next four years with the Fort Wayne Pistons, earning three more All-Star berths and finishing 4th in MVP voting in 1956.. He led the Pistons to the NBA Finals in both 1955 and 1956, but they fell short both times.

In 1957 he went to the New York Knicks, but toward the end of the season he suffered a serious knee injury that cut his career short, as he retired after the 1957-58 season.

Over his seven NBA season, Hutchins averaged 11.1 points and 9.6 rebounds.

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