BYU Basketball: The Top 10 Cougars in NBA Draft history

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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7. Roland Minson

Roland Minson’s basketball journey was a strange one. He starred at BYU, earning all-conference honors three times, and he helped lead the Cougars to the 1951 NIT Championship, where he was named MVP. He held BYU’s all-time scoring mark for 22 years (broken by Kresimir Cosic) and the single-season scoring mark for 27 seasons (broken by Danny Ainge).

After graduating in 1951, the New York Knicks took him in that same year’s draft as the No. 16 pick. He declined the Knicks’ offer, however, to become an officer in the Korean War.

He used his basketball skill in the navy, playing on the All-Navy team in 1952, and after his release his offer still stood to sign with the Knicks.

Instead, Minson decided to go into the banking industry, where he worked for 40 years. He kept playing semi-pro ball for three years, from 1955-57, with the Amateur Athletic Union’s Denver Bankers.

After hanging up his sneakers, he returned to BYU as an assistant coach for a couple of seasons in the early 60’s before turning his attention to banking full-time.

Although he never played in an NBA game, he still sits as one of only eight former Cougars to earn a Top 20 draft pick.

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