#1 Draft Picks By College Trivia Quiz

Answer: Maryland

The player in question was power forward Joe Smith, who starred for the Maryland Terrapins before being drafted first overall by Golden State in 1995.

Answer: Louisville

The player was "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison, drafted by Sacramento. He didn't win Rookie of the Year, and by his second season was traded to Washington, where he did put together a 20 point, 10 rebound season, that earned him the Most Improved Player Award for 1991-92. Other than that, he never lived up to the expectations.

Answer: Brad Daugherty

A seven foot center, Daugherty was drafted #1 in 1986, but did not win Rookie of the Year (that year it went to Chuck Person of the Pacers). He went on to be a perennial All-Star selection, before retiring prematurely in 1994 due to injuries.

Answer: 1984

The year was 1984, the player was Hakeem Olajuwon (Akeem back then), who played for Houston University (he was a part of what people called Phi Slamma Jamma with Clyde Drexler) was drafted by the Houston Rockets, where he put together one of the greatest careers in NBA history, including two straight championships in 1994 and 1995.

Answer: Kentucky

Virginia had Ralph Sampson in 1983 going to Houston. Wake Forest produced Tim Duncan, who of course went to San Antonio in 1997. DePaul produced Mark Aguirre, who went #1 to Dallas in 1981.

Answer: UNLV

The Hornets, who have since vacated Charlotte, drafted Larry Johnson of the UNLV Running Rebels. Johnson went on to win Rookie Of The Year and became a two-time All-Star (1993 and 1995). He went to the Finals several years later with the Knicks, but never won a ring.

Answer: Michigan

Michigan only had Chris Webber go #1 in 1993. Georgetown had Patrick Ewing (1985, New York) and Allen Iverson (1996, Philadelphia). North Carolina had James Worthy (1982, L.A. Lakers) and Brad Daugherty (1986, Cleveland). Finally, Purdue produced Joe Barry Carroll (1980, Golden State) and Glenn Robinson (1994, Milwaukee).

Answer: 1990

In 1990, New Jersey drafted Syracuse Orangeman Derrick Coleman with the #1 pick. He won Rookie of the Year, and played his first All-Star game in 1993-94. For a while he was considered one of the top three power forwards in the league along with Karl Malone and Shawn Kemp.

Answer: LSU

The team was Orlando. The man was Shaquille O'Neal, who played for Louisiana State University before dominating NBA centers and winning Rookie of the Year in 1993.

Answer: Danny Manning

Manning was drafted #1 by the L.A. Clippers in 1988, and he would go on to have a decent career. Although he didn't win Rookie of the Year. To many, the biggest moment in Manning's career was getting traded to Atlanta for Dominique Wilkins in 1994. Paul Pierce probably should have been drafted first in 1999 (by none other than the Clippers, who opted instead for 7'1" paperweight Michael Olowokandi), but instead Pierce wasn't even the first player from his school to be drafted that year, as Raef Lafrentz went #3 and Pierce went #10. To put things in perspective, just imagine nine teams somehow missing a chance to draft LeBron James.