June 26, 2008

New York, N.Y. - Georgetown University senior center Roy Hibbert (Adelphi, Md./Georgetown Prep) was selected with the No. 17 overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 2008 NBA Draft on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hibbert was one of two former Hoyas selected in the draft, as senior forward Patrick Ewing, Jr. (Marietta, Ga./National Christian Academy [Md.]) was selected with the 43rd pick by the Sacramento Kings.

Hibbert was the second Hoya to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in the last two years, joining former frontcourt mate Jeff Green, who was selected with the fifth pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2007 NBA Draft. Hibbert, like Green, was reported to be involved in a trade soon after being picked in the draft. The Raptors were rumored to be trading the rights to Hibbert to the Indiana Pacers.

Hibbert capped off an outstanding career at Georgetown by leading the Hoyas to a 28-6 overall record and to back-to-back BIG EAST Regular Season Championships. He received numerous awards at the end of the season, highlighted by being named a Second Team Associated Press All-America.

He was one of five players named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) first team All-Senior All-America Team, which is based on balloting for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and he was selected to the State Farm Division I All-American Second Team.

A 7-2 center, Hibbert led Georgetown in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 boards per game, earning First Team All-BIG EAST honors. He finished 19th in the BIG EAST Conference in scoring and was tied for 20th in rebounding. Hibbert connected on 60.9 percent of his field goals (179-of-294), which ranked third in the BIG EAST and No. 12 in the country. In addition, Hibbert led Georgetown in blocked shots with 75 rejections, a 2.21 per game average that ranked third in the BIG EAST and ranked 34th nationally. A strong passer for a big man, Hibbert finished third on the team in assists this season with 63 overall, 1.85 per game.

In 136 career games at Georgetown, Hibbert scored 1,476 points, a 10.9 per game average that ranks 15th all-time at Georgetown. He also ranks among the top-10 all-time at Georgetown in rebounds and blocked shots. Hibbert grabbed 808 rebounds, a 5.9 per game average that ranks eighth all-time, and blocked 259 shots, a 1.90 per game average that ranks fourth all-time on Hilltop.

Ewing, Jr. was the recipient of the BIG EAST Conference's inaugural Sixth Man of the Year Award. He appeared in all 34 games during the 2007-08 season, averaging 6.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Ewing, Jr. started the first 10 games of the season, but moved into the Sixth Man role in January. In 24 games coming off the bench, Ewing, Jr. averaged 5.7 points and 4.4 rebounds while handing out 25 assists and blocking 12 shots.

A major contributor to Georgetown's success last season, Ewing, Jr. provided a spark whenver the Hoyas needed it. During BIG EAST play, he had 11 games with at least five points, 14 games with at least three rebounds, six games with at least two assists, three games with at least two blocked shots and four games with at least two steals. He scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in 23 minutes during a 72-69 win over Connecticut on January 12 and scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and had three assists in a win over Seton Hall on February 2.

Georgetown has a long tradition of sending players on to the professional ranks. In 2001, there were 11 Hoyas playing in the NBA and over the history of the program, a total of 54 Georgetown basketball alumni have either been drafted by NBA teams and/or have had playing experience in the league.