Carney, Williams Back-to-Back Draft Picks

Carney, Williams Back-To-Back First Round Picks In 2006 NBA Draft
Carney to 76ers at No. 16, Williams to Pacers at No. 17
June 28, 2006

NEW YORK, N.Y. - After a 2005-06 season full of milestones, the University of Memphis basketball program made even more history Wednesday night in the 2006 NBA Draft held at Madison Square Garden. Rodney Carney and Shawne Williams were consecutive first round selections at No. 16 and No. 17, marking the first time in Memphis hoops history that two Tigers went in the NBA Draft's opening round.

Carney, an Indianapolis, Ind., native was selected No. 16 by the Chicago Bulls and then was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Williams, a Memphis, Tenn., native, was picked No. 17 by the Indiana Pacers.

Carney and Williams are the ninth and 10th Tigers, respectively, to ever be drafted in the first round. The 2006 Tiger NBA draftees join Win Wilfong (1956; No. 4), Wayne Yates (1961; No. 4), Keith Lee (1985; No. 11), William Bedford (1986; No. 6), Anfernee Hardaway (1993; No. 3), David Vaughn (1995; No. 25), Lorenzen Wright (1996; No. 7) and Dajuan Wagner (2002; No. 6) as Memphis' first round selections.

A consensus All-America second team pick, Carney was selected the Conference USA Player of the Year and was named to the Conference USA All-Tournament and All-Conference USA first teams. The 6-foot-7 forward was a finalist for three national Player of the Year honors (Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Adolph F. Rupp Trophy) and was on the Wooden Award mid-season list. Carney, who participated in the College Basketball Slam Dunk Championships at the 2006 NCAA Final Four, led the Tigers in scoring (17.2 ppg) and three-point field goal percentage (39.1) this past season.

Carney moved into the No. 3 spot on the Memphis career scoring list with 1,901 points (trailing only Keith Lee and Elliot Perry) and set the school's career three-pointers made record with 287 treys. He also set the school's single-season three-pointers made mark with 102 in 2005-06. Carney finished his career ranked among Conference USA career leaders in scoring (No. 4) and three-pointers made (No. 3).

A consensus national Freshman All-America Team pick, Williams was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year and was an All-Conference USA third team selection. The 6-foot-9 forward, who earned the Conference USA Tournament MVP award, was the team's third-leading scorer (13.2 ppg) and second-leading rebounder (6.2 rpg) and shot a team-high 78.6 percent from the free throw line. Williams posted five double-doubles in 2005-06, including performances in wins over Gonzaga (14 pts/11 rebs) and Tennessee (21 pts/14 rebs).
Check back to goTigersgo.com for more draft news later tonight.