Daniel Orton with a two-handed dunk during the 2010 SEC Tournament (Courtesy AP)
It wasn’t too long ago that Daniel Orton was playing for Bishop McGuinness. The high school basketball standout was ranked amongst the top recruits in all of the country, and decided to play college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats. Orton’s productivity playing college basketball was not shown in his stats, but more through his defensive skills.
Daniel Orton and Kentucky earned a number one seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were favorites to win the championship, but fell to the two-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers. The season didn’t end in the way Wildcat fans would’ve liked, but it certainly wasn’t a disappointing year.
Now that the college basketball season is over, players have the decision to declare for the NBA draft. One of the many players hoping to be one of the 60 prospects to be drafted is none other than former McGuinness basketball star Daniel Orton.
There is a total of five Kentucky players heading to the NBA. The list of student-athletes includes Daniel Orton, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Patrick Patterson. All five players, according to ESPN, are project to be drafted well within the first round.
With this breaking news, Daniel Orton went live on Oklahoma City’s 98.1 WWLS The Sports Animal to talk about his decision. Orton said that decision was tough for him, but believes that his college and high school experience has put him in the right place to get to the NBA. Daniel said it would be a blessing to be drafted to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but would be fine with any team picking him.
The 2010 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 24, 2010. The event will be televised on ESPN and will begin at 6:00 PM. Don’t miss a second of the action when that time comes, but for now let’s enjoy the rest of the NBA season to get a better idea of possible teams that could take Orton.
