NBA Draft: Tennessee basketball has record-setting draft with three selections

Jordan Bone watched Thursday night turn into Friday morning without hearing his name called in the NBA Draft.

His brother, Josh, took the microphone at Bone's draft party in Nashville. He was hurt, Josh Bone said in a video shared to Twitter, but doubted he was as hurt as Jordan, who sat behind his brother on stage.

"Shoot," an onlooker yelled, shattering the somber moment and sending family and friends in a frenzy toward Bone.

The Tennessee product was announced as the No. 57 pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2019 NBA Draft. The pick already was part of a proposed deal to Atlanta, which had the pick in a proposed trade with Philadelphia, which reportedly shipped him to Detroit.

It was no matter: Bone was picked and Tennessee basketball set a record.

The Vols had three players selected in the NBA Draft for the first time in modern draft history. UT previously had three selected in 1950 and 1977, well before the draft went to its current two-round model. 

Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia were the only other schools to have three players picked in the 2019 draft.

The night went mostly as expected for Tennessee's potential draftees, even with Bone's long wait.

Grant Williams was selected No. 22 overall by the Boston Celtics, landing in the middle of the first round.

“Honestly, I was drafted by the best franchise possible,” Williams said in a conference call with Boston media Thursday night. “It’s the most historic franchise in the league. It’s a franchise that my grandfather actually talks about every single day because it’s his favorite team.”

Williams averaged 18.8 points and 7.5 rebounds in his final season at UT. He earned consensus All-America honors, joining Dale Ellis (1982-83 season) and Bernard King (1976-77 season) as the only Vols to do so.

The Charlotte, N.C., native won back-to-back SEC Player of the Year awards and is one of only 10 players to win the award in consecutive seasons. He's the first UT first-round pick since Tobias Harris in 2011.

"You couldn't be more impressed with a kid when you sit down with him," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said in Boston.

Admiral Schofield was selected No. 42 by the Philadelphia 76ers, although like Bone he is part of a trade. Schofield is headed to the Washington Wizards, joining fellow former Vol Jordan McRae.

Schofield was an Associated Press All-America honorable mention and first-team All-SEC selection after his senior season, in which he averaged 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. He led UT with 74 3-pointers and shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range as Tennessee matched a school-record 31 wins.

Bone is headed to Detroit, where he reportedly signed a two-way deal that allows him to play between the NBA and the G League.

He averaged 13.5 points and 5.8 assists as a junior, leaving UT as the all-time leader in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Kyle Alexander gained a free-agent opportunity to put all four outgoing Vols in the NBA. Alexander reportedly will play in the NBA Summer League with the Miami Heat.

The big man averaged 7.3 points and 6.6 rebounds as a senior — both career-bests.