June 26, 2002
New York, N.Y. – Notre Dame graduate Ryan Humphrey (Tulsa, Okla.) was selected by the Utah Jazz as the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2002 National Basketball Association Draft. He was later traded to the Orlando Magic. The 6-8 forward becomes the 12th first-round draft pick in the program’s history and marks the second straight year that Notre Dame has had a first-round selection.
Humphrey will be united with two former Irish standouts who are current members of the Orlando squad – 1994 alumnus Monty Williams and 1998 graduate Pat Garrity.
Humphrey, a second-team selection to the Basketball News All-America team, led Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding in 2001-02 as he averaged 18.9 points and 10.9 rebounds. He scored in double figures in 30 of the 31 games he played and netted 20-plus points on 13 occasions.
Humphrey, a first-team all-BIG EAST selection, registered 22 double-doubles; 11 of those came in the final 11 games of the season. He set the Notre Dame single-season blocked shots mark with 87 and his two-year career average of 2.81 blocked shots per game also established a new Irish career mark. Humphrey, who transferred to Notre Dame following two years at the University of Oklahoma, played 60 career games in an Irish uniform and scored 997 points (16.6) and grabbed 597 rebounds (9.95).
During his junior season in which he earned third-team all-BIG EAST honors, Humphrey was the team’s second-leading scorer and rebounder as he averaged 14.1 points and 9.0 rebounds.
He registered career totals of 1,633 career points and 1,040 rebounds while playing in 123 career contests at both Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
With Troy Murphy’s selection by the Golden State Warriors at 14th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, Notre Dame has had players taken in the first round in consecutive years for the first time since 1980 and 1981. The Murphy and Humphrey selections also marked the first time since 1987 and ’88 that Irish players were selected in any round in consecutive NBA Drafts. Notre Dame was one of four schools to have players taken in the first round of the last two NBA Drafts (the others include Duke, Indiana and Stanford). Each of the last four Notre Dame players selected in the NBA Draft were taken in the first round: Humphrey, Murphy, Pat Garrity (1998), and Monty Williams (1994).
“I couldn’t be more excited and happy for Ryan and his family,” Irish head coach Mike Brey said. “This is a well-deserved honor and accomplishment for him to be selected in the first round. He’s an individual who meant so much to our program and the success that we had during the past two seasons.
“I’m not surprised that he was chosen in the first round. Ryan is an experienced player who is going to be a great asset to the Magic organization because of his work ethic and desire to succeed at the highest level. It’s great for him that he will be in the company and be playing on the same team with Monty Williams and Pat Garrity.”
Humphrey will join four other former Irish players in the NBA: Murphy (Golden State), Garrity (Orlando), Williams (Orlando), and LaPhonso Ellis (Miami).
The selection of Humphrey capped an extraordinary draft season for the University of Notre Dame, which was the only school in the nation to have players selected in the first two rounds of the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA Drafts in 2002. Defensive end Anthony Weaver (52nd overall, Baltimore Ravens), centerfielder Steve Stanley (67th overall, Oakland Athletics) and forward Rob Globke (40th overall, Florida Panthers) combined with Humphrey for the distinction. Defender Monica Gonzalez also was a second-round pick (11th overall) of the Boston Breakers in the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) Draft in February.