Justin Reyes Selected 28th Overall in G League Draft, First Pick in 2nd Round

Justin Reyes Selected 28th Overall in G League Draft, First Pick in 2nd Round

St. Thomas Aquinas College men's basketball alum Justin Reyes has become the first former Spartan to be selected in the NBA G League draft, taken as the first pick in the second round by the Salt Lake City Stars (Utah Jazz affiliate). Even after a playing career which included rewriting the men's basketball record book, Reyes continues to cement his status as one of the greatest athletes to ever don the maroon-and-gold.

His four years in Sparkill included included leading the Spartans to the first three East Coast Conference championships in program history, three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, three consecutive ECC Player of the Year honors, and his current status as the conference's all-time leading points scorer. With his 2,247 career points, Reyes stands second all-time in St. Thomas Aquinas history, and first in the program's Division II era.

The Haverhill, Mass., native was one of just three players in the nation to earn First Team All-American status last season from Basketball Times, the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), in addition to being a finalist for the prestigious Bevo Francis Award for the nation's best Small College player for the second straight season. During his four collegiate seasons, STAC amassed an impressive 102-29 overall record.

Reyes was the 28th pick overall in the 2018 G League draft, the highest draft position ever for an ECC alum, and will play for the Stars, who finished last season with a 16-34 record in the league's Western Conference. A total of 198 former G League players were on NBA rosters - covering all 30 teams - to start the 2018-19 season (source, ESPN.com). To date, only two former NYCAC/ECC players have appeared in the NBA; most recently former Molloy standout Jaylen Morris played for the Atlanta Hawks last season.