Former Alabama men’s basketball guard Collin Sexton was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the eighth overall pick at the 2018 National Basketball Association Draft on Thursday in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Sexton becomes the 15th Alabama player to be chosen in the first round and is the fourth top-10 selection in program history, joining Antonio McDyess (No. 2 overall in 1995), Derrick McKey (No. 9 overall in 1987) and Leon Douglas (No. 4 overall in 1976).

With his selection, Sexton is the first Crimson Tide men’s basketball player selected in the NBA Draft since Richard Hendrix was chosen in the second round in 2008 and the first Alabama player since Gerald Wallace in 2001 (No. 25 overall) to be selected in the first round.

In his lone season with the Tide, Sexton became the 19th different player in program history, and first since 2008 (Hendrix), to earn All-America accolades. He was the only UA rookie to earn a spot on an Associated Press All-America team (first, second, third or honorable mention) in program history.

Additionally, he was named the AP Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-SEC this past season, while the league’s coaches voted him as the SEC Freshman of the Year and to the All-Freshman squad and All-SEC second team.

During the 2017-18 season, Sexton helped lead the Crimson Tide men’s basketball team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012 and its first win in the tournament since 2006. His 632 points on the year not only ranked as the third-most in program history, but set the Alabama freshman single-season scoring record.

The Mableton, Ga., native finished the year ranked second in the Southeastern Conference with 19.2 points per game, while adding 3.8 rebounds and a team-leading 3.6 assists per contest. He topped Alabama in field goals made (196) and attempted (438) along with free throws made (196) and attempted (252). In addition to his freshman scoring record, Sexton set a new school record for free throws made in a season and ranked fourth in program history in free throws attempted.

Sexton finished 2017-18 with 29 double-digit scoring games, 16 games of scoring 20 or more and three games of 30 or more points.

A business major, Sexton also was a standout performer in the classroom. He finished the year with a 3.88 grade point average, including a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester, placing him on the President’s List.

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