Oakland University's Keith Benson was selected with the 48th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Benson is the first player in Oakland Golden Grizzlies history to be taken in the NBA Draft.
A graduate of Detroit Country Day, Benson spent five years at Oakland and became The Summit League's player of the year by the time he left. This past season, Benson averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. He also helped Oakland make it to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. (The Grizzlies lost to Texas in their first game in the big dance.)
Benson is the second player from a Michigan college to be taken in this year's draft. Just seven picks earlier, Michigan's Darius Morris was taken by the Los Angeles Lakers, his hometown team.
A lot of Pistons fans were hoping that Benson would get selected by his hometown team, but the Hawks prevented that from happening. Regardless, it's great that Benson was able to become Oakland's first ever draft pick and that he will get a chance to make it in the NBA with the Hawks.