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For the first time in 37 years, a player who attended the University of North Texas will join an NBA roster. With the 37th overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons selected UNT's own Tony Mitchell. Mitchell was a standout forward for the Mean Green in his two seasons in Denton and was arguably the best player to take the court in the history of the mens basketball program. Lee Winfield, who played from 1969-1976 with several organizations, was North Texas last NBA player. Mitchell was a top prospect coming out of Dallas Pinkston High School and was initially set to attend Missouri. However, academic eligibility issues led him to North Texas. Mitchell was predicted to flourish against the competition he faced in the Sun Belt, and in his first season he showed signs of doing just that. Yet, his second season was not as successful. His numbers dropped across the board and he finished the season with per game averages of 13 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. These struggles this can somewhat be attributed to new Head Coach Tony Benford and his staff being brought in. Injuries across the roster also factored into the dip in Mitchell's play as he became the primary focus of opposing defenses. Mitchell remained one of the most athletically gifted players in the Draft, however. His performance at the draft combine especially stood out and many drew comparisons between him and the likes of Paul George and Shawn Marion. Due to this, Mitchell was projected by many analysts to be taken late in the first round. This would not be the case, though. Read more: http://www.wfaa.com/sports/Mitchell-213603221.html