Click To Watch Highlights of Plaisted's Last Season at BYU
NEW YORK -- The Seattle Supersonics selected former BYU forward/center Trent Plaisted with the 16th pick in the second round (No. 46 overall) of the 2008 NBA Draft Thursday, marking the third Cougar in the past six years to be selected in the NBA Draft. A proposed trade would send Plaisted to play for the Detroit Pistons.
"I'm very excited to be selected and be part of a great organization," said Plaisted. "Detroit has had a lot of success and has been pretty interested in me from the beginning. It's a great situation for me, and I'm excited to help contribute in any way I can."
Plaisted is BYU's 44th NBA Draft selection, the second-most picks among Mountain West Conference teams after UNLV's 49. Continuing the tradition of exceptional recruiting by BYU head coach Dave Rose in his eight years as an assistant coach and three seasons as the leader of the Cougar program, Plaisted joins Rafael Araujo (No. 8 -- Toronto Raptors, 2004) and Travis Hansen (No. 37 -- Atlanta Hawks, 2003) as BYU's recent draftees. Plaisted is the first BYU underclassman selected in the Draft since Shawn Bradley in 1993.
A 6-foot-11, 245-pound native of San Antonio, Texas, Plaisted averaged 15.6 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds per game as a junior this past season, including 20.6 points and 12.3 rebounds against top-10 competition. He scored 21 points with 12 rebounds in a win over No. 6 Louisville, helped BYU battle No. 1 North Carolina down to the wire with 24 points and 17 rebounds, and totaled 17 points and eight boards in another close setback against No. 9 Michigan State.
Plaisted was a three-time All-Mountain West Conference player who earned first-team honors this past season. He helped the Cougars win their second-straight outright MWC regular-season title and earn their second-consecutive NCAA Tournament invitation. The Cougars appeared in the top-25 rankings for eight weeks and finished the year with a 27-8 record, the second-most wins in school history.
A left-hander known for his athleticism and ability to run the floor, Plaisted was also the MWC Freshman of the Year and a Scout.com Freshman All-America Second Team selection in 2006. He received USBWA All-District honors in 2006 and 2008 while also garnering all-district accolades from the NABC in 2008.
Plaisted finishes his BYU career with 1,372 points (13.3 ppg) to rank 14th on the Cougars' all-time scoring list while adding 686 rebounds (6.7 rpg) and 123 assists (1.2 apg).
Including a redshirt season, Plaisted has been at BYU four years and is nearing completion of his bachelor's degree in economics.