FSU's Barnes goes No. 4 in NBA Draft; Gray, Koprivica taken in Round 2

For the second straight year, the Florida State men's basketball team produced the No. 4 pick in the NBA Draft.

This time it was freshman Scottie Barnes' turn; he was selected fourth overall Thursday night by the Toronto Raptors.

One year earlier, FSU freshman Patrick Williams went No. 4 to the Chicago Bulls.

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Later on in the night, center Balsa Koprivica was drafted with the 57th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets and RaiQuan Gray was taken with the 59th overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets. Koprivica's rights were later traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Seven ACC players were taken in the two-round draft, and FSU led the way with three selections. FSU now has had multiple players go in three consecutive drafts; this is the first time since 1981 that the Seminoles have seen three players selected in the same year.

Barnes ties Williams and NBA legend Dave Cowens as the highest NBA Draft picks in FSU history. He was named the ACC's Sixth Man and Freshman of the Year after helping lead the Seminoles to their third straight NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

“This is a great place for Scottie to begin his NBA career," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "He’s just what Toronto needs. Great place for him. Great coach. Great organization. It is a great place for him to start. They have won a World Championship. The Raptors organization has a winning DNA. He is going to be a great teammate. We are all very excited for him and looking forward to him being a great NBA player.”

More from FSU's release on Barnes:

With the selections of Barnes at No. 4 in 2021 and Williams at No. 4 in 2020, Leonard Hamilton’s program at Florida State is the only collegiate program in the nation with a top-five pick in each of the last two NBA Drafts.

Barnes is just the fourth one-and-done player in Florida State history, joining former Seminoles Malik Beasley (first round pick of the Denver Nuggets in 2016), Jonathan Isaac (first round Draft Lottery pick of the Orlando Magic in 2017), and Patrick Williams (first round Draft Lottery pick of the Chicago Bulls in 2020).

Barnes is the sixth NBA Draft Lottery pick in school history. He joins a talented list of Seminoles selected in the draft lottery: Patrick Williams (No. 4 overall, 2020, Chicago Bulls), Barnes (No. 4 overall, 2021 Totonto Raptors), Jonathan Isaac (No. 6 overall, 2017, Orlando Magic), George McCloud (No. 7 overall, 1989, Indiana Pacers), Devin Vassell (No. 11 overall, 2020, San Antonio Spurs) and Al Thornton (No. 14 overall, 2007, Los Angeles Clippers).

Barnes led Florida State to an 18-7 overall record and to an 11-4 mark in ACC play during the 2020-21 season. The Seminoles finished in second place in the ACC regular season standings, played in the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the fourth time in school history, and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Barnes averaged 10.3 points (third on the team), 4.0 rebounds (fifth), 4.1 assists (first), 1.5 steals (first) and 0.4 blocked shots (fourth) in his only season as a Seminole. He earned All-American Honorable Mention honors as named by the Associated Press. Barnes earned All-ACC Tournament Second-Team selection in leading the Seminoles to the championship game of the ACC Tournament.

For Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton, Barnes is the 11th first round pick in his head coaching career. He has now coached 12 first round picks, including nine first round picks at Florida State. Hamilton’s first round picks at Florida State include Thornton (Los Angeles Clippers, 2007), Toney Douglas (Los Angeles Lakers, 2009), Chris Singleton (Washington Wizards, 2011), Malik Beasley (Denver Nuggets, 2016), Jonathan Isaac (Orlando Magic, 2017), Mfiondu Kabengele (New Jersey Nets, 2019), Williams (Chicago Bulls, 2020), Vassell (San Antonio Spurs, 2020) and now Barnes.

With Barnes, Koprivica and Gray being taken on Thursday night a total of 18 Seminoles have now been selected in the NBA Draft in Hamilton’s 19 seasons as Florida State’s head coach.

More from FSU on Gray and Koprivica

Koprivica, who earned his Associate’s Degree in Sport Management in 2021, was an early entry candidate for the 2021 NBA Draft. He played on two of Florida State’s most successful teams in 2020 and 2021 – the Seminoles were a combined 44-12 overall (.786 winning percentage) and were 27-8 in ACC regular season play (.771 winning percentage) during his two-year career.

Koprivica averaged a career-high 9.1 points (fifth on the team), a career-high 5.6 rebounds (second) and led the team with a career-high 33 blocked shots and a 1.4 blocked shots per game average during the 2020-21 season. He also led the team with a .599 field goal shooting percentage. Koprivica was named to the ACC All-Tournament First-Team as he averaged 14.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in two games during the 2021 ACC Tournament. He became just the fifth Seminole in ACC history to earn ACC All-Tournament First-Team honors

Koprivica and Gray helped lead Florida State to an 18-7 overall record and an 11-4 mark in ACC play as teammates during the 2020-21 season. The Seminoles finished in second place in the ACC regular season standings, advanced to play in the ACC Tournament Championship game for the fifth time in school history, and played in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Gray averaged a career-high 11.9 points (second on the team), a career-high 6.4 rebounds (first), a career-high 2.2 assists (third) and a career-high 1.2 steals (third) in helping Florida State to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Seminoles finished in second place finish in the ACC regular season standings and played in the ACC Tournament Championship game for the fourth time in program history. The team captain earned All-American Honorable Mention Honors as named by the Associated Press in 2021. He was an All-ACC Third team selection in 2021.

Gray, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Social Science from Florida State University on April 23, 2021, earned All-American Honorable Mention Honors as named by the Associated Press in 2021. He was a member of two NCAA Tournament teams and played as a starter on two NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 teams. Gray started 52 of the final 58 games of his career in the final two full seasons of his career as a Seminole. He was a starter in six career NCAA Tournament games (three in 2019 and three in 2021) as he helped lead the Seminoles to the Sweet 16 in both seasons.

Gray helped lead Florida State to a 73-20 (.785 winning percentage) overall record and a 40-13 (.755 winning percentage) mark in ACC play during his three seasons as a Seminole.

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