Former Bruins Aaron Holiday, Thomas Welsh selected in NBA Draft
Former UCLA men’s basketball guard Aaron Holiday was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 23rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Holiday averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 assists per game in his three-year career as a Bruin. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Ryan Smith
June 21, 2018 7:23 p.m.
This post was updated June 21 at 9:20 p.m.
The Indiana Pacers selected former Bruins guard Aaron Holiday with the 23rd pick in the 2018 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
Holiday played three seasons for UCLA men’s basketball and decided to forgo his senior year to enter the draft after starting all 33 games and earning All-Pac-12 conference honors as a junior.
He also led the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.3 points per game and was selected to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.
Holiday emerged while playing behind Lonzo Ball as a sophomore and took over the position when Ball left for the NBA.
The Bruins reached the NCAA tournament in Holiday’s lone season as the starter, but fell to St. Bonaventure in the First Four.
Holiday is set to back up former UCLA guard Darren Collison in Indiana and will also be reunited with former Bruin teammates T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu, who were both chosen by the Pacers in last year’s draft.
The Denver Nuggets selected center Thomas Welsh in the second round with the 58th pick overall.
Welsh was not included in a majority of mock drafts as a candidate to be drafted leading up to Thursday night, but managed to find a home.
The former Bruin played four years with UCLA men’s basketball and averaged 9.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in 132 career games.
In 33 appearances last season, Welsh averaged a double-double with over 12 points and 10 rebounds per game and earned second-team All-Pac-12 conference honors.
