09/26/07

Saints guard and 2006 UMAC Player of the Year Will Maupins was the second pick, and 17th overall, of the Great Falls Explorers of the CBA in the league's Tuesday night draft.

Maupins was chosen early in the second round by the Explorers and will be coached by former NBA player Scott Wedman, a former teammate of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale on a Boston Celtics team that won two NBA championships in the 1984 and 1986 seasons.

The 6-foot 4-inch Maupins was the first NCAA Division-III player chosen in the draft. The Explorer's first pick was 6-foot 8-inch forward Mike Chavez of Division-I University of Montana. Their third round selection was Kevin Krueger from UNLV.

Other players chosen after Maupins were point guard Zach Malvik of Division-II national champion Winona State, and Lee Humphreys from the University of Florida.

Maupins joined the Saints entering his junior season, transferring in from Mesabi Range CC. In his senior season with the Saints -- one in which they won their second consecutive UMAC postseason title -- Maupins finished tops in the league in blocked shots (1.52 per game), second in scoring (19.9 ppg), rebounding (8.6 per game), and steals (1.89 per game), and third in the league in field goal percentage (.533).

Maupins is the second player coached by Saints head coach David Staniger to be drafted in a professional basketball league. While at Augsburg (Minn.) College as an assistant coach, Devean George was the 23rd overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft, chosen by the LA Lakers.