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After starring in the NCAA Tournament, Ty Jerome, a four-time varsity letterer at Iona Prep, and former Dobbs Ferry High School star Eric Paschall take center stage as potential first-round picks in the NBA Draft, which starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. ESPN is providing coverage.
According to Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, Ty Jerome is projected to land with the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 26th pick in the first round, courtesy of a pick acquired from the Houston Rockets.
“Jerome’s history with Cavaliers’ general manager Koby Altman goes back for a long time now, from when Altman was an assistant at Columbia in the early 2010s and Jerome was a rising prospect at Iona Prep in New Rochelle,” the NBA expert noted.
Vecenie doesn’t have Paschall dropping much further, predicting that the former Villanova Wildcat will be taking his talents to the Detroit Pistons at pick No. 30 in the first round.
“I have Paschall rated as a first-round pick, and think this would be a steal for Detroit,” he wrote. “He’s a tough, physical, strong guy who is a high-level culture player. It’s easy to envision him playing some bench minutes early for them. He’s also a good above-the-break 3-point shooter with the ability to attack a closeout, something Detroit desperately needs from a spacing perspective.”
Jerome, a New Rochelle native, led Virginia to an NCAA Tournament earlier this year after finishing the season as one of the top guards in the country. The 6-foot-5 junior finished the season averaging 13 points a game and hit nearly 40 percent of his three-pointers in the regular season, which was good enough to earn him a spot on the all-ACC third team.
According to ESPN’s “Best Available List,” Jerome is ranked as the 30th best player in the country and eighth-best point guard.
Paschall, a 6-foot-8 forward, was the 2015 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year averaged 26 points and 11 rebounds his junior year at Dobbs Ferry, where he was named the state Class B player of the year in 2013. He transferred to Villanova from Fordham.
According to reports, Paschall is a popular target for some teams picking in the early 20s, and he has been brought in for multiple workouts by several teams.
At Villanova last season, Paschall finished second in scoring for the Wildcats with 16.5 points per game while pulling down more than six rebounds and two assists per game. Paschall was named to the Big East All-Tournament team after finishing the championship with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds.
Villanova head coach Jay Wright said that Paschall “is an outstanding student and a dynamic offensive player whose skills are an excellent fit for (any) team.”
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