Romeo Langford became the 26th player in IU men's basketball history to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Langford was selected 14th by the Boston Celtics Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Langford will enter the NBA after one year of playing for the Hoosiers. The former freshman averaged 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. His point average was the fifth best among college freshmen last season and ranked first in Big Ten freshmen scoring.
Last season saw some inconsistency with Langford's production, which many attributed to the torn ligament in his right thumb — his shooting hand — that wasn't revealed until after the season concluded.
Langford had surgery to repair the ligament in April. The surgery kept him from participating in the 2019 NBA combine as well as trying out for NBA teams leading up to the draft.
This inability to try out for teams was why Langford was predicted to be selected outside the lottery, but nonetheless, the former Hoosier was chosen as the final pick in the lottery at 14.
"I know what I'm capable of doing," Langford said in his interview on ESPN. "I've been doing it for a long time at a young age, so there wasn't really too much doubt in my head that I was gonna be in the lottery."
Langford is the most recent Hoosier to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since OG Anunoby in 2017. Anunoby went 23rd to the Toronto Raptors.
IU is now tied with Michigan for sixth place all-time among all colleges for the most players drafted in the first round.
The Celtics finished 49-33 last season and were fourth in the Eastern Conference, losing in the second round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks.
With All-Star guard Kyrie Irving opting into free agency, there are roles to be filled in the Celtics back court. Langford will join a group of young guards such as Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart, and he will be under the guidance of Indiana native and former Butler University Head Coach Brad Stevens.
