2017 Draft

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We selected John Collins, Tyler Dorsey and Alpha Kaba in the 2017 Draft.  So how well do you know them?

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Trivia: Name the 2017 Hawks Draft Pick

Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @KLChouinard

Alpha Kaba had previously come close to going through the NBA's draft process. 

In 2015, he entered his name into the draft before eventually withdrawing a week before the deadline and signing to play for Mega Leks in the Adriatic League. In 2016, he withdrew again on the day of the withdrawal deadline.

The 2017 draft process wasn't any less stressful for Kaba. On the day before the draft, he worked out for the Washington Wizards before flying home to Serbia with his Mega teammate, Ognjen Jaramaz.

"We were watching the draft on the plane getting stressed," said the 6-foot-9 forward. "(We landed) in Belgrade at the end of the first round."

After bolting home in a taxi, Kaba was pleased to see his Mega teammates Vlatko Cancar (49th pick) and Jaramaz (58th pick) get chosen. 

"I was so happy and just called (Jaramaz to say), ‘What’s up?’ And then I realized I wasn’t drafted yet, you know?"

If Kaba had gotten a little groggy and not noticed that the draft would be ending after two more picks, he had a good excuse: It was 6 a.m. local time.

"I was pretty scared,” he said. "I just like saw 59, still not drafted. And then I see 60, and I can’t explain the feeling I had.”

Kaba laughed and said that he may have woken his neighbors with his reaction and some joyful phone calls to loved ones. But then in short time, he was ready to make a U-turn to head back to the U.S. for a press conference and a week of training in Atlanta to prepare for Las Vegas Summer League.

"My agent called me to say congratulations. Then he called me back to say that they want you here to practice for Summer League. It was really quick. I had to pack my stuff and do everything quick. I didn't have time to go back to France to see my family."

Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk said he thinks Kaba has potential in a lot of parts of his game.

"Alpha (has) length with a 7-foot-5 wingspan and (the) ability to rebound and ability to run," Schlenk said. "He has got a really nice touch on his jump shot that we feel like we can develop."

Schlenk's wingspan comment caught fellow rookie John Collins by surprise.

"Mmmmm," Collins howled under his breath.

If Kaba has a rare wingspan, he certainly put it to good use in the past season. He led the Adriatic League (ABA) with 7.5 rebounds per game, averaging 3.0 offensive rebounds each game. He also scored 10.8 points per game while making 57.1 percent of his two-point field-goal attempts and 27.8 percent of his threes. 

It remains a strong possibility that Kaba could continue to play another season for Mega Bemax. For now, Kaba is focused on the short term. He wants to get to work in Summer League and measure his skills against NBA-level talent. 

"I'm here to practice and to evaluate myself and to see if can stay this season or not."

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The Story of Alpha Kaba's Adventurous Draft Day

Tyler Dorsey is one of those players who always seems to come up big in postseason tournaments.

Two years ago, as a senior at Maranatha High School, Dorsey led his team to a regional title. He scored 52 points in a quarterfinal game and was eventually named the Gatorade boys basketball player of the year for the state of California.

This spring, in the Pac-12 tournament, Dorsey had three consecutive 20-point games for the University of Oregon. Then the sophomore went full supernova in the NCAA tournament, shooting 60.6 percent from three and leading the Ducks to the Final Four. 

But the 21-year-old has another tournament experience that many of his peers do not. He has played some international basketball over the past two summers.

"After my senior year of high school," Dorsey said, "I worked out and got cut from the USA team. Then I looked at other possibilities."

Dorsey's mother, Samia, was born in Israel, but her father was a Greek citizen. She helped Dorsey get his Greek passport and citizenship, and he went on to play for Greece in the 2015 Under-19 FIBA World Championships. 

The 6-foot-4 guard was an immediate smash hit on the Greek team. He averaged 15.9 points and 5.0 rebounds for the tournament. In leading Greece to the semifinals, Dorsey got a rematch against the team that had cut him. Even though the U.S. team won that game and the overall tournament one game later, Dorsey scored 21 points in the semifinals and was named to the tournament's All-Star Five.

A summer later, Dorsey tried out for the Greek Olympic team and got some head-to-head time against the greatest player that he says he has ever faced: Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. Dorsey didn't make the team -- he was one of the final cuts -- but he thinks the experience helped to prepare him for the NBA.

"I got to go against the pros in practice, against the Greek Freak," Dorsey said. "I played against the pros, and I have that knowledge under my belt. That's why I know that playing professionally, I feel like it will be an easy transition because I went through that."

Dorsey is on the preliminary roster for Greece for this summer's European championship. Don't bet against him making the Greek squad this time around.

The Hawks prize the talent that Dorsey, a shooting guard with some point guard skills, has shown as a ball handler. Those skills have come in handy more frequently in the pressurized situations that arise in tournament play, especially during Oregon's run to the Final Four.

"I was playing on the ball more during that stretch," Dorsey said of his 2017 NCAA Tournament. "I've shown my ability when I play on the ball as far as what I can do."

Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk concurred with that sentiment in the introductory press conference.

"The one thing about Tyler that people don’t realize," Schlenk said, "is that he has the ability to become a secondary ballhandler.”

Dorsey said that he tries to draw inspiration from a number of pro combo guards, but one in particular stands out.

"I try to take bits and pieces from all the best guards in the league," he said. "But I would say that one guy who is probably closest is C.J. McCollum, being that combo guard and being able to score at all three levels."

Dorsey, who will play for the Hawks in Summer League in July, has goals for his rookie season that extend beyond himself.

"(I want) to be a high playoff team definitely," he said. "Winning is big for me. That's where I came from at Oregon with a great winning resume, being in a winning culture with a winning spirit. You've already got it (in Atlanta) but I'm lending my spirit as well."

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NBA Is Dorsey's Next Big Moment To Shine

When John Collins was a young kid, his mother, Lyria Rissing-Collins, was serving her country as a member of the United States Air Force. So the 6-foot-10 Collins, whom the Hawks drafted Thursday with the 19th overall pick of the NBA Draft, did a lot of two things in his early years: traveling the globe and growing.

Collins was born in Utah, but soon moved to Guam when the Air Force stationed her there. In Guam, Collins got his hands on a basketball for the first time -- in an Easter basket that he received at age 2.

"I set it up in the living room with the little eggs and the grass and everything," Rissing-Collins said. "And I brought him down the stairs and I said, 'Easter... basket.'"

Collins surveyed the collection of candy and toy cars and decorations and quickly picked a favorite.

From that point onward, Collins and the kiddie basketball were hard to separate. 

"It was under his arm. It was in the tub," Rissing-Collins said. "I bought him a little plastic basketball hoop to put outside of the carport and the kid used to slam the ball and beat up on the neighborhood kids. He started just like that at 3 years old."

The tall youngster moved to spots all over the globe and picked up sports quickly. He went to Turkey with his mom until the events of Sept. 11, 2001 necessitated a move to the U.S. Virgin Islands to stay with his grandmother and grandfather. He fell head over heels for soccer. He mastered swimming and earned a certificate for diving at age 8. 

"He could eat a whole half of a cow," Rissing-Collins said of the her son's appetite. "He is a steak fanatic: breakfast, lunch, dinner. You can't have enough ribeyes and New York strips. If you ever invite him any place, have steak."

If all those steaks helped him to fill out his tall frame, they are paying dividends now. The Hawks were clearly drawn to his rare combination of size, athleticism and character.

"He can play a couple of positions," Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk said. "The way the league is going now, he is going to be able to play some 5."

Collins' varied skill set should help facilitate his transition to the NBA level, no matter which position he ends up playing. The Hawks' GM saw some of those talents on full display during Collins' two seasons at Wake Forest, where he finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in scoring (19.2 points per game) and second in rebounding (9.8 rebounds per game), while also leading the conference in field-goal percentage and player efficiency rating.

"He can score in the post," Schlenk said. "He runs the floor extremely hard, and he goes after the ball on the glass defensively."

If there are areas where Collins can improve, the upgrades may be more a matter of discovering untapped potential in his game. Collins and the Hawks resolutely believe in his shooting stroke. At Wake Forest, Collins attempted just a single three-point field goal, and he didn't earn a reputation as a shutdown defender. On the other hand, Collins fit a specific need for his college squad. They needed him dominating around the rim, and to achieve that feat, he had to stay near the basket and avoid foul trouble at all costs. 

Collins will first get the chance to expand his game at the NBA level in July in Las Vegas, where he will play alongside other young Hawks like Taurean Prince, DeAndre' Bembry, Tyler Dorsey and Alpha Kaba in Summer League. His mom expects him to be a great teammate. She said that his globe-trotting childhood helped him develop a highly-tuned sense of people skills that allow him to relate to everyone.

"He is very accepting," she said. "It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, he gives everyone a fair chance. He is that loving."

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With Help From Mom, Collins Brings Childhood Pastime To Highest Level

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Hawks Host Fun-Filled Member Draft Party

Here's a transcript of first-round pick John Collins' interview with media at the NBA Draft:

Q: John, could you start out with an opening statement, what you'll bring to the Hawks, please?

JOHN COLLINS: First off, I want to say I'm blessed. Happy to be a Hawk. Shows a lot of promise that the organization is willing to take the time to pick me. Like I said, happy to be a Hawk, and ready to give my all for the organization, so go Hawks!

Q: John, the Atlanta Hawks just traded away Dwight Howard, made some changes in the front office, clearly a team that's trying to do some things differently. How do you feel like you fit and what do you feel like you're going to bring to the team?

JOHN COLLINS: Obviously the organization has a winning culture of being able to make the playoffs consistently for a number of years now, with the front office changes, something is going in the right direction. They're a team that constantly wants to improve and going forward, so as a young guy I want to come in there and learn that winning culture and just bring that to the team.

Q: I assume you enjoyed your time in Winston- Salem and now you get to stay in the Southeast. Now that this is done, were you kind of hoping to stay in the Southeast because you chose to go to college there?

JOHN COLLINS: Wherever I went is wherever I went but obviously now that this happened, it's always cool to stay in sort of the same area as Wake, and obviously mom down the road in South Florida. So definitely cool staying in town.

Q: I assume Delta Airlines will be getting a lot of business. JOHN COLLINS: Yeah, definitely. Mom is a big Delta fan anyway, so she'll be in and out of Atlanta a lot.

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Q&A With Hawks Draft Pick John Collins

GM Travis Schlenk answered questions about the Draft and looked ahead to Summer League &amp; free agency.