On June 28, 2005, Detroit Pistons announced that the franchise selected 6-7 Cincinnati forward Jason Maxiell with the 26th pick in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft.
“Jason Maxiell is a guy that has great toughness and fits the mold of our basketball team,” said Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations for the Pistons.
Maxiell played four years at the University of Cincinnati where he averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.0 steals in 33 games as a senior. During his senior year he led Conference USA in blocked shots (18th in the nation) and earned All-Conference USA Second-Team honors. He scored a career-high 30 points and blocked seven shots vs. Longwood University on December 30, 2004. In the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament vs. Iowa, Maxiell posted 22 points (8-11 shooting), nine rebounds and six blocks. As a junior he led the Bearcats in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounds (6.9 rpg) and blocked shots (2.1 bpg) placing him on the All-Conference-USA Second Team.
Maxiell finished his career at Cincinnati ranked 11th all-time on the Bearcats’ scoring list with 1,566 points and second in blocked shots with 252 (4th all-time in C-USA). In 129 career games (95 starts), he averaged 12.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. He shot 50.7% from the field for his collegiate career and shot 50% or better in three of his four years.
“I want to start off by saying thank you for having me in this wonderful city of Detroit,” Maxiell said. “I feel that this is home. Leaving Cincinnati, which is basically the same thing – a defensive team – and coming here to a wonderful team that’s about defense also. That’s my type of game, I’m the type of player that comes out and plays everything hard, I don’t take a play off. I just thank you for that and thank you for the opportunity, giving me a lifetime to show my talents, thank you.”
Follow the 2005-06 Pistons season through the eyes of the rookie. Maxiell will check back with Pistons fans periodically with diary entries that share his experiences as a rookie in the NBA.