The Phoenix Suns selected Alec Peters from the Valparaiso University with the 54th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Peters, a prolific three-point shooter at 6-9 and 232 pounds, was named the Horizon League Player of the Year as a senior following a four-year career where he became Valparaiso’s all-time leader in scoring rebounding, field goals made, free throws made and games started. In 2016-17, the skillful big man was the only player in Division I to rank in the top 20 nationally in both scoring and rebounding as he led his conference with 23.0 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game.
“He was one of the best shooters in this draft,” GM Ryan McDonough said. “He had a very decorated career at [Valparaiso]. Frankly, throughout the college season we had him ranked a lot higher than the mid-fifties.”
For his career, Peters averaged 17.5 points in 134 games for the Crusaders and his 2,348 total points are third-most in Horizon League history. Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team as a senior, the 22-year-old was also a three-time All-Horizon Academic Team member. A native of Washington, Illinois, Peters was a first-team all-state selection in each of his final two seasons at Washington High School.