SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they selected James Anderson with the 20th overall pick and Ryan Richards with the 49th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Anderson, a 6-6 guard, spent the past three seasons at Oklahoma State University. Last season he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. Anderson ranked sixth in the nation and led the Big 12 in scoring (22.3 ppg) and averaged 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 33 games. He scored in double figures in all 33 games, including 20 or more points in 22 games and 30-plus in five games. As a sophomore Anderson was named Second Team All-Big 12. He led the Cowboys in scoring (18.2 ppg), three-point percentage (.408, 84-206) and free throw percentage (.829, 136-164). He posted a career-high 37 points at Oklahoma on March 7, 2009. Anderson was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team in 2008 and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. For his career Anderson started in 99 of 101 games for the Cowboys, averaging 17.9 points (second all-time in OSU history), 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.11 steals while shooting .460 (583-1,268) from the field, .375 (222-600) from three-point range and .797 (420-527) from the foul line.
The Spurs used the 49th overall pick to select Richards from England. Last season he split time between La Caja Gran Canaria in the Spanish EBA League and BBC Monthey in Switzerland. A 6-11 forward, Richards averaged 10.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in three games for La Caja before being loaned to BBC Monthey. He averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in six games with Monthey. Richards has represented England in national team play at the U-16 and U-18 level. In 2007, at the age of 15, he became the youngest player to ever compete at the Nike Hoop Summit.