BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Loyola Maryland forward Santi Aldama was selected with the final pick of the first round, 30th overall, by the Utah Jazz on Thursday during the 2021 NBA Draft. Aldama is the fourth Patriot League student-athlete chosen in the draft in League history.
UPDATE: The draft rights to Santi Aldama will reportedly be traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 40 selection in the 2021 NBA Draft and two future second round picks.
Aldama, a First Team All-Patriot League and Academic All-League selection, led the League in rebounding (10.2 rpg) and finished second in scoring (21.2 ppg). He was one of two qualified players in NCAA Division I to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game during the 2020-21 season, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The 6-11 native of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain was a 2021 Patriot League Men’s Basketball All-Tournament Team selection after leading the Greyhounds to the Patriot League Championship Game. He averaged 20.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in three tournament games, including a Patriot League Semifinal record 33 points in a win at Army West Point.
Aldama joins, Colgate’s Adonal Foyle (1997, 8th overall), Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum (2013, 10th overall) and Bucknell’s Mike Muscala (2013, 44th overall) as Patriot League men’s basketball student-athletes selected during the NBA Draft.
Patriot League Men’s Basketball Student-Athletes Selected in NBA Draft
| Year |
Student-Athlete, School |
Round/Selection |
Team |
| 1997 |
Adonal Foyle, Colgate |
1st/8th |
Golden State Warriors |
| 2013 |
C.J. McCollum, Lehigh |
1st/10th |
Portland Trailblazers |
| 2013 |
Mike Muscala, Bucknell |
2nd/44th |
Dallas Mavericks |
| 2021 |
Santi Aldama, Loyola Maryland |
1st/30th |
Utah Jazz |
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.