After a senior year where he became the eighth player in Wisconsin men's basketball history with 1,300 points and 500 rebounds in his career, former Badgers forward Jon Leuer will head east to Milwaukee to begin his NBA career after the Bucks selected him with the fortieth pick in Thursday night's NBA draft.
Leuer becomes the thirty-fifth Badger all-time to be selected in the draft and just thethird in the Bo Ryan era, following in the footsteps of former UW players Devin Harris and Alando Tucker.
Although Leuer had hoped to work his way into the first round and pick up a much-sought after guaranteed contract, the opportunity to stay close to Madison is certainly a welcome consolation prize for the Orono, Minn. native.
Leuer spent draft night at home watching the developments along with teammates Tim Jarmusz, Brett Valentyn, and JP Gavinski, all of whom drove up to Minnesota to celebrate what they hoped would be a special night for their former teammate.
The 2011 All-American honorable mention ends up in Milwaukee after plenty of spring and summer travel. Leuer graduated in May and has spent the past six weeks at the combine in Chicago, private training in Los Angeles as well as individual workouts with 15 different NBA teams.
In the end it was a team just down the road from the Kohl Center that came through with the pick.
Leuer is the fifth Badger to be selected by the Bucks and the first since Rashard Griffith headed to the lakefront in 1995.
While the league figures to be headed for a lengthy lockout starting on July 1, Leuer will have to stay focused throughout the waiting period as he will return from the lockout to a training camp and no guaranteed contract.
Having dealt with injuries his junior year and periodic struggles throughout his successful college career, Leuer appears more ready than most to deal with the challenge of staying fit and focused throughout the lockout period.
After four years of success in Madison, Leuer now has his work cut out for him to make good on an opportunity to take his place among the sporting landscape of the Badger state.
Whatever the future may have in store, Thursday night's selection is certainly an achievement worth celebrating.
