*FRIDAY June 25, 2004*
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Raptors take Rafa at No. 8
Former Brigham Young center Rafael Araujo, right, was chosen by the
Toronto Raptors with the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft. (Danny Chan La
/The Salt Lake Tribune)
By Patrick Kinahan
The Salt Lake Tribune
Things turned out well the last time Rafael Araujo left his native
Brazil for another country.
Araujo will go foreign again, as the Toronto Raptors took the former
Brigham Young center with the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. The
6-foot-11, 292-pound Araujo, who has never been to Canada, will receive
a three-year contract worth a total of $6.7 million.
Sitting in the Green Room at Madison Square Garden, Araujo broke
into a wide grin after NBA commissioner David Stern announced Toronto’s
selection. He enjoyed congratulations from his wife, Cheyenne, and his
parents, Tadeu and Neuza, each visiting the United States for the first
time.
Since the college season ended, Araujo toured the country, staging
impressive workouts for 18 teams. His agent, Diron Ohanian, predicted
this week the Raptors could take him.
“That was as high as he could go,” Ohanian said from New York. “They
seem to really like him. They were on him for a while, but I really
didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t give us a great indication.”
Araujo indicated a desire to play for the Jazz, noting he felt
comfortable in Utah after his two years in Provo. Ohanian took it step
further, saying he wanted the Jazz to draft his client.
A salary increase of $2 million over three years, based on Araujo’s
draft slot, offset any disappointment. The Jazz wanted to draft Araujo,
but he was long gone before the team’s first pick at No. 14.
“It worked out great,” Ohanian said. “He would have loved to play
for Utah.
You can’t be disappointed to go that high at No. 8 when a team shows
that kind of respect.”
Indicative of his mid-lottery position, Araujo has a chance to play
immediately. Toronto’s primary big men last season were rookie Chris
Bosh, Donyell Marshall and Corie Blount, none of whom can match Araujo’s
size.
Bosh, who left Georgia Tech after his freshman season, averaged 11.5
points and 7.4 rebounds as the starting center. A former member of the
Jazz, the 6-9 Marshall became the starting power forward after being
traded by the Chicago Bulls.
Toronto officials said they expect Araujo to begin next season
playing 15 to 20 minutes a game.
Even a hint of an NBA career seemed far-fetched four years ago.
Araujo’s ascension into the world’s best basketball league culminated a
remarkable journey that began in Sao Paulo. The first stop was at remote
Arizona Western College, a two-year school far removed from any
basketball hotbed. The path included two years at BYU, where he helped
the Cougars land consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and graduated as the
Mountain West’s co-player of the year.
Noted for a strong work ethic, Araujo improved substantially at BYU.
He averaged 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds last season and displayed a
degree of nastiness that impressed NBA scouts.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Araujo said. “It paid off.”
Araujo becomes the highest Cougar selected since the Philadelphia
76ers took Shawn Bradley at No. 2 in 1993. Bradley attended the draft in
New York and spoke to Araujo after Toronto picked him.
He is the sixth BYU player to be taken in the first round. Araujo,
who learned English after arriving in the United States, earned a
bachelor’s degree in recreation management in April.
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*© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune. *
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