DETROIT (6/22/2023) -- The University of Detroit Mercy has seen 23 players drafted in the NBA and ABA draft. Dave DeBusschere is the highest Titan to be selected, going first overall in 1962, while Spencer Haywood was picked fourth overall in the 1970 ABA draft.
Draft day is filled with excitement and anticipation and here are a few Titans who shared their stories about what it was like on that special day.
Ron Bostick - 7th Round - Milwaukee - 1977
"I don't remember a lot about that day other than I know myself and Dennis Boyd were drafted. I really didn't know I was going to be drafted. A matter of fact, I remember after we lost to Michigan in the NCAA Tournament that coach (Dick) Vitale said I probably wasn't going to get drafted. I took it with a grain of salt and didn't care much because I was graduating with a degree and that is what I wanted. I ended up getting a phone call, I believe, and I went to Milwaukee's camp. It was a three-day camp and just a great experience. I got to play against Kent Benson from Indiana, he was their top pick in the draft, I believe. I always saw him play on TV and then when we were playing, I was saying to myself, he is not that great."
Earl Cureton - 3rd Round - Philadelphia 76ers- 1979
"Here is a story for you. I was living in the dorms working midnights in a paint factory stripping floors. The draft happened that night, and I was not thinking about it because I was a junior and even though I was eligible for the draft, I was coming back to school. I am working, it is about 3 or 4 in the morning and this guy walked up to me and said I got drafted. I told him, stop playing, and he said you got drafted, it is in the paper. I still didn't believe him and I finished my shift. I came back to the dorms and I got a phone call from Pat Williams saying they had taken me in the third round of the draft. I was coming off a good year at U-D and I scored a lot at Robert Morris, so I really didn't think I was going to get drafted. That year, I played with Terry Duerod and he was the scorer and main guy, so my scoring average dropped from Robert Morris. I ended up going about 10 picks after he was selected by the Pistons. I believe I called my mom after that, and I was in shock. That night job didn't last much longer. I knew I needed to work on my game more seriously. I remember telling myself, I got to be in there and work on my game if I am going to play there and also to be in Philadelphia, I was a Dr. J guy and I had his posters everywhere, so I was in Heaven."
Bill Ebben - 3rd Round - Detroit Pistons - 1957
"That was many moons ago. At that time, the NBA had a territorial pick so teams could pick a local player and attendance could increase. I can't recall if I was that pick by Detroit because of the career I had at U-D, but I was selected 18th. I can't remember exactly how I was notified, but probably someone called me. I thought I was going to be drafted because of my career and the publicity I had. I signed a contract for $9,000 even though it was reported to be $18,000. At that time, I was actually still in school in a co-op program and I was working in a lab at Detroit. We would play say in New York and fly back and get in around 2 a.m. I would have to wake up a few hours later to go to work until about 3 p.m. and then go to practice. It wasn't a lot of fun doing all of that, and after the season, I was traded to Syracuse. They asked me when I was going to report and I said, I don't think I am going to report. In those days, it just wasn't very lucrative, so I needed to move on with my career."
Keith Gray - 7th Round - Washington Bullets - 1985
"I was at home with my family and I got a call from Washington. I thought I was going to be drafted a bit higher, but I got the call. I went into that day thinking that I was going to get drafted, and you start thinking about all these places and hoping you go to a team that needs what you have to offer. We were all sitting there, and it was some intense moments, but if it rings, it rings, you can't control that. When you start hoping, wishing and praying, that is when emotions get high and disappointment can get high, so I was just being as patient as possible. One of my brothers answered the phone and that is when all the emotions just came out. Two of my brothers, my sister and my mother were there and once I hung up, the first person I hugged was my mother. We were all excited that I got that opportunity."
Terry Tyler - 2nd Round - Detroit Pistons - 1978
"I was invited to go up to the Pontiac Silverdome to watch the draft, both John (Long) and I. It is such a surreal moment. Draft day is not like college recruiting, you just don't have a lot of control. So we are both sitting there and listening to the names called, Mychal Thompson, Larry Bird, Reggie Theus, I can't remember all the names, but you keep hearing names and not hearing your name, so it is kind of a creepy feeling. Finally, Detroit Pistons, second-round first pick Terry Tyler and it is done. It is a humbling experience and a lot of different things are running in your mind. The people are there, the media is there and remember, coach Vitale was the Pistons' coach, so that added to everything. Then, six or seven picks later, John was taken by Detroit, which was amazing. Coach was taking a risk on us and we knew we weren't the big fish in the pond. We were starting all over again. We took pride in being from Detroit and having to prove ourselves on the big stage."
