Manchester grad Jake Koziel was drafted by the Miami Heat late last night in the early second round. Koziel was chosen as the 33rd pick and was the second selection by Miami.

  
Koziel was a tremendous asset for the Spartans this past season averaging 22.3 ppg and a solid 9.4 rpg, heading the team in both categories. Manchester ended its season in the second round of the NCAA tournament, falling to eventual national champion North Carolina 84-73. Koziel led all scorers with 24 points and also collected 13 rebounds in the tough loss to the Tar Heels.

Manchester joined the Big Ten only two years ago, transferring over from the always challenging Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, and left its mark by finishing third in the conference this season behind the likes of Wisconsin and Purdue.

The Spartans ended up compiling a 27-9 record and earning a 7th-place seed in the NCAA tournament.

  
Koziel dominated the low post area for the Spartans throughout the last four years and will try to elevate his game to the next level in the NBA. He mainly played the power forward position in college, but will likely transfer over to the “3” position for the Heat.

He developed a tremendous shooting stroke over the course of his college career, impressing NBA scouts because of his ability to stretch defenses and make post players come out and guard him, enabling a free lane for the drive and kick.

Koziel currently stands at 6’6’’ and weighs in at 235 lbs, making him a mismatch for guards due to his size and a tough match up for bigs because of his quickness. He will be joining freshman standout Michael Beasley of Kansas State, who was also picked up by Miami with the number one overall selection.

The Heat are currently in the rebuilding stage as they managed the worst record in the NBA last season, finishing a dismal 16-66 just two years removed from their Championship run in 2006. However, with a healthy Dwayne Wade and a great talent in Michael Beasley sharing the court, glory isn’t all that distant for Pat Riley and the Miami Heat.

Koziel was thrilled to be selected in the early second round and is psyched with the thought of playing for such a great organization: the Heat. “Words can’t describe how I feel right now,” he said. “It’s something you dream about as a little kid and when you hear your name being said up at the podium, your emotions tend to take over.”

When asked about his expectations in the NBA and playing in Miami, Koziel responded by saying, “I get an opportunity to play for one of the greatest coaches of all time and play alongside two stars in Wade and Beasley, so I guess I can’t complain. It’s a different level of basketball, but I feel like playing at Manchester College and competing in the Big Ten day in-day out will prepare me for what the league offers.”

Koziel performed extremely well in his three try-outs with Miami, Portland and New York, displaying an array of moves that will be beneficial to any NBA team. One weakness scouts saw in Koziel’s game was his passing, which will need to be a continual area of improvement.

“Jake really possesses a great frame and can shoot it as well as defend at the other end of the court,” said Miami assistant coach, Dave Mitchell. “He has a tremendous upside and we have high expectations of him playing immediately for us next season as long as he continues to get in the weight room and work on his overall game.”

The NBA season is very long with an 82-game schedule unlike the college game which usually tops out at 40 games. However, throughout his four seasons at Manchester Koziel only missed a total of two games, occurring during his sophomore season when he sprained his ankle at the beginning of the year.

Mini-camp for Miami will resume in early October as the Heat plan to forget last season’s performance and get healthy again for a possible play-off run in the always-shaky Eastern Conference. With the additions of Beasley and Koziel added to the mix, the future looks bright and steady for many years to come.

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