In 2018, Deandre Ayton, right, became the first Arizona Wildcat to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

 Kevin Hagen, Associated Press

If there’s anything the Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball program can hang its hat on, it’s NBA draft picks.

And Thursday’s draft could bring another first. Three Wildcats β€” Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko β€” could all go in the first round, a feat that’s never been accomplished in UA history.

Lately, most of Arizona’s first-round talent have been forwards and centers. The last time the UA produced a top-10 guard was 1999, when a β€œJET” landed in Atlanta. Mathurin, a guard, could end the drought on Thursday.

As draft day nears, here’s a look at every first-round pick from Arizona, when and where they went, and how they fared as pros:

Larry Demic

Year: 1979

Pick: No. 9 overall

Team: New York Knicks

Career stats: Demic averaged 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in three seasons with the Knicks.

Career earnings: Not available

Anthony Cook

Year: 1989

Pick: No. 24 overall

Team: Phoenix Suns

Career stats: Cook averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in five seasons.

Career earnings: Not available

Sean Elliott

Year: 1989

Pick: No. 3 overall

Team: San Antonio Spurs

Career stats: Elliott averaged 14.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game over 13 seasons. Elliott was a two-time all-star and helped the Spurs win the 1999 NBA championship.

Career earnings: $40.6 million

Brian Williams

Year: 1991

Pick: No. 10 overall

Team: Orlando Magic

Career stats: Williams β€” who later changed his name to Bison Dele β€” averaged 11 points and 6.2 rebounds per game over eight seasons and helped the Bulls win the 1997 NBA championship.

Career earnings: Not available

Chris Mills

Year: 1993

Pick: No. 22 overall

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Career stats: Mills averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game over 10 seasons.

Career earnings: $37.7 million

Khalid Reeves

Year: 1994

Pick: No. 12 overall

Team: Miami Heat

Career stats: Reeves averaged 7.8 points and 3.2 assists per game over eight seasons.

Career earnings: Not available

Damon Stoudamire

Year: 1995

Pick: No. 7 overall

Team: Toronto Raptors

Career stats: Stoudamire, who was the Raptors' first-ever draft pick in franchise history, averaged 13.5 points, 6.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game over 15 seasons in the NBA. Stoudamire was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1996.

Career earnings: $99.6 million

Mike Bibby

Year: 1998

Pick: No. 2 overall

Team: Vancouver Grizzlies

Career stats: Bibby averaged 14.7 points, 5.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game over 17 NBA seasons. Bibby earned All-NBA Rookie Team honors in 1999.

Career earnings: $107 million

Michael Dickerson

Year: 1998

Pick: No. 14 overall

Team: Houston Rockets

Career stats: Dickerson averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game over five seasons.

Career earnings: $17.1 million

Jason Terry

Year: 1999

Pick: No. 10 overall

Team: Atlanta Hawks

Career stats: Terry averaged 13.4 points and 3.8 assists per game over 19 NBA seasons; he was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2009 and won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

Career earnings: $107 million

Richard Jefferson

Year: 2001

Pick: No. 13 overall

Team: Houston Rockets (Traded to New Jersey Nets)

Career stats: Jefferson averaged 12.6 points and four rebounds per game over 18 seasons. Jefferson helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA championship in 2016.

Career earnings: $115 million

Andre Iguodala

Year: 2004

Pick: No. 9 overall

Team: Philadelphia 76ers

Career stats: Iguodala averaged 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 per game over a 19-year career. The one-time NBA All-Star has won four championships with the Golden State Warriors and was named Finals MVP in 2015.

Career earnings: $182.3 million

Channing Frye

Year: 2005

Pick: No. 8 overall

Team: New York Knicks

Career stats: Frye averaged 8.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game over 15 seasons; Frye won a championship with the Cavs in 2016.

Career earnings: $68.6 million

Jerryd Bayless

Year: 2008

Pick: No. 11 overall

Team: Indiana Pacers (Traded to Portland Trail Blazers)

Career stats: Bayless averaged 8.4 points and 2.9 assists per game over 11 seasons.

Career earnings: $48 million

Jordan Hill

Year: 2008

Pick: No. 8 overall

Team: New York Knicks

Career stats: Hill averaged 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds over eight seasons.

Career earnings: $31.4 million

Derrick Williams

Year: 2011

Pick: No. 2 overall

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves

Career stats: Williams averaged 8.9 points and four rebounds per game over seven seasons.

Career earnings: $29.4 million

Solomon Hill

Year: 2013

Pick: No. 23 overall

Team: Indiana Pacers

Career stats: Hill has averaged 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game over nine seasons.

Career earnings: $56.1 million

Aaron Gordon

Year: 2014

Pick: No. 4 overall

Team: Orlando Magic

Career stats: Gordon has averaged 13 points and 6.3 rebounds over eight seasons and counting.

Career earnings: $92.7 million

Stanley Johnson

Year: 2015

Pick: No. 8 overall

Team: Detroit Pistons

Career stats: Johnson has averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game over seven seasons and counting.

Career earnings: $21.4 million

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, right, was all smiles when he greeted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being selected 23rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2015 draft.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Year: 2015

Pick: No. 23 overall

Team: Portland Trail Blazers (Traded to Brooklyn Nets)

Career stats: Hollis-Jefferson averaged nine points and 5.5 rebounds per game over six seasons.

Career earnings: $9.5 million

Lauri Markkanen

Year: 2017

Pick: No. 7 overall

Team: Minnesota Timberwolves (Traded to Chicago Bulls)

Career stats: Markkanen has averaged 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in five seasons β€” and counting β€” in the pros.

Career earnings: $35.7 million

Deandre Ayton

Year: 2018

Pick: No. 1 overall

Team: Phoenix Suns

Career stats: Ayton has averaged 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in four seasons β€” and counting β€” in the NBA.

Career earnings: $39.8 million

Josh Green

Year: 2020

Pick: No. 18 overall

Team: Dallas Mavericks

Career stats: Green has averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in two seasons and counting.

Career earnings: $5.7 million

Zeke Nnaji

Year: 2020

Pick: No. 22 overall

Team: Denver Nuggets

Career stats: Nnaji has averaged 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in two seasons.

Career earnings: $4.9 million

Bennedict Mathurin

Year: 2022

Pick: No. 6 overall

Team: Indiana Pacers

Dalen Terry

Year: 2022

Pick: No. 18 overall

Team: Chicago Bulls

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Contact sports producer Justin Spears at 573-4312 or jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter: @JustinESports