Arizona's Dalen Terry celebrates with well-wishers at Thursday's NBA Draft watch party in Scottsdale.

 Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

SCOTTSDALE β€” While Dalen Terry danced, Bennedict Mathurin cried.

Both former Arizona Wildcats experienced life-changing moments Thursday night as first-round picks in the 2022 NBA Draft, while former teammate Christian Koloko was picked high in the second round (33rd overall) by Toronto.

Seconds after the Indiana Pacers made him the sixth pick, Mathurin hugged his mom, plucked the "Domixworld" necklace out from under his suitcoat, then buried his head on his sister's shoulder, shut his eyes and cried.

"Domixworld" refers to the motivation that has driven Mathurin since his older brother, Dominique, died in 2014 after he was struck by a car while riding a bicycle in their native Montreal. Dominique was 15 and Benn was 12.

β€œMy brother is everything to me," Mathurin told ESPN shortly after being drafted. "He’s the reason why I wake up every morning, and me wanting to be the best.”

Bennedict Mathurin reacts after being selected sixth overall by the Indiana Pacers in the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 23, 2022, in New York.

After that emotional moment when he heard his name called, Mathurin wiped away his tears, hugged UA associate head coach Jack Murphy and took the stage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, pretty much on schedule.

The Pac-12 Player of the Year last season as a sophomore with the Wildcats, Mathurin had been widely projected to fall in the 5-7 range of Thursday’s NBA Draft.

The news was cheered on enthusiastically by about 100 friends and family ofΒ  Terry, who was hosting an NBA Draft party Thursday at Scottsdale’s Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles.Β 

The Chicago Bulls took Terry No. 18 overall, prompting an eruption of cheers, music and dancing inside Lo-Lo's, while former UA center Christian Koloko was expected to become a second-round pick later Thursday evening.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was on hand at Terry’s party, along with Wildcat players Kerr Kriisa, Azuolas Tubelis, Tautvilas Tubelis, Grant Weitman, Jordan Mains and Will Menaugh. Special assistant TJ Benson also attended.

Lloyd said he was thinking of going to New York to sit with Mathurin, but UA associate head coach Jack Murphy was already with Mathurin there, while assistant coach Steve Robinson opted to go to Los Angeles to be with Koloko at his draft party there.

β€œSo I thought it made sense for me to come up here,” Lloyd said, shortly after arriving at Lo-Lo’s.

Terry’s father, Al, said Dalen set up his own draft party, booking Lo-Lo’s, where Dalen Terry had signed an NIL deal last year. A corner of the restaurant featured a red carpet area, where Terry had β€œDT” and NBA logos on the photography backdrop, an arrangement of lights and balloons that formed a β€œDT,” plus a red carpet decorated with gold stars on the carpet stating his attributes (β€œThat smile” and β€œLead nation in assist” among them).

Terry said his decision to turn pro rather than return for his junior season came down to confidence.

It "came down to the wire honestly, but then I just bet on myself," he said. "Honestly, it was just like it didn't matter what (number) pick it was. I just knew … I'm gonna go first round."

With Indiana, Mathurin is expected to join a well-regarded backcourt that includes Malcolm Brogdon, Tyrese Halliburton and former Oregon wing Chris Duarte.

"I'm pretty excited, to be honest," Mathurin said in his Barclays Center media interview. "Tomorrow I'm going to wake up and be a Pacer. Just having the chance to play with Tyrese, Chris and the other guys on the team is going to be fun.

"Tyrese likes to pass the ball. He can really pass the ball. He's a great teammate, as well. I'm really looking forward to playing with them and just having fun playing the game."

UA coach Tommy Lloyd talks with the media during his stop at Dalen Terry's NBA Draft watch party on Thursday.

Mathurin said he would bring his "heart" to the Pacers.

"I'm really fortunate for them to draft me," he said. "My goal is to have an impact already on both ends of the floor and bring W's to the team."

As the No. 6 pick, the fifth-highest draft pick ever taken out of Arizona, Mathurin is slotted for a guaranteed two-year contract worth at least $11 million. Terry's No. 18 slot means he will receive a two-year deal worth about $6 million.

A native of Montreal, Mathurin also spent two seasons at the NBA Academy Latin America before joining the Wildcats in 2020-21. Mathurin became the second NBA Academies alum taken and highest ever, after Josh Giddey of the NBA Academy of Australia went No. 6 last season.

"The NBA Academy helped me a lot," Mathurin said. "Just getting used to the NBA lifestyle basically, just living by myself. I come from Montreal. For the team, I lived in México for two years. Learned a new language, new culture, started eating tacos and stuff.

"I feel like it really prepared me. Just living by myself and being a grown-up at a young age, basically."

Measured at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds during the NBA Combine, Mathurin averaged 17.7 points while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range in 2021-22. He started 12 of 26 games as a freshman in 2020-21, averaging 10.8 points while shooting 41.8% from 3.

Terry tested the draft while keeping open the option to return to Arizona but appeared to rise through the predraft process, and announced on May 31 he would not return to school. Terry did not participate in the NBA Combine drills or games but impressed NBA scouts with interviews and measurements, coming in at 6-foot-7 and 195 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan.

Terry worked out privately for about 15 NBA teams, according to his father. While Terry averaged only 8.0 points a game for the Wildcats last season, he made the Pac-12’s all-defense team and was known as a do-everything guard who also averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while posting a nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Terry said he "had a feeling" he was going to Chicago after he worked out for them.

"I know they want me to be me," he said.

Koloko, meanwhile, was the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in 2021-22. Known for his rim-protection and ability to defend all the way to the perimeter, Koloko measured at exactly 7 feet (with shoes) and weighed 221 at the NBA Combine.

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Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at 573-4146 or bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter @brucepascoe