Grant Riller became the fourth men’s basketball player in College of Charleston history to be selected in the NBA draft on Wednesday, picked up in the second round by the Charlotte Hornets as the 56th overall pick.
“I am very thankful for everyone who helped me get to this point,” Riller said in a CofC press release. “I am blessed beyond words and ready to get to work with the Hornets.”
Riller graduated from the College in May with a degree in sociology.
As a senior, Riller averaged 21.9 points per game, 10th in the nation, and became the first-ever CofC player to earn a triple-double in a January game at home versus Northeastern. Riller started all but seven of the 132 games he played in as a Cougar after missing his freshman season as a redshirt. Coach Earl Grant recruited Riller from Ocoee High School in Florida as one of his initial high-prospect players
Riller joins former Charleston players Jarrell Brantley, Andrew Goudelock and Anthony Johnson who were also selected by NBA squads. Brantley was selected by the Indiana Pacers and immediately traded to the Utah Jazz in 2019 and spent last season as a two-way player between the NBA and the league’s player development program. Former CofC guard Joe Chealey has also spent time in the Hornets organization, currently on the team’s Greensboro Swarm G League squad.
Riller’s selection puts CofC in elite company among 21 schools like UNC, Duke, Kentucky and others with players drafted in both of the past two NBA drafts. As independent CofC basketball commentator Holy City Hoops noted on Twitter, that puts the College ahead of pedigreed programs like UCLA, Kansas, Florida and others.
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