NEWARK, N.J. -- The Boston Celtics have chosen Syracuse center Fab Melo with the 22nd pick of the NBA draft.
A talented defender and shot blocker, Melo was the second big man chosen by Boston. They also had the 21st pick, which they used to take Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger. Boston's second-round pick is the 51st overall.
Melo led Syracuse with 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game while averaging 7.8 points per game last season but missed the NCAA tournament because of academic issues. Syracuse was eliminated in the Elite Eight by Ohio State, 77-70.
The 7-0, 255-pound Melo played sparingly as a freshman but was named Big East defensive player of the year as a sophomore when he set a school record with 10 blocks against Seton Hall.
But the real story was over and done by the time the Celtics made their pick.
No one-and-done for Kentucky's kids in the NBA draft. The Wildcats instead became the first school to go 1-2.
After the New Orleans Hornets selected Kentucky forward Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick Thursday, Charlotte followed by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
The Wildcats are the first school to have the top two picks, part of what they hoped would be perhaps five or even six players selected in the first round. John Calipari has been criticized for recruiting "one-and-done" players -- they stay the required one year and leave -- but he looked thrilled hugging his two
"It's crazy," Davis said. "Michael is a great player. We have two down and four more to go. Hopefully all of them will go in the first round."
It's been a long time since a school made such an impact at the top of the draft.
UCLA had the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in 1969, when Milwaukee took Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- then Lew Alcindor -- and Lucius Allen went third to the Seattle SuperSonics.
Davis will begin his pro career in the same city where he ended it with a national title. College basketball's player of the year as a freshman was the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four despite shooting just 1 for 10 from the field in the championship game, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking six shots in the victory over Kansas.
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