UCSB’s Ajay Mitchell is slated to join one of pro basketball’s best young teams, the Oklahoma City Thunder, after being taken Thursday with the 38th pick of the NBA Draft .
“Seeing it happen is crazy for me, as a kid from Belgium,” Mitchell said at a draft party in Santa Barbara attended by his Gaucho coach, Joe Pasternack, his mother, and sister.
Mitchell, a 6'3" guard, garnered All–Big West honors all three years at UCSB, including Player of the Year in 2022-23. Despite being hampered somewhat by injuries, he averaged 20 points and four assists per game in the 2023-24 season, and a strong showing at the NBA Combine at Chicago improved his prospects in this year’s draft.