Bucknell University Athletics
Mike Muscala Heading to Atlanta Hawks (UPDATED)
2/25/2014 12:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UPDATE Feb. 27, 1 p.m. -- The Atlanta Hawks have officially signed Mike Muscala to a contract. Muscala will be in uniform when the Hawks start a Western Conference road trip in Phoenix on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air locally on SportSouth and Fox Sports Arizona, as well as on the NBA League Pass subscription service. Muscala's second game will be against former Lehigh rival C.J. McCollum and the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Feb. 25, 2014
According to reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Sportando, former Bucknell basketball star Mike Muscala is one step closer to becoming the first Bison player ever to suit up in an official NBA game. Muscala, a second-round draft choice of the Atlanta Hawks who has been playing for Rio Natura Monbus Obradoiro in Spain, is headed back to the United States, where he is expected to sign with the Hawks.
Rio Natura Monbus announced on its website that the club has reached a transfer agreement with the Hawks. As of early Tuesday afternoon Muscala was still en route from Spain, and the Hawks have not yet announced a signing. The team is scheduled to host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday before playing at the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Muscala graduated from Bucknell in 2013 after leading the Bison to three straight Patriot League regular-season titles, as well as two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one in the NIT. Muscala left as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,036 career points, and he is the only player in Bucknell and Patriot League history to record at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (1,093).
In 2012-13 Muscala became the first men's basketball player to sweep the Patriot League Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. He was a four-time All-Patriot League selection, a two-time PL Player of the Year and two-time PL Tournament MVP. Muscala was selected as one of 30 candidates for the Naismith Player of Year Award, and he was picked as a Lute Olsen All-American by CollegeInsider.com and as an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. Muscala was also a Capital One Academic All-American and one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award.
Last June the Dallas Mavericks selected Muscala with the 44th overall pick in the NBA Draft, and then the Mavericks immediately traded Muscala's draft rights to the Hawks. Muscala played with the Hawks' NBA Summer League team, but roster spots in the frontcourt dwindled after Atlanta signed free agent forwards Elton Brand and Paul Millsap. So Muscala signed with Obradoiro in the Liga Endesa, which is the top division in Spain and is considered one of the top leagues in Europe.
Muscala has excelled in Spain. He is leading the entire league in rebounding with 7.8 per game, and he ranks seventh in scoring at 14.6 points per game. In 20 games, Muscala shot 54.6 percent from the field and 87.1 percent from the free-throw line. After a slow start, Rio Matura Monbus is currently on a five-game winning streak to improve to 9-11 on the season. That is good for ninth place in the 18-team league.
In what appears to be his final game in Spain, Muscala was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and scored 15 points in an 89-72 win over FIATC Joventut on Saturday.
The Hawks enter Tuesday's game with Chicago with a 26-29 record, but they have a four-game lead over Detroit for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta has been dealing with a rash of injuries in its frontcourt. Veteran center Al Horford is out for the season, and Millsap, Pero Antic and Gustavo Ayon are also dealing with injuries.
Muscala became the third Bucknell men's basketball player to be drafted in the NBA. Al Leslie '81 was taken in the second round (37th overall) by the Indiana Pacers in 1981, and Jaye Andrews '85 was a seventh-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 1985. However neither Leslie nor Andrews played in a regular-season NBA game.
Muscala also became the third Patriot League player ever drafted, and the second in a matter of a few hours. Earlier in the 2013 Draft, Lehigh's C.J. McCollum was picked 10th overall by the Portland Trailblazers. Colgate's Adonal Foyle was taken by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 8 pick in 1997.
