Brooklyn, New York – The Bearcats are excited to celebrate with SBU men's basketball alumni Jesús Hiram López whose son was recently drafted in the 1^st round of the NBA draft. Karim López, son of Jesús, was drafted as the 21^st pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. Karim also makes history by being the first Mexican-born first-round draft pick in NBA history.
 
Hiram López was a member of the SBU men's basketball team from 2005-2007 for his final two years in college. He was a member of one of the best seasons (2005-06) in program history that went 27-5, won a MIAA Championship, and won 14 games in a row to start the season. He appeared in 55 games while at SBU scoring 268 points and recording 213 rebounds while shooting an impressive 58.1% from the field. Lopez also spent numerous seasons competing for the Mexican National team.
 
His son, Karim, now looks to carry on his father's legacy in the NBA by making history for their native country of Mexico. Karim showed his prowess early by heading to Spain at the age of 14 to play professionally. Then continued to New Zealand where he competed for the New Zealand Breakers this past season where he averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.
 
"We always knew it" stated Jesús Hiram López in a New York times article, "…I know how hard he works, and I knew he was special from day one."