FORT COLLINS — Colorado State University men’s basketball player Jason Smith today became only the second player in school history selected in the first round of the annual National Basketball Association draft selection process.

Smith was chosen with the 20th selection of the first round by the Miami Heat. Moments after the selection, the Heat traded the rights to Smith to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for the rights to Ohio State freshman guard Daequan Cook.

“I think he’s a terrific talent,” said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas during the network’s draft coverage originating from Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“He’s a workout wonder. I think he’s an outstanding prospect. He can put t he ball on the floor and get to the rim. He’s really a talented young man and there’s no question he can play in this league.”

Smith is a 7-foot forward from Kersey, Colo, who led the Rams in scoring and rebounding the past two years and was a first-team All-Mountain West Conference selection following both the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He averaged 16.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as a junior last season.

Smith last spring declared for the draft, one of 13 juniors to leave college early. Smith was the seventh junior to be selected, and the first individual from a Mountain West Conference member school.

Smith joins Bill Green as the only two players in school history to be selected in the first round. Green remains the school’s only consensus All-American, earning honors in 1962 and ’63. He was selected in the first round of the NBA draft following his senior season by the Boston Celtics. He chose to forego a professional playing career and instead became an award winning teacher and administrator in New York City.

Before Smith, the most recent CSU draftee was former center Joe Vogel, selected in the second round (45th pick) of the 1996 draft by the Seattle Supersonics.