BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- Taurean Prince was selected by the Utah Jazz with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft on Thursday night at Barclays Center. The Jazz reportedly agreed to trade Prince's draft rights to the Atlanta Hawks prior to the selection.

Prince became the third-highest NBA Draft selection in Baylor history, trailing only Ekpe Udoh (No. 6 in 2010) and Vinnie Johnson (No. 7 in 1979). He joined Udoh as the only lottery picks from Baylor since the system debuted in 1985.

Prince's selection gives Baylor six NBA draft picks in the last five years, tied for sixth-most nationally in that span, trailing only Kentucky (19), Duke (10), Syracuse (10), Kansas (eight) and North Carolina (eight). The Bears' six selections are tied with Arizona, UCLA, Louisville, Michigan and Michigan State.

Baylor was once again the only Texas team to have a player drafted. The Bears have accounted for six of nine NBA Draft picks from Texas teams over the last five years -- North Texas, Texas and Texas A&M have had one draftee apiece in that span.

Prince is the first Baylor player drafted by the Utah Jazz, the 20th draft pick in program history and the sixth Baylor player drafted in the first round.

Six Big 12 Conference players were selected -- Oklahoma's Buddy Hield (No. 6), Prince (No. 12), Kansas' Chieck Diallo (No. 33), Iowa State's Georges Niang (No. 50) and Abdel Nader (No. 58) and Oklahoma's Isaiah Cousins (No. 59).

Prince entered Baylor as an unheralded recruit out of San Antonio's Warren High School. A late addition to the 2012 signing class that included Rico Gathers and Isaiah Austin, Prince developed from a player who averaged just 6.4 minutes per game as a freshman into a two-time All-Big 12 honoree who led the team with 15.9 points per game as a senior. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in May, four years after enrolling at Baylor.

Prince played in the postseason in all four years at Baylor, guiding the team to NCAA Tournament berths in each of his last three seasons. He helped the Bears claim the 2013 NIT title and a 2014 NCAA Sweet 16 berth. BU went a combined 95-48 during his four-year career, and he ranks 13th on Baylor's all-time scoring list with 1,321 career points.

MOST NBA DRAFT PICKS SINCE 2012
Kentucky -- 19
Duke -- 10
Syracuse -- 10
Kansas -- 8
North Carolina -- 8
BAYLOR -- 6
Arizona -- 6
Louisville -- 6
Michigan -- 6
Michigan State -- 6
UCLA -- 6

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Kansas -- 8
BAYLOR -- 6
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BAYLOR -- 6
North Texas -- 1
Texas -- 1
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By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

Taurean Prince went into Thursday's NBA Draft thinking his name wasn't going to be called until near the end of the first round.

Instead, the 6-foot-8 small forward from San Antonio, Texas, ended up being Baylor's first lottery pick in six years and the third-highest pick in school history, taken by the Utah Jazz with the 12th pick overall as part of a proposed three-team trade that will send him to the Atlanta Hawks.

"I was definitely surprised, but God has a plan for everything, and that was mine," Prince said in a phone interview from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., where the Draft was broadcast by ESPN. "I'm not really too surprised on (the Hawks) taking me, I'm just surprised where they took me."

In a deal that was confirmed by Indiana Pacers guard George Hill's agent, Bill Neff, the Jazz selected Prince for the Hawks and will receive Hill. Completing a trade that will not be made official until July 7, the Pacers will get Jeff Teague from Atlanta.

Prince said he was excited about joining a Hawks franchise that won 48 regular-season games and made it to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs before losing to eventual champion Cleveland.

"Those guys are great, straightforward, which I love," he said. "No gray -- they're black-and-white type of guys -- and those are the type of guys you need to be behind you, that's going to tell you when you're wrong and let you know when you're right. I love those guys up there, man. They brought me up for a second workout, so I knew that they were really interested, and we were vibing the whole time. I enjoyed every single minute in Atlanta."

After playing sparingly his first two seasons at Baylor, Prince earned Big 12 and National Sixth Man of the Year awards as a junior. Moving into the starting lineup as a senior, he led the Bears with 15.9 points per game while averaging 6.1 rebounds and shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors.

Prior to the Draft, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said NBA teams liked the versatility that Prince brings to the floor.

"He's 6-8 or so, very athletic, and he's got the wing span of a kid 6-11," Bilas said. "He was productive in college and can shoot it from the perimeter and has really good range. He's got the ability to make 3's. He can put it on the deck a little bit, and he's got a little floater he can get to the rim."

Prince, also considered a strong defender, says his versatility will be a "good asset to the Hawks."

"I think I'll be able to help them win right off the bat and help them get over the hump," he said. "That's all that matters, in my mind, is winning and doing whatever it takes to do so."

A lightly regarded recruit coming out of San Antonio's Earl Warren High School who originally signed with LIU-Brooklyn, Prince becomes the 20th player in program history taken in the NBA Draft, the Bears' sixth-ever first-round pick and seventh Baylor player drafted in the Scott Drew era.

The only Baylor players drafted higher than Prince were Ekpe Udoh, taken with the sixth pick overall by Golden State in 2010; and Vinnie Johnson, the seventh pick in 1979 by Seattle.

"Everything I've been through in my life has helped me get to where I am now," he said. "Like everyone says, it doesn't stop here, but for me it really doesn't. It's just another milestone, and plenty more to reach."