Former Arizona State guard Luguentz Dort and forward Zylan Cheatham attended the NBA draft Thursday night in New York with hopes of hearing their names called.

But after neither one heard their name through the 60-pick selection process, both players had to accept taking the unglamorous route that is undrafted free agency.

Not long after the draft ended, Cheatham inked a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype and verified through ESPN.

Then, Dort signed a two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder per ESPN draft insider Jonathan Givony.

Dort left ASU after one season, but missed on becoming the program’s first-ever “one-and-done” player to be drafted.

The native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada received Pac-12 freshman of the year honors and was also named to the all-conference second-team, all-freshman team and all-defensive team for his efforts.

He was the only freshman in the conference to be named to an all-Pac-12 team or the all-defensive-team, and averaged 16.2 points per game (9th in the Pac-12) along with 1.6 steals (T-5th). He also averaged 4.3 rebounds per game, which tied for fifth amongst Pac-12 guards.

Cheatham is an alum of South Mountain high school in Phoenix, and played his final season of eligibility for the Sun Devils after sitting out a year following his transfer from San Diego State.

He made the most of his homecoming season, averaging a double-double with 12.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

He ranked 10th in the Pac-12 with a 53.4 field goal percentage, while ranking 25th in points per game and leading the conference in rebounding, a mark that was tied for 14th in the nation. His 12.1 points per game were third on the team.

His efforts earned him a spot on the all-Pac-12 first team as well as the all-defensive team, joining Dort as the first Sun Devils to earn that latter honor since Jordan Bachynski in 2014.

In this year’s draft class, Dort he was ranked as the number 28th overall prospect and 8th best shooting guard, according to ESPN.

In spite of appearing as ESPN’s “best player available” for a majority of the second round, the 6-foot-4, 215-lb. guard will get his first shot to stake a roster spot in OKC’s backcourt behind Dennis Schroder, Andre Roberson, and Terrance Ferguson.

As for Cheatham, he proved his versatility in his lone season at ASU, adding 3.2 assists per game, 0.8 steals per game and 0.8 blocks per game to those double-double averages.

He tied for the team lead in blocks per game, while he ranked second in assists per game and was fourth in steals.

This past season, he was one of only two players in the country to average a double-double while also putting up at least three assists per contest.

In total, Cheatham finished with 14 double-doubles on the season, good for third in the Pac-12 and tied for 27th in the country. He had another 10 games that were near misses, where he came within one rebound or two points of the feat.

The big man also holds the distinction of ASU’s second triple-double in program history, with his 14-point, 13-rebound and 10-assist showing against Texas Southern on December 1.

It came nearly six years to the day of the Sun Devils’ first one, a 13-point, 13-rebound and 12-block showing by Bachynski on December 8, 2012, against Cal State Northridge.

Aside from individual collegiate accolades, Dort and Cheatham were marquee players on a Sun Devil team that accomplished many feats that the program hadn’t reached in a while.

ASU swept its matchups against Arizona and also won an NCAA tournament game, both for the first time since 2009. It marked the first consecutive appearances by the Sun Devils in the NCAA tournament since 1980 and ’81.

Additionally, they went 12-6 in Pac-12 play to finish second in the standings, their best conference season performance since 2010.

Another important note worth mentioning when it comes to Cheatham is the respect he garners for who he is off the court.

Cheatham always presented positive energy and engaged with media during press conferences through the ups and downs of the season, and he undoubtedly experienced more of a roller-coaster ride than most.

Around the turn of the new year, it was announced he had lost his brother at the age of 22 in a shooting related to gang violence.

Despite the devastating tragedy, he never missed a game, saying at the time that he found peace in being on the basketball court through the rough times.

This stands out as one of countless examples as to why Cheatham was so universally respected by those around the team in any capacity, and beloved by ASU’s fans even though his time at ASU was brief.

Early in May, the Arizona native was recognized as the male recipient of the annual Bill Kajikawa award, presented to a graduating senior student-athlete in recognition to their contributions to ASU.

According to Sun Devil athletics, the award selects recipients based on demonstrated academic excellence, academic accomplishment, leadership and service in the community.

For someone whose impact on the team went far beyond a box score, although that was seldom a concern, this is the closest thing there will be to demonstrating the intangible aspects he brought to Sun Devil basketball in such a short time.