Of the many things Virginia Commonwealth’s Joey Rodriguez is as a basketball player—hustler, heady, emotional, feisty on defense, terrific 3-point shooter—there is one thing he is not: Eric Maynor. “I’m totally different,“ he said. Rodriguez will focus on being himself as he succeeds one of VCU’s all-time great players. Maynor was a do-it-all force who carried the Rams to two NCAA appearances in three seasons, an upset of Duke and a 76-25 record. He’s now in the NBA with the Utah Jazz.

MADRID - Rookie point guard Eric Maynor (VCU) hit a 3-pointer to give the Jazz a comfortable 19-point cushion to close the first half as Utah rolled to a 109-87 victory over Real Madrid yesterday in the finale of the NBA’s preseason European tour. Maynor played 24 minutes and finished with eight points. He was three for nine from the field. The 3-pointer he attempted at the end of the first half was the only one he attempted.

Eric Maynor and Brett Blizzard in the backcourt. David Robinson, Johnny Newman and George Evans in the frontcourt. While you can debate the best starting five on the Colonial Athletic Association’s Silver Anniversary men’s basketball team that was released yesterday, that group certainly stands out. Maynor, a point guard from Virginia Commonwealth University, was a two-time CAA player of the year and first-round NBA pick by the Utah Jazz this past summer. Blizzard, from UNC Wilmington, was a two-time player of the year and one of the league’s best long-range shooters.

Eric Maynor leaves Virginia Commonwealth University as the Rams’ all-time leader in scoring and assists. The hope now is that his assists keep on coming for VCU, and the Colonial Athletic Association, in recruiting.

Former Virginia Commonwealth University star Eric Maynor made the first move of his NBA career a lucrative one, signing a guaranteed contract worth about $2.7 million yesterday with the Utah Jazz. Utah did not release terms of the contract, but first-round draft picks in the NBA are guaranteed two years under the rookie salary scale. Maynor, the 20th pick in last week’s draft, is due to make about $1.3 million this season and about $1.4 million in his second season under the scale.

Eric Maynor went down in VCU lore when he knocked Duke out of the 2007 NCAA tournament with a last-second shot. They came to be known as “Maynor Moments” among fans and coaches in the Colonial Athletic Association, the ones who spent four years watching Eric Maynor take over one game after another for Virginia Commonwealth. Just consider the scouting report on the Jazz’s newest draft pick from George Mason coach Jim Larranaga, who had a spot in the NCAA tournament swiped by Maynor in the last two minutes of the 2007 CAA tournament championship game.

Turns out Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan already knew a member of the Maynor family. He just didn’t remember it. Sloan, then the coach of the Chicago Bulls, cut George Maynor in 1979. Maynor was the Bulls’ fourth-round pick out of East Carolina. His son, Eric, was Utah’s first-round pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. The Jazz took the Virginia Commonwealth University point guard with the 20th pick.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)—Eric Maynor is logging some air miles between North Carolina and Utah this week. Just two days after interviewing with the Utah Jazz, Maynor was introduced by his new team at a news conference Friday.

Utah Jazz makes Eric Maynor the 20th player picked in the NBA draft. He becomes the first VCU player to be selected in the first round.

Virginia Commonwealth University point guard Eric Maynor was picked by the Utah Jazz with the 20th pick in the first round of the NBA draft. Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin was taken by the Los Angeles Clippers with the first pick, followed by Hasheem Thabeet (Memphis), James Harden (Oklahoma City), Tyreke Evans (Sacramento) and Ricky Rubio (Minnesota).

Eric Maynor will find himself in a great financial situation if, as expected, he’s picked in the first round of tonight’s NBA draft. The question, though, is which team will be a great situation for his career?

Virginia Commonwealth officially added a recruit capable of playing point guard yesterday. But the Rams also subtracted a highly rated recruit at the position. Darius Theus, a 6-3 guard out of Norcom High in Portsmouth who committed to the Rams this past weekend, signed yesterday. That was tempered by word that Ben Eblen will be released from his letter of intent in the wake of VCU’s coaching change.

Avery Bradley’s stock is up, and that is good news for the University of Texas. Maybe. Tristan Spurlock’s stock is down, and that might be bad news for the University of Virginia. You might not be familiar with Bradley’s work, and if you have anything approaching a life, there is no reason you should be. He is a high school basketball player in Tacoma, Wash.

Of all the things Eric Maynor did in the 2008-09 season for the VCU Rams, one thing stands out above all others. Maynor made his teammates better. “I knew coming in that every team was going to try to key on me,“ Maynor said of his senior season at VCU.

Of all the things Eric Maynor did during the 2008-09 season for the VCU Rams, one thing stands out above all others. Maynor made his teammates better. He averaged 6.1 assists per game to go along with his 22.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. He has been selected as The Times-Dispatch men’s college player of the year. Maynor also is a first-team selection for The Times-Dispatch all-state team.