INDIANAPOLIS Tyler Hansbrough’s path to the NBA looks familiar to Pacers President Larry Bird. The 6-9 forwards from small towns both could have left school early, but they stayed for their senior seasons and played for national titles. Both built reputations for being tireless workers, and both heard from doubters who said they weren’t athletic enough to make it in the NBA.

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).

While Virginia Commonwealth point guard Eric Maynor is projected to be selected in the first round of tonight’s NBA draft, three other players with state connections likely will find themselves sweating through the late stages of the second round. NBADraft.net’s mock draft—hardly fail-proof science—predicts that New Orleans will take Maynor with the 21st pick. Regardless of whether he goes at that spot, Maynor almost certainly will be drafted.

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?

If last season’s 17-65 finish was the bottom for the Sacramento Kings, the NBA draft today had better be the start of the climb back up. With three of the first 31 picks and a chasm of needs to fill with them, the Kings are positioned to have their biggest impact on the draft in more than a decade. Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ top basketball executive, knows a big night could get Sacramento’s fans excited about a franchise with a slim roster, another new coach and an uncertain future in California’s capital.

The prized big man in Thursday’s NBA draft is a center who can’t score. The second-best big man is a freshman who started only two games in his lone college season. “The fives,“ Heat scout Chet Kammerer said of this year’s class of centers, “are not good at all. It’s sad. I mean, it’s not very encouraging, that’s for sure, if you’re looking for centers.“

CORAL GABLES, Fla.—Jack McClinton seems in a hurry. An interview starts 10 minutes later than expected, throwing off his schedule. He answers each question thoughtfully in the Miami basketball office, but he’s clearly in a rush to begin his midday workout in preparation for this month’s NBA draft. He bolts from the room at the conclusion, even before the “stop” button on the recorder can be pushed. Despite the college accolades and interest from general managers, McClinton in many ways remains the same kid who has been doubted throughout his life. He still practices the most, still has midnight shooting sessions with anyone willing to grab rebounds.

Kentucky top scorer Jodie Meeks has decided to leave the Wildcats and remain in consideration for the NBA draft.

In a perfect world, even the most talented basketball performers would spend four years in college. They would grow as players and people, read the classics, study economics and perhaps learn another language before pursing a professional career. But the world of college and professional basketball is imperfect, made more so by the rule that says players must be 19 years old—American players also must be out of high school for a year—before they are eligible to play in the NBA. The NBA instituted this rule in 2005.