Beverley Waiting for Draft Call

FAYETTEVILLE — The road to the 2009 NBA Draft has been a hectic one for former Arkansas guard Patrick Beverley.

He went to Miami, Chicago and New Jersey for workouts. He had more in Utah, California, Washington D.C., Golden State. He has even been in Treviso, Italy, to take part in the 2009 Reebok Eurocamp.

But the mounting miles haven’t bothered Beverley, who is confident the busy schedule has been well worth it.

“I’ve opened up a lot of team’s eyes,” Beverley said.

Will it be enough to be selected in the NBA Draft? That’s something Beverley, a Chicago native, can’t say for sure until the two-round draft concludes tonight.

Beverley, who played professionally in the Ukraine after being suspended at Arkansas for the 2008-09 season for cheating on a class paper, has made an impression in NBA circles, though. He spent a year working on his point guard skills overseas and has caught attention with his rebounding, defense and work ethic.

Those traits led him to being named the most valuable player of the Reebok Eurocamp, which is comparable to a combine for overseas athletes. According to ESPN.com draft expert Chad Ford, Beverley has jumped up the draft boards, too, going from a second-round hopeful to potentially something much more intriguing.

“He’s really helped his stock in workouts and at the Reebok Eurocamp,” Ford wrote recently in an article at ESPN.com. “I think that he’s moved his way onto the first-round bubble.”

Beverley said the recognition is nice, but knows it won’t help him land on a roster. Only first round picks have guaranteed contracts.

“It’s definitely good to hear that, but you don’t want to get caught in all of that Internet stuff,” Beverley said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about the hard work that you put in. The harder you work, the better results you get. That’s my motto.”

Beverley hopes it will pay off as he watches the draft with family in his hometown of Chicago. When asked which team he thought would take him in tonight’s draft, he declined to take a guess.

However, Beverley believes he has proven worthy of being selected as early as the end of the first round tonight.

“It’s all about timing,” Beverley said. “I definitely think the timing is good for me to make some noise in the draft (tonight).”

What: 2009 NBA Draft

When: Tonight, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York

TV: ESPN



Arkansas NBA Draft Picks (Since 1992)

Year Player Round (Pick) Team

2008 Sonny Weems 2nd (No. 36) Denver Nuggets

2006 Ronnie Brewer 1st (No. 14) Utah Jazz

2001 Joe Johnson 1st (No. 10) Boston Celtics

1996 Darnell Robinson 2nd (No. 58) Dallas Mavericks

1995 Corliss Williamson 1st (No. 13) Sacramento Kings

1992 Todd Day 1st (No. 8) Milwaukee Bucks

1992 Oliver Miller 1st (No. 22) Phoenix Suns

1992 Lee Mayberry 1st (No. 23) Milwaukee Bucks

1992 Isaiah “Butch” Morris 2nd (No. 37) Miami Heat