As many as 8 Pac-10 players expected to go in first round of draft

The pendulum in college basketball has swung to the left, and today's NBA draft will reaffirm what has been obvious for many months: The Pac-10 Conference reigns supreme.

After the Chicago Bulls choose between Memphis guard Derrick Rose and Kansas State forward Michael Beasley for the No. 1 pick, a steady stream of Pac-10 players will parade to the stage at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden to shake commissioner David Stern's hand.

USC guard O.J. Mayo, Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless, Stanford center Brook Lopez and UCLA center Kevin Love and guard Russell Westbrook are projected as lottery picks.

Caught in the middle are the Sonics, who will begin the day in court for the final day of their trial against the city. Shortly after attorneys give closing arguments in the case to force the team to play out its KeyArena lease, general manager Sam Presti will use the team's No. 4 pick. The Sonics also hold the No. 24 pick and four second-round choices.

Presti is believed to be enamored with Lopez, Westbrook, Love and Bayless. Mayo was the only one of the quintet who did not visit Seattle, however, the Sonics interviewed him and watched him at a Chicago workout.

"The thing that's been interesting to me is that there's a real diversity in terms of where people evaluate different players," Presti said. "I think that's a positive thing because it gives teams the opportunity to maybe get a guy that they may not have felt they were going to get.

"Everyone is just going to have to be ready. I don't think there will be any set order."

If the draft analysts are accurate, the Pac-10 will produce the most lottery picks since the Atlantic Coast Conference had five in 2005.

The Pac-10 could send a record eight first-round picks, if Stanford center Robin Lopez and forward Ryan Anderson and California center DeVon Hardin are selected. And the haul might have been higher if Arizona forward Chase Budinger hadn't removed his name from the draft and returned to college.

The previous Pac-10 high for first-round picks was five, in 1995 and '79.

The conference had four first-round picks last year, which may have been a byproduct of the NBA rule requiring players to play at least one year in college.

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar believes the conference is gaining wider appeal among high-school players and attracting higher-caliber recruits than past years.

"It's the beginning of a trend," he said. "The key, I think, is to look at a guy like O.J. Mayo. He came from the Midwest and came to the Pac-10."

Mayo, a Huntington, W.Va., native, played his first three years of high-school ball in Cincinnati before returning to Huntington as a senior.

"We've got a couple of kids from the Midwest who committed to Oregon," Romar said. "Oregon's Malik Hairston was from the Midwest [Detroit], and [WSU's] Kyle Weaver is going to be drafted, and he's from [Wisconsin].

"Throughout our league, kids are starting to come from different regions of the country, which gives you an even bigger pool to select from. I always felt there was a lot of talent in California, and with a lot of those kids staying home, as well as kids from around the country looking at the Pac-10 as a viable option, it's the beginning of the trend."

UCLA advanced to the Final Four in the 2008 NCAA tournament, and Washington State and Stanford played in the Sweet 16.

"The draft will be a reflection of the season," Romar said. "We had the top conference in the country, and the draft will reflect that when we look at those who will be drafted so high.

"Kids see that. They look at the draft. They see the schools where kids are coming from. It shows that you can come to the Pac-10 and not take a back seat to any other conference in the country. And maybe you're better off if you come to the Pac-10."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com