Friends watch Scott County Central star be chosen in NBA draft

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Andrea Porter is used to it, but it's still a little overwhelming.

"You can be somewhere that you never go, like Lambert's," she said. "And they'll call your name because you've got a reservation."

As soon as the name is spoken, the heads start turning.

"You're a Porter?" strangers will ask her. "Are you related to Otto Porter?"

She is. She's his cousin and the daughter of his uncle Johnny, who was one of the people sitting at the table when Otto Porter Jr. was selected by the Washington Wizards with the third pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in New York.

"It's makes me happy to know that he got this far, a lot of people know who he is," Andrea Porter said.

She watched the draft at Buffalo Wild Wings in Sikeston, which was packed with people for an official watch party.

Andrea Porter said she and Otto, whom she considers to be more like a brother than cousin, text each other every morning and night. She sent him a message after his name was called Thursday night.

"We never talk about basketball. Ever," Andrea said. "We just talk about how things are going because I know he gets tired of being interviewed and asked questions, so I never bring it up. I just let him know how proud I am, how our grandma would be proud of us and how we're achieving everything."

The Porter family is a close-knit group, tied together by basketball and the legacy of matriarch Johnnie Mae Porter, whose name is brought up regularly even years after her death.

NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, shakes hands with Georgetown's Otto Porter Jr., who was selected with the third pick by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the NBA basketball draft in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

"People wonder from a personal standpoint, how do people stay connected to him?" said Corey Porter, another cousin, who won a state basketball title at Sikeston and plays football at Southeast Missouri State. "Otto, he comes over all the time when he's back. It's nothing about the media or how good of a player he is. He enjoys us, and that's never changed, never going to change. We enjoy him and are ready to watch him play in the NBA."

Corey and Otto played basketball together with other family members from a young age, but Corey said most of the credit for his cousin's game should be given to his father.

"It was his dad," Corey Porter said. "His dad was a great basketball player, and he knew how to raise Otto. And it just helped having family around."

The large crowd gathered Thursday quieted each time NBA Commissioner David Stern walked to the podium to announce a pick. After a couple surprise choices with the first two picks, anticipation increased as Washington went on the clock.

The Wizards' interest in Otto Porter had been well-documented in the weeks before the draft, and he had lived in D.C. for two years while playing at Georgetown.

A roar went through the restaurant when Porter's name was called.

"You know it's a place he'll be comfortable at," Corey said. "He played basketball there with Georgetown, so I think he doesn't have to adjust to it too much."

Shane Battier, an NBA player from the Miami Heat that ESPN recruited to interview newly drafted players Thursday night, mentioned that both of Otto Porter Jr.'s parents were great basketball players and asked him what the achievement meant.

"It means a lot," Porter said. "Both sides of my family support me. ... Just to do this for them, it means a lot."

His father scored an ESPN interview next, and the crowd stayed quiet as Otto Porter Sr. talked about his son's intention to wear his number in the NBA and other topics with the same the calm, poise and even mannerism as his son.

"I'm very happy," Corey Porter said. "I was very proud of him. I played a lot of basketball with him growing up, and I even got the chance to play against him. It was all well worth it. It was just good to see all of his hard work paying off."

Scott County Central principal Rich Thomas also attended Thursday's draft party.

"It's just a great opportunity to come out and support Bubba and his family in the area," said Thomas, calling Otto Porter by the name he went by for most of his life. "He's such an outstanding student, outstanding athlete. It's just a great time to come and celebrate everything that he stands for and support not only him but this area."

Thomas said Otto Porter has returned to his alma mater to visit, lift weights and talk to students when his schedule allows and that his example goes beyond basketball because of his positive attitude and commitment to academics.

"Just seeing him excel allowed our students to see that if you do make good choices, you do work hard, you do the things that you're supposed to do, there is the payoff in the end," Thomas said. "You can be successful if you make good choices and work hard."

Thomas said he saw plenty of SCC students wearing Georgetown clothing and gear over the last few years.

"We'll transition into Washington Wizards now," he said.