Porter won't have to wait long to hear name

One of the biggest days of Otto Porter's young life is just about upon him.

Porter will be among the stars at Thursday night's NBA draft in Brooklyn as the Scott County Central High School graduate is widely considered a consensus top-three selection.

Most NBA mock drafts have Porter going third to the Washington Wizards, which he probably wouldn't mind because the 6-foot-9 small forward played his college basketball in that city.

Porter earned Big East Conference player of the year honors this year as a sophomore at Georgetown, which is located in Washington, D.C.

There still is an outside chance Porter will be the first overall selection, but that's not likely. Kentucky freshman center Nerlens Noel is considered a virtual lock to be taken No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kansas freshman shooting guard Ben McLemore, a St. Louis native, is tabbed by most mock drafts to go No. 2 to the Orlando Magic.

Whether Porter goes first, second or third -- or even a few spots lower, which is unlikely -- it figures to be a monumental night for the classy, soft-spoken young man and his family.

As I've written before, I don't know whether Porter will become an NBA star, but with his work ethic, character, attitude and all-around basketball skills, I'll be surprised if he doesn't at least wind up being a solid NBA contributor the next decade-plus.

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There is a good chance a former Ohio Valley Conference star also will be drafted in the opening round Thursday.

Murray State senior shooting guard Isaiah Canaan is listed in several mock drafts as a late first-round selection.

That shouldn't surprise Southeast Missouri State basketball fans who watched Canaan torment the Redhawks over the past few years.

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While it's great to see former Southeast baseball standouts Shae Simmons and Trenton Moses -- who graduated from Scott City and Advance high schools, respectively -- continuing to have so much success during their second professional seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization, it's also nice to see former Southeast product Justin Christian faring well in affiliated minor league baseball.

Christian, a veteran in the professional ranks, has his average up to .294 after a very slow start with the Memphis Redbirds -- the Cardinals' Class AAA team.

Christian, a left fielder who signed with the St. Louis organization last offseason, has three home runs, three triples, 13 doubles and 23 RBIs. He has stolen nine bases in 11 attempts.

The 33-year-old Christian played in the major leagues with the San Francisco Giants parts of the past two seasons and with the New York Yankees in 2008, but his career primarily has been spent in the minors, where he has excelled.

The speedy native of the San Francisco Bay entered this year with a .310 average during seven seasons on the Class AAA level. His Class AAA totals before 2013 included a .370 on-base percentage, 86 doubles, 16 triples, 27 home runs and 115 stolen bases in 132 attempts.

Christian played only one season at Southeast -- at second base -- after transferring from Auburn in 2003. But it was a big one, ending with his selection to a pair of All-American teams.

Christian, who was not drafted, began his pro career in the independent Frontier League before hooking up with an affiliated organization.

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I'm not really a Miami Heat fan, but I am a huge LeBron James fan, so I was happy when he led the Heat to their second straight NBA championship last week in a thrilling seven-game series against the San Antonio Spurs.

I've admired the way James has handled himself, both on and off the court, ever since he was anointed as the sport's next superstar while still in high school in Akron, Ohio.

A lot of players might have shied away from that type of pressure, and let it prevent them from reaching their full potential.

James has done exactly the opposite. Not only does he already rank among the greatest players of all time, he also continues to stamp himself among the more clutch performers in NBA history.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.