University of Georgia wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be the highest drafted Georgian on Thursday night at the 2013 NBA Draft. The Greenville, Georgia native has been invited to the Green Room and will likely be selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves, should he still be on the draft board at the ninth overall pick.

How did Caldwell-Pope get to this point? Hard work, quiet humility and centralized focus. That's how. I remember covering Caldwell-Pope as a sophomore at Greenville High School. I saw a star the first time I saw the then 6-foot-5 prospect and relayed that back to the college coaches that subscribed to my service.

Flashback report from my Feb. 3, 2009 report on him:

Kentavious Caldwell, SG, Soph. – Big time scoring effort from the 6-5 sophomore. After a ho-hum first half by his standards against a box and one, Caldwell exploded for 21 points in the second half and only missed one shot in the final 16 minutes of play. He coasted through a dominate effort. His 35 points came very easy.

 

 

He is a good to great shooter from the perimeter. His ability to score at the basket shined through in this game. He can handle the ball with great confidence. He can pass the ball very well in transition and is unselfish.

 

 

Caldwell snuck into the passing lane and picked off passes that he usually turned into transition buckets. He covers a lot of ground with his length on the defensive end of the floor. His anticipation is a natural skill.

Caldwell is one of the top sophomores in the state and played like it in this one. He’ll be recruited at the high-major level.

 

 

Stat line: 35 points (12-19 FG, 3-5 from 3, 8-9 FT), 9 steals, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, block

Caldwell-Pope took off in high school and grassroots. He was a top 25 national recruit, one of the most unheralded prospects to ever come out of Georgia. He was the anti-star. There was very little hype about him in the Peach State and surprisingly little ink about his migration to Georgia. KCP was the biggest recruit to commit to UGA since Lou Williams and Mike Mercer.

KCP went on to a quiet career in Athens. He was a star in the SEC and was finally recognized as a brilliant talent this past season by his peers. Coaches in the league rave about him. In speaking to those in the NBA, he's a well-thought of prosepct for the draft.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Mark Fox knows how to groom NBA players. He has a fine knack at getting players ready for the next level. Caldwell-Pope could be his best one that has moved onto the NBA.

Where will he be drafted on Thursday? Ninth overall is the popular pick. Hard to argue with that.

Check out this great video put together by Draft Express: