N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said he had an inkling all along that J.J. Hickson might be drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cleveland was the first NBA team to schedule a workout with Hickson, a 6-9 freshman forward who led the Pack in scoring and rebounding last year. Lowe, a former NBA head coach and assistant, went along with his player.

"I kind of thought that's who it would be after that workout," Lowe said today. "They were very thorough and J.J. did very well. I was able to talk with some of their people personally rather than do it on the phone.

J.J. Hickson was the first ACC player taken in the NBA draft Thursday night and the only one from the conference to be selected in the first round.

The first round belonged to the Pac-10, with six of the first 15 picks coming from out west and seven overall.

Three ACCers, two from Ye Olde Dominion, went in the second round. Sacramento made UVa's Sean Singletary the 42nd pick, Maryland's James Gist went 57th to San Antonio and Virginia Tech's Deron Washington was the 59th pick to Detroit.

The Charlotte Bobcats made Texas point guard D.J. Augustin the ninth overall pick, which certainly thrilled former UNC point guard Ray Felton, the Bobcats' first-rounder in 2005.

The biggest surprise of the first round had to have been Rider's Jason Thompson going 12th to Sacramento.

J.J. Hickson, who has often said his dream was to play in the NBA, now has his chance — with the Cleveland Cavaliers and superstar LeBron James.

Hickson, a 6-foot-9 power forward who left N.C. State after his freshman year, was taken No. 19 by the Cavaliers tonight in the NBA Draft. He was the eighth freshman taken in the first round, tying the draft record set last year.

''Words can't explain how I feel right now,'' Hickson said in an
interview after his selection. ''I'm so honored to be in this
situation. All my hard work allowed me to get my foot in the door and I will continue to work hard."

Where will N.C. State's J.J. Hickson be chosen in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night? Depends on whom you ask.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said he has Hickson, a 6-9 power forward, rated 20th overall on his "best available list."

RALEIGH — N.C. State basketball coach Sidney Lowe said he expects forward J.J. Hickson to be selected between the 10th and 20th picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

"Initially they said 20 to 30," said Lowe, a former NBA head coach and assistant. "Now I'm hearing 10 to 20. So he certainly has helped himself quite a bit."