NBA Draft: Royce White Goes No. 16; Harrison Barnes Selected No. 7: 2012 in Review

Originally ran June 28

Royce White was selected Thursday with the No. 16 pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.

About 250 people on hand for White's draft party at the Sukup Practice Facility in Ames rose to their feet and cheered when NBA Commissioner David Stern announced White's name.

A ball handling, bruising foward, White stood out in his one year at Iowa State after transferring from Minnesota following troubles. He turned his life around and became a model citizen in Ames, working with local youth and serving as a role model of sorts.

And he played for Patch.com in the YMCA Capital City Basketball League earlier this month. As part of the game, he helped raise money for Orchard Place, a Des Moines organization that assists young people with behavior problems and mental disorders.

Read YMCA Youth Sports Director Derek Hannah's blog about coaching and getting to know Royce White.

During his only season at Iowa State, White was the only player in the country to lead his team in points (13.4), rebounds (9.3), assists (5.0), steals (1.1) and blocks (0.9) per game. 

"I was thinking I was going to slip and fall a little bit," he said following his selection. "I'm just happy, happy that it happened."

White was in an office at the practice facility when his name was announced, and acknowledged later it was because he was feeling anxious. He's worked hard to overcome an anxiety disorder.

When he emerged from the office, though, he stopped by every table and hugged every invited friend and their guests, said Derek Hannah, youth sports director at the Walnut Creek YMCA, a Patch blogger and coach and organizer of the YMCA Capital City Basketball League, where he coached White.

"It was a perfect example of Royce White and what he's about, especially doing that with all the anxiety he was dealing with," said Hannah, who also coached Barnes when he played in the summer league. 

Here's a video of White's reaction on Cyclone Fanatic.

Previous coverage:

Harrison Barnes has been selected No. 7 in the first round of the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors.

He started in Ames as a tall, lanky player and developed into one of the top --- some said the top --- high school basketball player in the country.

After a two-year stop at University of North Carolina, Barnes will continue as a professional in the NBA. Some felt he didn't live up to his sky-high expectations in college, but he still excelled.

"I’m just really blessed to be in this position," he told ESPN. "I’m just excited to be here."

Some had Barnes going as high as No. 3 in mock draft projections.

Barnes tweeted earlier today: "I'm happy I get to rep the state of Iowa and UNC at the draft tonight. Truly a dream come true to be able to sit in the green room!"

Selected before him were:

1. Anthony Davis (PF) Kentucky, by New Orleans

2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF) Kentucky, by Charlotte

3. Bradley Beal (SG) Florida, by Washington

4. Dion Walters (SG) Syracuse, by Cleveland

5. Thomas Robinson (PF) Kansas, by Sacramento

6. Damian Lillard (PG) Weber State, by Portland