The Kings' 2nd-round selections have gotten plenty of attention

One already has had his basketball jersey retired, and the other is the son of an NBA great.

Meet the Kings' second-round selections: Virginia's Sean Singletary and Georgetown's Patrick Ewing Jr., who were plucked at No. 42 and No. 43 overall, respectively, in Thursday's NBA draft. But most fans are more familiar with those selections than with the Kings' No. 12 pick, Jason Thompson of Rider.

Singletary can credit his exposure to playing against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents such as Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Clemson. The point guard impressed Kings brass during a June 20 workout at the team's practice facility, showcasing the athleticism and speed that helped him become the only player in ACC history to total at least 2,000 points, 500 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals.

"He is a very solid point guard with defensive ability," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "He put up terrific numbers this year."

Those numbers – 19.8 points and 6.1 assists per game – were good enough for the 6-foot, 185-pound Singletary to have his No. 44 jersey hang from the rafters. The school retired his number in March, just before his final regular-season game at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va.

Singletary said he looks forward to competing for a roster spot as a backup point guard, even while the Kings' starting job has yet to be secured.

Beno Udrih held the job for most of last season but will be a free agent July 1. The Kings are expected to make Udrih an offer.

"This is a big opportunity to come in," Singletary told reporters Thursday. "I do well in those types of situations."

His college coach, Dave Leitao, and prep coach, Jim Phillips, credit Singletary's work ethic. Phillips said he likes to tell his current players how Singletary would call him every weekend morning to open the school's gym.

"He's a relentless, tireless worker who deserves this opportunity," said Phillips, who coached Singletary for two years at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. "He has an uncanny ability to push himself harder than anyone else when no one is looking."

Meanwhile, the basketball world has been watching Ewing and wondering. Would he be as good as his father?

"The questions, the comments, the comparisons, that is something that he's gone through since he began playing basketball," Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said.

The answer, quite simply, is no. But that hasn't bothered the younger Ewing, who averaged 6.1 points and 4.2 rebounds during his senior season with the Hoyas. Known as a high-flying athlete, Ewing is trying to carve his own spot in the NBA.

"I think that I have always been trying to do that, so it isn't something that is new to me," Ewing Jr. told reporters after the draft. "It's great to know that I am starting to make my own way and everything that I have worked for is coming to life."

The 6-8, 240-pound forward is described as a team player who relishes any role he's assigned. As an example, Thompson offered a story from last season, when he decided to have Ewing come off the bench.

"It's not that he wasn't playing well," Thompson said. "But for our substitution patterns, it was better for our team. We are talking about a senior whose last name is Ewing, and he said, 'Whatever you want, coach.' "

Thompson said there is one way in which he thinks both Ewings are alike. "He's got his old man's drive," Thompson said.

The older Ewing was the NBA's first lottery No. 1 pick after the league instituted the system in 1985. The Kings – one of seven teams in that lottery – drafted Arkansas center Joe Kleine with the sixth pick. Ewing was selected by the New York Knicks.

"Patrick Ewing Jr. has a great pedigree and is a multi-position defender," Petrie said of the Big East Conference's Sixth Man of the Year Award winner.

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