Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, a Caracas, Venezuela native, is bringing his big smile and flashy guard play to Memphis. He addressed the media Thursday night after being taken with the 28th overall pick. PHOTO BY OREN VOURMAN

NEW YORK – Few players got a louder ovation during Draft night than the Venezuelan sensation, Greivis Vasquez.

“It was unbelievable,” he said of the raucous cheers he received inside the Theater at Madison Square Garden. “I love the fans and my family and everybody cheering for me. That’s something that I do appreciate a lot, and I’m thankful about that.

“I will never let the fans down and I was very thankful, and I was shocked,” Vasquez added. “I mean, the fans were rooting hard for me and that means a lot.”

The 2009-10 ACC Player of the Year was taken 28th overall by the Memphis Grizzles Thursday night, becoming the highest selected Latino in this year’s NBA Draft. His heritage aside, it’s easy to see why the fans would embrace the standout playmaker.

The dynamic point guard has not only been a good representative for his people, but can flat out play. The 6-foot-6 Vasquez was the Bob Cousy award winner as the nation's top guard over John Wall, who went No. 1, his Wildcats' teammate Eric Bledsoe (No. 18) and Avery Bradley of Texas (No. 19).

Vasquez is also is the only player in the history of the ACC to score at least 2,000 points (2,171), dish out 772 assists and grab at least 600 rebounds (647) in a career. He is coming off a senior season in which he averaged 19.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and his 6.3 assists ranked fifth in the NCAA.

“I get emotional because my country has been following me and supporting me like I’m the best baseball player coming out of Venezuela right now and that’s huge,” Vasquez said. “I grew up watching baseball. I’m a baseball fan. To see people and young kids following me in my career in college is priceless.

“My country really pushed me inside of me to get better and just not to let my country down; I think having a chance to play and develop my game in the NBA is going to be huge, huge, for my country, especially because, you know, what we are going through right now. It’s going to bring happiness. Right now we have a lot of baseball players but only one NBA guy, so I feel good about that.”

One of the most decorated players to ever don a Maryland Terrapins uniform, Vasquez was named a First-Team All-American by The Sporting News as a senior, Second Team All-ACC both as a junior and a sophomore and was an Honorable Mention All-ACC selection as a freshman. He also played for the Venezuelan National team at the 2007 and 2009 FIBA Americas Tournament, averaging 12.1 points and 9.8 points, respectively.

Six years after arriving from Caracas, Venezuela — spending the first two at Montrose Christian School in Rockville before moving on to College Park — Vasquez has hopes of becoming the first player from his country to have a significant NBA career. Oscar Torres is the only other Venezuelan-born player to make the NBA, but the fellow 6-foot-6 guard lasted only 82 games over two seasons with the Houston Rockets (2001-02) and Golden State Warriors (2002-03). Torres, also from Caracas, was one of Vasquez’s heroes growing up.

The baseball fan will also don the highly recognizable No. 21. Another Latino standout, who also wears the same number, didn’t get picked Thursday night. Puerto Rico’s Denis Clemente, a cousin of the late baseball and humanitarian legend Roberto Clemente, was among the top players not taken in this year’s draft, along with fellow Latino hopeful Charles Garcia. Both could still catch on as rookie free agents in the coming weeks.

Vasquez certainly has opened more doors for Latino ballplayers in the game.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling getting drafted,” he said. “I’m happy that I’m going to Memphis. I’m happy for the city. I can’t wait to get there, start working for training camp and then the fans; I’m really going to love them.”

From the sounds of things, they already love him back.   

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