by Alex Schwartz

Two years ago the Duke Blue Devils' double digit streak of consecutive years in the NCAA Tournament was snapped by an unlikely foe: the Virginia Commonwealth Rams. Led by sophomore point guard Eric Maynor, the 11th seeded Rams knocked off Josh McRoberts and Co. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, when Maynor nailed a shot as the clock was winding down. Since then, Maynor's star has only risen, having won the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year for the 2007-2008 season. After winning the CAA in the regular season last year, Anthony Grant's squad fell to Williams & Mary in the CAA Tournament semifinals and wound up in the NIT. Maynor though, returned for his senior season, giving the squad hope for more success. The Rams have opened the season at 6-3, including a mere five-point loss to surging SEC power Vanderbilt. I had the opportunity to speak with Eric Maynor about his and his team's past and future at the Steve Nash Skills Academy.

NB: What do you think [has been] the biggest accomplishment of your basketball career?
EM: As everybody knows, knocking . . . Duke out [of] the NCAA Tournament in my sophomore year and being able to hit the game-winning shot.

NB: As soon as you hit that shot . . . what was your reaction? What were you feeling at that time?
EM: [I was] just feeling like I was a little kid [all] over again, just playing on the blacktop, the countdown and the time, and then just going in for the game-winner.

NB: Greg Paulus was here at the camp for the past two days. What’s your relationship with him [like]? He [was] the point guard on that Duke team that you guys beat.
EM: Greg [and I are] cool. . . . That [is] on-the-court stuff. All the guys that come here and that play college basketball, we [are] real tight, we talk all the time, and it’s nothing against nobody. When we step between the lines, there [are] no friends.

NB: VCU had a great year last year, [and] then you guys didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. What was your opinion on that?
EM: I thought we should have made it. We had 24, 25 wins, but that’s not up for discussion for us, that’s just the [NCAA Tournament Selection] Committee doing [its job], and it just tells you [that] you got to have a tougher schedule and you got to be able to win. We lost in our semifinals of the [Colonial Athletic Association] conference tournament; you got to be able to win there.

NB: What did it mean to you to win CAA Player of the Year last year?
EM: It means a lot, it means a lot, and like I always tell people, I wouldn’t have been able to do that if it wasn’t for my teammates and coaching staff. It’s not all about me, and I just thank them all the time for being there for me.

NB: What do you think you’re going to be able to accomplish [this] year as a team?
EM: Getting back to the NCAA [Tournament], that’s our main goal, but basically just winning more games, and I think we’re going to have a tougher schedule, so we’ll be alright.

NB: What do you consider to be the strongest and the weakest point of your game?
EM: The strongest point is getting teammates shots [and] being able to attack the bucket. [My] weakest [point] probably is staying focused on the defensive end.

NB: Do you have a goal of where you want to end up in the NBA Draft . . . or do you just want to get picked?
EM: No, it’s not just [that] I want to be picked. I want to be a guaranteed first rounder, that’s what I want to be, one of them top 30 picks.

NB: What would that mean to you to hear your name called on Draft night?
EM: It [would] mean the world to me, it’s every kid’s dream.

NB: Coming out of high school, did you ever think there [would] be a chance you’d be making the NBA?
EM: Coming out of high school that was my main goal, but going to VCU I had people in my ear saying, ‘Oh, you [are] not going to go here, you [are] not going to go there,’ but I just keep working hard, just trying to fulfill my dream.

NB: Give me one word to sum up your game.
EM: [Pause] [It] can’t be one word, but I can give you three: true point guard.

Through VCU's first nine contests, Maynor is averaging 23.8 points per game and 6.1 assists per game, impressive totals. Eric has become the face of Virginia Commonwealth, as has helped make the program one of the nation's best mid-majors, delivered the knockout blow to Duke, and has been a superstar during his time at the school. According to NBADraft.net, Maynor will accomplish another one of his goals as a top 30 draft pick. The website has Eric projected as the number 16 overall pick as of now. "I would say the best thing about his game is [that] he makes his teammates better, and he is the toughest matchup in our league," says Drexel senior point guard Bobby Jordan. Clearly Eric Maynor's CAA opponents already know all about him, and soon enough, many more will too.

Note- Maynor's season stats and VCU's record is from http://www.vcuathletics.com/