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Brooklyn, N.Y. — Early in January, Henry Ellenson had a special visitor stop by his dorm room at Marquette. It was Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Wesley Matthews, one of the five former Golden Eagles playing in the NBA.

Matthews, who went from undrafted in 2009 to earning a max contract last summer, talked to Ellenson about the draft process, the NBA and what it would take to succeed at the next level. At that point, Ellenson's main focus was on Marquette's upcoming game against St. John's, but at the same time, it was clear he wasn't going to spend four seasons with the Golden Eagles like Matthews had.

Before letting Matthews leave, Ellenson and his roommate, freshman guard Haanif Cheatham, had one request.

"We have a big old poster of him in our living room, like gigantic, like it's almost like a mural of Wesley Matthews, and we had him sign it," Ellenson said Wednesday. "He thought it was the funniest thing, like, 'Why am I signing a lottery player's poster?'"

Less than six months after that interaction, Ellenson will learn his NBA fate during Thursday night's draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. If Matthews was right in calling him a lottery player — which will likely be the case based on numerous mock drafts — Ellenson would be the second Marquette player selected in the lottery since it was established in 1985, joining Dwyane Wade, who went fifth overall in 2003.

Wearing a custom gray blazer with a built-in hood, Ellenson was poised, confident and comfortable when meeting with reporters Wednesday afternoon in midtown Manhattan. While it's exactly where he wanted to be after spending most of his 19 years dreaming about the NBA, the reality of the situation still hadn't fully sunk in for the Rice Lake native.

"It's unreal thinking that the draft's tomorrow and that my time is coming shortly to walk on the stage," he said. "It is crazy to think all this work I've been putting in in the gym has finally gotten me to New York for draft week."

During his one season at Marquette, Ellenson averaged 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game on the way to becoming a consensus freshman All-American as well as Big East freshman of the year and first-team all-Big East. He set eight program records among freshmen, including establishing himself as the school's top first-year scorer and rebounder.

While the stats were positive, Ellenson pointed to another aspect of his time at Marquette that will help him in the NBA: his work in the weight room.

"I went in (to Marquette) and I couldn't do a pullup and now I can do eight," said Ellenson, who was recently measured at 6 feet, 111/2 inches in shoes and 242 pounds. "(I) just keep getting stronger as time goes on; it doesn't happen right away."

With his size and ability to handle the ball well, NBA teams see multiple potential roles for Ellenson. Those options will only grow if he can improve on his 28.8% three-point shooting at Marquette.

Thus, shooting has been a main focus of Ellenson's pre-draft workouts in Los Angeles. He believes his outside shot has already improved, something Milwaukee Bucks director of scouting Billy McKinney agreed with following Ellenson's solo workout with the team on June 14.

During his seven team workouts as well as numerous team meetings at the NBA draft combine, Ellenson heard various ideas for how teams think they can use him at the next level. As the NBA trends toward teams putting more shooters on the court, Ellenson could conceivably play the role of a floor-spacing, ball-handling big man who defies the limitations of traditional positions.

"A lot of teams, it's interesting going to these workouts, have different visions for me as a player," Ellenson said. "Some say they can see me playing as a face-up 5 and other teams are like, 'You can bring up the ball as a 4 and kind of play point-forward.' It's interesting. Something I can do a lot better than guys at my spot is set up teammates and be able to create shots.

"I know watching the playoffs that's huge having a third person who is able to do that on the court."

How Ellenson will be used in the NBA will depend largely on which team picks him on Thursday night. At pick No. 10, the Bucks are firmly in the range where he is expected to go and his length and shooting potential could reasonably fit some team needs.

If things shake out that way, there would be a lot of familiarity from both sides. As a state product, the Bucks watched Ellenson plenty at Marquette and before. In addition, Ellenson took part in pickup games with multiple Bucks players, including Khris Middleton and Rashad Vaughn, early in his time at Marquette and even worked out with Vaughn in Chicago while at the NBA draft combine.

"I've always played in Wisconsin for basketball," he said. "I don't have any pressure from that. I think it's just a lot of support — a lot of support from the state and where I'm from."