Ryan Anderson didn't pay a great deal of attention to the first 15 picks of Thursday's NBA draft. Once the second half of the first round began, however, the excitement and tension around the Anderson household in El Dorado Hills started to build.

It didn't take long for everyone to exhale, as Anderson, Cal's leading scorer and rebounder during the 2007-08 season, was selected 21st overall by the New Jersey Nets with their second first-round pick.

New Jersey chose Stanford center Brook Lopez with the No. 10 pick.

"I started to bite my lip after the 16th pick, waiting for it to happen," said Anderson, who was also the Pac-10's leading scorer at 21.1 points per game. "I had a great workout with Cleveland, so I thought I might go there. After they selected (N.C. State's J.J. Hickson at No. 19), I was like, 'Oh, no.' But I only had to wait two more picks. It feels like 100 pounds has been lifted off of my body."

The 6-foot-10 Anderson, who is the first Cal player to be selected in the first round since guard Ed Gray in 1997 (22nd to Atlanta), felt he had a good workout and interview with the Nets earlier this month. Scouts told him that he would have to work on his strength, quickness and defense, but there was no question about his ability to shoot. During a remarkable sophomore season at Cal, Anderson hit 41 percent of his 3-point attempts (64-for-156) and was an 87 percent free throw shooter. He also averaged 9.9 rebounds per

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game.

Anderson was projected to be a mid-to-late first round pick when he first declared his eligibility for the draft. And after receiving positive feedback during a series of workouts with NBA teams, he made the decision to officially make himself available on June 15. Anderson, the seventh Pac-10 player selected in the first round, said he will be flying to the East Coast on Sunday to meet with Nets officials.

"It's an amazing time," said Anderson, who watched the draft with family and a small group friends. "I don't think I've ever been this excited."

While Anderson's wait was relatively short, former Cal teammate DeVon Hardin's emotions were on hold from the time the last few picks of the first round were announced. The suspense finally ended when Seattle chose the center with the 20th selection of the second round (50th overall).

Hardin, who held his draft party at a downtown Oakland restaurant, then immediately hugged former Bears teammate and current Boston Celtic Leon Powe as his emotions bubbled to the surface.

As a second round pick, Hardin will not go into training camp with a guaranteed contract.

"This is something I've worked for my entire life," said Hardin, who added that his workout with the Sonics two weeks ago was one of the better ones he had. "To be here, and to have my family with me, it's amazing.

"(Waiting) was hard. It's even hard to talk about it right now (without getting emotional)."

Hardin was projected in many mock drafts to be selected anywhere from late in the first round to midway through the second. He put up modest numbers for the Bears this season (9.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg), but is thought to have considerable upside with his 6-foot-11, 250-pound frame.

"I think he'll be fine. It doesn't matter where you get drafted, it's about how hard you work," said Powe, who was drafted by the Celtics in the second round in 2006. "You've got to continue to better yourself, basketball skills and off-the-court skills as well. You've got to do everything in your power to have a chance to stay (in the NBA)."

Contact Curtis Pashelka at cpashelka@bayareanewsgroup.com