Moments after he learned the Phoenix Suns had selected him with the fifth overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, Alex Len stood in front of a camera speaking with Shane Battier, a Miami Heat player serving as an ESPN reporter.

The former Terrapins men’s basketball center didn’t quite know what to say. But he didn’t need to say much; it wasn’t hard to tell how he felt.

“I just can’t explain my words,” Len told Battier. “Two years ago, I had no idea I’d be at this point. I’m so happy.”

Can you blame him for struggling to describe his excitement? Len left his hometown in Ukraine at age 15 to attend the country’s best basketball school and traveled thousands of miles to attend this university in 2011, all with an NBA future in mind.

Thursday night, NBA commissioner David Stern called Len’s name to cap his emotional journey to the league. He wasn’t drafted first overall, as some reports had indicated was likely, but the 7-foot-1 center’s NBA dreams were realized.

Len had been in a walking boot since undergoing surgery to repair a partial stress fracture in his left ankle in early May, but he took it off and slipped on a dress shoe to walk across the stage at Barclays Center and shake Stern’s hand.

In the fall, Len will become the seventh Ukrainian to play in the NBA.

“It’s a great accomplishment; I’ve been dreaming about it since I was young,” Len said Friday at an introductory press conference. “I get a chance to represent my family and my country.”

Len, who averaged 11.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in his sophomore season, became the first Terp selected in the top five since the Vancouver Grizzlies selected guard Steve Francis second overall in 1999.

He’s the fourth Terp drafted in the first round since 2000 and the first player drafted in the first round after playing under coach Mark Turgeon. While at Texas A&M, Turgeon coached center DeAndre Jordan, who was taken in the second round of the 2008 draft and now starts for the Los Angeles Clippers.

“We are very proud of Alex,” Turgeon said in a press release. “Alex has come such a long way in just two years, both on and off the court, and we are all very excited for what the future holds for him. This is a great day and exciting time for the Maryland basketball program.”

Though Len didn’t produce stellar numbers in college, both he and Suns management are convinced his skill set is more suited for the NBA game. In fact, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek hinted that the Suns rated Len as the best player in the entire draft.

“I wouldn’t classify him as a project. No, I think Alex is already very skilled,” Phoenix general manager Ryan McDonough said. “I think he’s going to be a really good player.”

The Suns already have an established big man in Marcin Gortat, but he’s entering the final year of his contract. Gortat’s presence may indicate the Suns’ plan is for Len to come off the bench for a year while learning the NBA game from a veteran.

The Suns went 25-57 last season, finishing in last place in the Western Conference. Phoenix has been rebuilding since guard Steve Nash left the team last offseason, and the team hired Hornacek in late May.

Point guard Goran Dragic led the Suns with 14.7 points per game last season, but the team relied on a balanced attack. Six players on the team averaged double-digit points last season. The balance and solid guard play should bode well for Len, who often struggled to get touches in the Terps’ half court offseason.

“There’s a variety of ways we could use him,” Hornacek said. “He’ll get better and better, especially in the post where he can command double teams, and it will open it up for a lot of other guys.”

The lack of any All-Stars on Phoenix’s roster, though, means the team is still searching for an identity after Nash — a two-time MVP — departed for the Los Angeles Lakers last summer.

Len seems primed to be a part of that identity.

“I’ve been very impressed with his improvement. I’ve heard great things about his character,” McDonough said. “The sky’s the limit for this young man.”

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