"Jake Kelly couldn't help but have jitters rippling through his lanky 6-6 frame as he looked to the sideline and saw Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird sitting with his legs crossed watching players work out at Conseco Fieldhouse on Monday afternoon.

Considering what he has endured the past three years, however, the nerves Kelly felt as Indiana State University's iconic figure looked on didn't last long. Basketball, Kelly said, has been his "escape from everything" else.

"Larry has always been great to me," said Kelly, who played some of his high school basketball at Carmel. "He called when my mom passed away. He stayed in touch. He's an Indiana State alum. I'm sure he's followed most of our games."

Kelly averaged more than 12 points in almost 31 minutes a game and was honorable mention All-Big Ten during his sophomore season at Iowa.

That's when everything changed for the 185-pound wing player.

Kelly's mother, Julia, who had moved to Iowa to be close to him, died in a plane crash the previous summer (June 2008). Kelly decided to transfer to Indiana State to be closer to relatives after his sophomore season. He then tore a left knee ligament and was limited to 12 games during his junior season. Last year, Kelly had to deal with a mold allergy, mononucleosis and a stress reaction in his right foot.

"The last two years, it was one of those things where it was tough timing with things," said Kelly, who averaged 8.8 points per game on a balanced Indiana State team. "The way I played at Iowa and what I can do now I think will show."

Kelly spent eight weeks training in Phoenix, St. Vincent Sports Performance and at Champions Academy in Zionsville to prepare for his draft workouts.

Kelly worked out with Demonte Harper (Morehead State), Malcolm Lee (UCLA), DeAndre Liggings (Kentucky), Iman Shumpert (Georgia Tech) and Brad Wanamaker (Pittsburgh) on Monday."