Pistons fans arrived early and came well prepared to meet the team’s first-round draft pick Saturday at the Meijer store in Madison Heights Saturday. Their enthusiasm provided Austin Daye a lot of memories of his first day in Michigan.

“It’s nice to know I have such good fan support for someone who just came in,” said Daye, the Gonzaga forward selected by the Pistons with the 15th overall pick.

Fans arrived as early as 10 a.m., forming a line through one of the aisles that at its peak had as many as 30 people. The immense turnout surprised Daye, who arrived a little after 11 p.m. “How long have you been waiting?” he asked one gentleman. His eyebrows arched when “30 minutes” was the reply.

Autograph cards of Daye in his draft-night garb – a light grey suit with a robin’s egg blue tie and vest – were available for free, but many fans already had produced their own items. “You got this before even I did,” he remarked to one young boy who had a glossy 8x10 of Daye's handshake on the stage with NBA Commissioner David Stern.

“I haven’t gotten any of the photos with David Stern or a lot of the [posed publicity] photos that we did,” Daye said. “It was surprising but it was a nice response.”

The most unusual item to be passed across the table was Leah Posey’s 10-month-old daughter, Leandrea. Let’s just say Daye, who just turned 21 earlier this month, is more comfortable with a ball in his hands. “He looked like he was on the scared side,” joked Posey, of Madison Heights, “but I was OK with it.”

Daye’s appearance was a last-minute addition to a festive day for Pistons sponsor Meijer, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary at stores across Michigan. Fans like Josh Tylenda, 20, of Sterling Heights, learned about Daye’s participation on Pistons.com. “It was really great. I’m glad we got to draft him,” he said. “He’s a big man and I hope he can put on some weight and be really good.”

Daye understands the weight concerns – he carries less than 200 pounds on his lanky 6-foot-11 frame – but is confident it will be addressed in time. “I look like a 15-year-old, but I think it’s [the weight] going to come and I’m not too worried about it,” Daye said. “I know if I work hard these next few months by the end of the year it will come.”

Nobody bothered Daye with weight talk Saturday, only wishing him well and posing any questions that popped up. “We asked him what he was going to buy first,” said Tylenda, who came with Chris Duda, 19, of Warren. “He said, ‘I don’t know. I’ll wait until I see my first paycheck.’”

Many fans wanted to hear how he survived the whirlwind of the NBA Draft, which has not quite subsided. He had to switch airports in New York Friday night to make his late flight to Detroit, and there’s still an introductory press conference scheduled at The Palace Monday.

“I’m just happy to be part of the team now. It’s finally over,” Daye said of the past few days. “I’m not nervous anymore. I’m finally somewhere I want to be.”