Maynor Welcomed Home in Thunder's First Preseason Game

With less than an hour before tip-off of the Thunder's preseason opener, Eric Maynor was nestled in the corner of the locker room at the Crown Coliseum, furiously scribbling on ticket envelopes.

Just how many people needed the second-year guard to get them passes into the Thunder's preseason match-up with the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday?

"A lot of people," Maynor said. "I was just trying to figure it out. A lot of people got their own tickets though. That was really good for me." Certainly, the Bobcats were billed as the home team, with Charlotte earning the right to wear white and the crowd decidedly Bobcat-friendly. But when Maynor, a native of nearby Raeford and graduate of Westover High School in Fayetteville, was announced to the foul line for a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds left in the first quarter - his first real activity of the night - the crowd answered with a resounding cheer. Maynor made the pair, much to the pleasure of the in 7,491 in attendance, en route to a 10-point performance that aided the Thunder in a 97-93 win over Charlotte. The guard entered the game with just under three minutes left in the first quarter, eventually playing almost 27 minutes for the Thunder. Coach Scott Brooks spoke about Maynor's contribution to the team since his arrival last season in a pregame interview. "He gives every ounce of energy to the team," Brooks said. "He developed the ability to control the tempo of the game. He's one of the reasons we improved a lot last year. "I met with him literally for four minutes before his first game. I think he had five assists and one turnover. And we won the game because of his 12 or 15 minutes of play." But for Maynor, just as he's given away stacks of tickets to the game, his focus on the court isn't on taking - not taking the spotlight and not taking the accolades. Instead, he's poured his efforts into giving the rest of the Thunder a boost. "I work everyday," Maynor said. "I want to be the guy that makes my teammates better."