Dominic McGuire currently earns his living as a shot-blocking forward for the Washington Wizards. As good as he is at his craft, it is hard to believe that there was a time when the only blocks McGuire was concerned with occurred near the line of scrimmage.

“I liked football way more than I did basketball when I was younger,” McGuire said. “I thought I was going to the NFL. But once I hit that growth spurt, I stopped playing football.”

It is hard to argue against McGuire’s decision to stick with basketball. The Wizards drafted the 6’9 forward in the second-round of this year’s draft after an outstanding college career in which he averaged 3.6 blocks his junior year, good for 5th in the nation. He impressed many scouts at the Orlando Pre-Draft camp not only with his defense, but with his overall athleticism – and his early play in training camp and preseason action has the Wizards excited about the production McGuire will bring to the team.

“He’s really shown that he can contribute and play,” said Wizards Coach Eddie Jordan. “He is an outstanding competitor, and a very good defensive player, rebounder and all-around player.”

The Wizards hope he will continue to add to his preseason performance as the season approaches. Through the team’s first five preseason games, McGuire led the team in blocks per game, averaging 2.2 in 23.4 minutes of action per contest. He registered five blocks at Chicago, and turned his Verizon Center debut into another block party, with four blocks versus Lithuanian powerhouse Zalgiris Kaunas.

McGuire’s natural mix of talent, athletic ability, and length is what makes “D-Mac” such an intriguing prospect. Aside from defense, however, McGuire has other areas in which he hopes to contribute to the team.

"I expect to help out in terms of hustle, rebounding, being another playmaker out there, and setting up teammates,” McGuire said. “I want to bring energy every time I step on the court.”

With his standout performances this preseason, some already view McGuire as the steal of this year’s draft. While D-Mac doesn’t express a desire to be tabbed as such, he and fellow Wizards rookie Nick Young have set a personal goal for this year.

“We are both trying to get to the Rookie Game,” McGuire said, referring to the All-Star Weekend event which features the league’s best first and second-year players. “We have to get that done.”

Based on McGuire’s early flashes, the goal is definitely within reach. By achieving a productive rookie season, he also figures to improve the team’s chances at another playoff run during 2007-08. This season, the Wizards anticipate consistent effort and improvement from McGuire and with the flashes of potential McGuire has shown thus far, D-Mac may be an important part in the Wizards’ quest for an NBA title.

Yet it all goes back to that fateful decision, the moment in high school when the former quarterback decided to hang up his cleats for good and focus solely on basketball. Now, instead of worrying about being the next Donovan McNabb, D-Mac is focused on being the best Dominic McGuire and you can bet nobody’s happier with that decision than the Wizards.