DEERFIELD, Ill. -- When Elton Brand's mother held his new Chicago Bulls jersey for the first time, a huge grin crossed her face and she let out a gleeful laugh as she shook the shirt.

After years of taking two-hour train rides three or four days a week to the cramped church gym where his AAU team practiced, Brand has hit the big time. He's the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, and his new home is the gym that used to be Michael Jordan's playground.

"I just wanted to come in and see all the trophies," he said Thursday, glancing back at the six championship trophies at the Bulls' practice facility. "I was just in amazement. It's a very special place with all the banners hanging up. I was in awe."

As a sophomore at Duke, Brand averaged 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds and led the Blue Devils to the NCAA championship game. He's 6-foot-8 and 275 pounds, and his arm span is wider than some small planes. He's also got the biggest, softest hands general manager Jerry Krause has ever seen.

But for all the magazine covers he graced and the awards he picked up last year, the national college player of the year said there are still some things people haven't seen.

"I think the general managers and coaches were pleasantly surprised at my perimeter skills and my face-the-basket game," he said. "I didn't get to showcase that much at Duke. But I didn't have to with Will Avery and Trajan Langdon out there hitting jump shots and me being able to dominate down low. But I do have a face-up, wide-open game that I think can flourish at this next level.

"I'm definitely going to improve, athletically and physically," he added.

The Bulls are counting on it. After going from dynasty to dust heap, the Bulls are looking for Brand to be the cornerstone of their rebuilding effort. That's fine with Brand, who arrived at Duke when coach Mike Krzyzewski was reviving his program after a year away recuperating from back surgery.

People will expect a lot from him, but Brand said they always have.

"It's going to be a lot of pressure, but I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said. "At every level, I've had to face pressure and criticism and such, but I always prevailed."

Just don't start calling him the next Jordan. Or Dennis Rodman. Or anyone else, for that matter, said David Falk, agent for Jordan and Brand.

"I think the important thing is not to compare the future with the past," he said. "We don't want him to be the next anyone. I hope he's the first Elton Brand."

Brand knows the transition to the NBA might be difficult. He is, after all, just 20 years old, and the NBA is a long way from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Then there's the city of Chicago, which is looking for someone to make the post-Jordan hangover go away.

Brand is used to traveling and living away from home, and his mother, Daisy, will probably come to Chicago with him for at least the first year. He also got a pleasant surprise when the Bulls drafted one of his old AAU buddies, Ron Artest, with the 16th pick.

Artest, a forward at St. John's, and Brand played on the Riverside Church AAU team for three years, including one spectacular season when it went 64-1. They once talked about going to the same college. And when neither could sleep on Tuesday night, they sat up in the hallway of their hotel, talking about how far they'd come and how their lives were about to change.

When Artest heard the Bulls call his name, he started crying. And no, it wasn't because his hometown New York Knicks didn't pick him.

"All I could think was, 'I'm back with Elton again!"' Artest said. "That's crazy. I'm going to feel right at home."

The two hope it won't be long before they're duplicating their magic from Manhattan in Chicago. For the next couple days, though, they're going to take some time and savor the feeling of making it to the NBA.

"When you've worked all your life for this and dreamed all your life for such a special moment, when it comes, it just feels very special," Brand said. "I'm very eager to get in here and just get started. I'm looking forward to the great experience that's going to come."