While preparing for his agility test at Friday’s NBA Draft Combine at Chicago’s Attack Athletics Training Center, John Wall saw Washington Wizards head coach Flip Saunders standing a few feet behind him. Wall knew he needed to do something to make a big impression on his potential NBA coach.

After a somewhat disappointing 30-inch mark in the no-step vertical, the 2010 SEC player of the year from the University of Kentucky gathered himself for his two-step vertical test and then nearly jumped out of the gym, touching all but four sticks on the vertical bar. The 19-year-old, 6-foot-4 point guard then clocked in with the fastest 25-yard run (3.1) and turned in a impressive showing in the other agility drills.

Wall’s 43-inch vertical and Usain Bolt-like speed certainly got the attention of the other players at the combine, including Ohio State’s Evan Turner and Kansas’ Xavier Henry. It was a loud message to the rest of the field that Wall is, and should be, the No. 1 overall selection in next month’s NBA Draft.

Wall was simply head and shoulders above anyone else during the agility drills of the combine, and he did so without the benefit of a warm-up. He decided to pass on the fullcourt workouts at the suggestion of his agent, a decision that was shared by other top prospects such as Turner, DeMarcus Cousins (Wall’s teammate at Kentucky), Wake Forest’s Al-Farouq Aminu, Georgetown’s Greg Monroe and Kansas’ Cole Aldrich.

Turner had a decent showing in the agility drills, but it definitely wasn’t his strength. The 6-7 guard-forward glided through the drills without breaking much of sweat, while Wall went hard on every turn. That’s the biggest difference between Wall and Turner. Wall is in attack mode from the moment he sets foot in the gym, while Turner is more laid-back.

Here’s the dilemma for the Wizards, who hold the rights to the top pick in the draft: Do they take Wall or Turner? Do they prefer a Ferrari over a Bentley?

“John is an extraordinary athlete. I think he tested the highest in all of the testing out here,” Saunders told ESPN’s Andy Katz. “But they’re both phenomenal players. Evan is the same way. We can’t go wrong whoever we take as far as the number one pick. We’ll probably talk to them and watch some film with them with our top guys and see how they comprehend the game. We’ll work them out as far as our game is geared towards, pick-and-roll offense and pick-and-roll defense, and see how they understand some of those things.”

As far as each player’s transition from college to the NBA, Saunders sees both as having a huge impact.

“John is probably the most dynamic player in the draft. Evan is probably the most versatile player who can play numerous positions. One thing that’s impressive about both guys in the interview process is that both guys have a very good understanding of the game and they’re extremely profession and extremely motivated.”

Although Saunders and the Wizards won’t say it publicly because the NBA wants to add a little drama to the process, they will likely use the No. 1 pick on Johnathan Wall, who told Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl that he wants to be the greatest point guard ever.

Lofty goals for a young player, but certainly well within reach.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas is reportedly dropping his “Hibachi” and “Agent Zero” monikers and vows to focus on just playing basketball, something he has not been able to do the past two seasons.

In the past two seasons, Arenas has appeared in just 15 games, two in 2008-09 and 13 in 2007-08, all because of chronic knee pain that stems from the day he tore the lateral meniscus of his left knee. His once shining star has been diffused by a devastating knee injury that has not only stymied his growth as a first-team All-NBA performance but it has altered the present and future of the Wizards.

Without Arenas, the Wizards became a lottery team and popular coach Eddie Jordan was let go. Flip Saunders was hired to rebuild the Wizards, and so far his presence has been a welcomed sight.

“[Flip] just brings a certain energy and it’s been fun for us because he keeps it moving,” said Mike Miller, who was acquired by the Wizards, along with guard Randy Foye, in an offseason trade with Minnesota. “It’s been a lot of fun picking up his offense, and we’re looking forward to winning some games.”

Saunders loves to teach offense and is one of the best play-callers in the NBA. As much as Arenas loved to play for Jordan, he will enjoy running Saunders’ free-flowing offense.

Gilbert Arenas has played in only 15 games the past two seasons. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

To prepare for the this season, Arenas hired Tim Grover, the former personal trainer for Michael Jordan.

“He saved my career,” Arenas said of Grover, who was responsible for rebuilding Dwyane Wade’s body last season.

Wade was in the same predicament two seasons ago and, when he graduated from Grover’s training academy, he returned to being an All-NBA performer and won his first scoring title.

“We require three things from our guys: we ask them to show up, we ask them to work hard and we ask them to listen,” Grover said. “It they give us those three things, we basically almost guarantee them success.

“Gil wanted to come in and do so much we actually had to teach him how to work out smarter instead of working out harder. The results have been fantastic. We’re just showing him the way; he’s doing all the work.”

Grover’s training methods appears to be working as Arenas came into camp 20 pounds lighter and looks to be in incredible shape.

“Before, I used to work out everyday so I never got out of shape. Now, instead of just working out I focused on something; focus on my knee and make sure I don’t have any relapses. I was one of those kids who never really lifted [weights]. When I got hurt, I never really built my knee back,” said Arenas, who appears to be ahead of schedule and should return to his rightful place as one of the top guards in the league.

“He looks like Agent Zero again,” Miller said of Arenas. “In the playoffs, everyone knows that you gotta have that one guy who can win it for you single-handedly, and we have that guy in [Gilbert]. He looks really healthy, really good, and he’s taking a good pace too. When you miss a year and half, it takes some time mentally and physically.”

Popularity: 3% [?]