Getting A Hold On His Role
3/4/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2004
By Sam Walker
When you play point guard you inherit certain responsibilities by default. Among them are play-calling, ball-handling and serving somewhat as an on-the-court coach. Great point guards are usually natural leaders. Much was expected of Chris Paul, the freshman from Winston-Salem's neighboring town of Lewisville. The hometown fan contingency well knew how good Paul had been in high school, and they hoped he would be every bit as good as a collegiate freshman. He had already established himself as a natural leader. But no matter how good you are, you pay some dues when you play in the ACC.
Making the freshman adjustment with a new level of play, fitting in with teammates and an increased game schedule is not easy for even the most gifted players. It can become exponentially more difficult when you're the point guard in charge of involving everyone in the game. Paul has paid some dues, and seemingly has handled the mistakes and successes with maturity beyond his years.
There's little doubt Wake Forest is becoming Paul's team. When your play produces a stoic look and little more than a gracious he's "a very good player" comment from Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, you know you've made an impact. Opposing coaches have publicly admitted when playing Wake Forest that a key focus is containing Chris Paul. Coach Mike Davis of Indiana said Paul, "may be the best point guard we've played against since I've been at Indiana. Watching him play is poetry in motion." Senior guard Chris Duhon of Duke said, "He's going to be something special. He's a great kid, he has a great attitude, and he knows how to play the game."
"As I often say, your point guard is like your quarterback in football," Coach Skip Prosser of Wake Forest said. "He has to play well to compete in games of this magnitude. If the quarterback doesn't play well, you have no chance."
Paul has given Wake Forest a good chance each time out, and the basketball community has taken notice.
Going into the final week of the regular season, Paul had been named the ACC Rookie of the Week a league-high five times, which ties him with the likes of ACC greats Rodney Rogers, Ralph Sampson and Dennis Scott for fourth-most Rookie of the Week honors. Paul is the second leading freshman scorer in the ACC and averages more minutes per contest than any other freshman in the league.
By ACC standards, Paul ranks among the best in multiple categories. He's the 12th leading scorer and ranks fourth in assists per game. He ranks third in the nation and first in the ACC in steals per game (3.0) and owns the second-highest free throw shooting percentage in the league. On a national level, Paul is a finalist for both the John R. Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award. He is one of only two freshmen on the Wooden list (out of 30 candidates) and the only freshman on the Cousy list (out of 15 finalists). But all the statistics and national recognitions in the world mean little if your team doesn't win. That's where Paul's impact has been felt the greatest, and during a time when Wake Forest's season was on the precipice of losing its grip on a possible NCAA Tournament berth.
After winning its first 11 games, the Deacons dropped four straight and six of eight in the heart of the schedule. After losing to North Carolina on Feb. 7, Wake Forest sat at 13-6 overall, 4-5 in the league and facing a stretch of games that could very well end post-season NCAA aspirations, barring an ACC Tournament title. With their backs against the wall, Paul led the Deacons to three straight wins over ranked opponents for the first time in school history.
Paul ripped 13th-ranked Cincinnati for 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 91-85 victory, and then rolled up 23 points and eight assists as the Deacons avenged an earlier loss to third-ranked Duke, 90-84. Wake Forest fended off a fierce comeback at Georgia Tech and posted an 80-76 win over the 18th-ranked Jackets. Paul scored one basket in that game; the one that sealed the victory for Wake Forest as the waning seconds ticked off the clock. When asked about scoring only two points, Paul responded by saying he'd take two points and a win any day.
"Really, the only statistic I look at is our wins and losses," Paul said. "I try to do whatever I have to do to help my team win. I'm thankful I get to play because there are a lot of freshmen around the country who don't get to play. I'm just thankful my coach has confidence in me to let me play."
They call him the "Mayor" of Winston-Salem, a moniker Paul has conceded to, and chants of "CP3" rumble the Joel Coliseum rafters when he drills a three-pointer. His play is more fascinating than flashy because he gets results in a workman-like manner. In the Deacons' 90-87 overtime victory over Florida State, Paul forced a turnover by running through a passing lane to deflect a ball that bounced off the head of Nate Johnson of FSU. Paul began running before the ball was even passed and covered at least 40 feet across the court. Nothing too flashy, just effective. The Deacons battled back from 17 points down to earn their 18th win of the year.
"Chris plays with great courage, and I think his courage is contagious," Prosser said. "His teammates really feed off that. He errs as we all do, but he comes in and watches clips, he'll watch tape, and he wants to be very good. He comes from an outstanding family, his high school coach did a great job with him, and I wouldn't trade him for point guard in the country. I've said that voluminous times."
As Wake Forest regained its confidence, Paul seemed to fully embrace his leadership role. His contagious courage seemed to provide the resolve that prompted the Deacons to play with a sense of urgency rather than a sense of desperation, which Prosser felt the team did earlier in the ACC slate.
"He's more aggressive," said Paul's guard counterpart Justin Gray. " I can't count the times early in the season that he was open and didn't take the shot. He's so unselfish. I was like that last year, and coach would always tell me, 'be aggressive, be aggressive.' But if we're going to win ball games, he and Eric (Williams) have to be aggressive. He's kept pressure on people his whole life, and he's a great penetrator. But I bet people now are like you can't let him go by you, stay on him. And that's a big asset to us."
As the Deacons head down the season home stretch and toward what looks to be Wake Forest's fourth straight NCAA Tournament invitation, Chris Paul has turned out to be every bit as good, if not better, than the expectations that were, perhaps unfairly, placed upon him. He hasn't seen his lack of collegiate experience as an obstacle, but a non-factor. He has his own agenda, as the "Mayor" of course, and the cornerstone of it is to win games.
"I hope they (my teammates) see me as a leader because coach has worked with me on different things. I'm watching a lot of film, talking to Coach B (Jeff Battle), the guard coach, and they teach me different things every day about being a leader. You just can't be a leader during the game. Being a leader is a full-time job. I enjoy it. Just being a freshman doesn't make a difference. If you're the point guard, you are the quarterback of the team. Everything goes through you. You call out the plays, and the defense starts with you. I love being a leader on this team."
