Belmont and Belcourt Biographies - Paul George

P AUL G EORGE

An Unauthorized Biography

Copyright 2013 by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.

eISBN: 9781619843530

Paul George was born May 2, 1990. He is an American professional basketball swingman with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). George played high school basketball for Pete Knight High School before playing two seasons of college basketball at Fresno State. He was drafted by the Pacers as the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft. In 2013, he was selected to play in his first NBA All-Star Game, received the NBA Most Improved Player Award, and was named to All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team.

Paul George was born on May 02, 1990 in Palmdale, California to Paul and Paulette George. He grew up with two older sisters: Teiosha, who played basketball at Pepperdine, and Portala, who played volleyball at CSU-San Bernardino. Although he idolized Lakers star Kobe Bryant, he grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent most of his free time playing basketball at the park or one-on-one against his older sister Teiosha. He did not play organized basketball until his freshman year at Pete Knight High School. In his last three years of high school, he played for the varsity basketball team under head coach Tom Hegre. He played for Pump and Run of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) with future UCLA Bruins Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee. As a sophomore, he began the season on the JV team, but was moved up to the varsity after the season started. During his junior year, he was the only underclassmen on the varsity team starting lineup.

Recruiters began noticing George during the summer of 2007, while he competed in AAU tournaments. Sensing his potential, his coach handed him a leading role his senior season. That year, George led Knight to the Golden League championship, and was named the Golden League Most Valuable Player, the Antelope Valley Press Player of the Year, and a member of the Daily News 2007-08 All-Area Boys' basketball team.

Despite his accomplishments, George was not considered a major prospect by most colleges. Rivals.com labeled him as a three-star recruit and ranked him 20th among a class of California prospects that was highlighted by Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan (both future NBA stars). He verbally committed to Santa Clara, the first school that offered him a scholarship, but he later de-committed from them because his high school coach thought he should keep his options open. After a positive experience attending Teiosha's Midnight Madness event at Pepperdine University, he committed to Pepperdine on August 09, 2007. Midway through his senior season, he de-committed from Pepperdine after coach Vance Walberg resigned from the program. He ultimately chose Fresno State over offers from schools like Georgetown and Penn State because of greater opportunities for playing time.

George played two years at Fresno State University. In his first game with the Fresno State Bulldogs, he scored 14 points in a winning effort against Sacramento State. In the following game, he recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort against Saint Mary's. Despite the loss, he made an impression with his one-handed slam dunk over Mickey McConnell that earned him Sports Center's number 1 "Play of the Day" for November 18, 2008. On February 09, 2009, he scored a then career-high 29 points to lead the Bulldogs to an 88-82 victory over Boise State. In the 2009 WAC Tournament, the Bulldogs were matched up against Hawaii and advanced to the quarterfinal against the top-seeded Utah State Aggies. During the game, he forced a career-high 5 steals and finished with a team-high 16 points; however, despite his effort the Bulldogs lost, 85-68. With a 13-21 record, the team failed to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He led the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in minutes played (1176) and finished second in 3-point shooting (44.7%), steals (59) and steals per game (1.74). His 3-point field goal percentage was the third-best in the Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball program. He started all 34 games and finished the season averaging 14.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 47.0 percent from the field.

Entering his sophomore season, George was named the most entertaining player in the West region and the eighth most entertaining player in college basketball by Sports Illustrated in their list of the "Top 16 Most Entertaining Players in College Basketball". On January 21, 2010, he sprained his right ankle against Utah State and missed the next four games. He made his return on February 11, scoring a career-high 30 points in a winning effort over eventual WAC Tournament champion New Mexico State. During the 2010 WAC Tournament, he recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds, but his team lost to Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals. The team finished the season 1518, with George averaging 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the line. He was named All-WAC Second-Team and ranked second in the WAC in free throw percentage (90.9%), steals (64) and steals per game (2.2).

Strengths: Paul has some very appealing aspects to his game that could translate nicely to the next level. A 68 small forward with a long wingspan and unlimited NBA range, he has a quick release and does not need much room to let it fly. His athleticism and ability to run the floor make him dynamic in transition, resulting in big time dunks that can spark his team. He attempted exactly 132 free throws in both his freshman and sophomore years; however, he hit 28 more his sophomore year (a 70% to 91% jump). Impressive vision and passing skills, which is not usually the case for a perimeter forward (3 assists per game). Rebounds are well for a small forward at over 7 per game. Defensively, his athleticism contributes to over 2 steals and almost a block per game, illustrating his ability to anticipate and make a play on the ball.

Weaknesses: George's biggest weakness is his inability to create for himself, and his poor shooting percentage when pulling up off the dribble. He lacks a great handle which limits his overall game, as practically all of his baskets come from spotting up, good position down low, or in transition. He tends to get too trigger happy from behind the arc, rushing long shots as opposed to letting the play develop and waiting for a better option. He needs to not always settle for the long ball, and use his strong body and basketball skill set to be a little more creative in regards to getting easier opportunities and getting to the line. At times, he can be sloppy with the ball, throwing unreasonable passes while looking as if his head is not fully in the game. Defensively, he tends to lose focus when playing on the ball, but with the right coaching staff and the opportunity to play on a bigger stage, that problem is likely fixable. Playing a weak schedule on a small stage makes it difficult to project how he would fare against stiffer competition.

Overall: Paul George will most likely be picked in the mid first round, due to his ability to stretch the defense with his deep range and quick release. He could be affective alongside a strong point guard in the drive and dish game, as well as in transition, and can fit in nicely with teams who have big men that frequently see double teams. Strong athletes who can shoot, finish and have the potential to defend are hard to come by, and could be used by many NBA teams who lack depth at the 3 position. NBA Comparison: Trevor Ariza/Danny Granger (via draftexpress.com)