Warren's Paul wows 'em in Champaign
CHAMPAIGN- It took University of Illinois fans seconds to get excited about what they are likely to see from Brandon Paul next year.
Playing in a marquee game at the Shootout at the Hall, the Warren senior guard scored 6 points in the opening burst of the third quarter to shake off a slow start.
He punctuated the run with a vicious baseline dunk that drew a collective wow from crowd.
In all, Paul gave a startling preview of his all-around brilliance. The Illini recruit scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, recorded 5 assists and 4 steals to power Warren past highly regarded Chicago Public League member Curie 54-42 on Saturday night.
He also harassed Curie's star sophomore Wayne Blackshear into 4-of-13 shooting from the floor.
"I saw the other player wasn't paying attention," said Paul, describing the play that set up his dunk. "I got the ball on the (right) wing and acted like I was going to shoot on the baseline.
"That's when I knew what I was going to do."
Paul's dunk ignited the Blue Devils (6-1), who promptly ran off a 10-0 run to seize control. Paul's play helped overcome a 22-20 deficit at the half.
Paul got excellent support from starting forwards Jake Anderson and James Poliquin. They scored 10 points apiece. Poliquin added a stunning 15 rebounds against the athletic frontline of the Condors (2-2). David Duncan also reached double figures, scoring 8 of his 10 points in the first half.
To start the third quarter, Paul scored in succession on a driving layup, a circus shot in the lane and the monster dunk.
"There's nothing on the court that he can't do," said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey. "He's a tremendous offensive player, and his defense has improved a lot."
Paul's improved defense was evident by his handling of Blackshear, an athletic 6-foot-6 forward who's regarded as one of the top players in the Public League. Blackshear scored just 8 points.
Warren won despite committing 23 turnovers. The Blue Devils outrebounded the Condors 34-25. They shot 47 percent (20 of 43) from the field, while forcing Curie into 37-percent shooting (18 of 48).
Jeremy Price scored 18 points for the Condors.
"Paul did a great job of controlling the game," said Curie coach Mike Oliver. "He did it with defense as much as his offense.
"Even when he wasn't scoring, he made great passes to give his teammates an opportunity to score."
Meanwhile, Paul gave a final promise that is likely to excite the local faithful even more.
"I can't wait to get here," he said.