Marcus Paige

Without a doubt, it would have been nice to have LJ Rose as a Tar Heel. That being said, it feels even better when the staff gets to hand-pick their top PG target and get a commitment from a consistent player like Marcus Paige.

I’ve always personally enjoyed it when the staff trumps the scouting hierarchy and decides to take a lower-ranked player over a higher-ranked player. I recall finding the decision to focus on Bobby Frasor over Mario Chalmers almost avant-garde, like a choice that mere fans simply wouldn’t understand because they don’t have the vision that the staff possesses. Chalmers really turned out to be a beast, so I’m not going to open that can of worms. Perhaps Chalmers’ Dad and Frasor’s red-hot shooting performance in a Texas AAU game had something to do with it all, but I digress…

So what is there to know about Marcus Paige, the 2012 point guard commitment? Let’s take a look.

Physical Characteristics

• Approximately 6’ 0” and could grow a few more inches

• Skinny

• Lefty

• Decently long arms

• Quick, but not “fast” like Felton or Lawson

Style of Play

Sometimes it can be frustrating for recruiting fanatics to not have distinct, clearly defined ways to characterize how a recruit plays. Marcus Paige seems to be one of those players who is defined more by his “overall feel” than for specific athletic abilities. For instance, all the reports about him are centered around these types of comments:

• Basketball IQ

• Consistency

• Leadership, taking control and running a team

• Advanced floor game

• Good decision maker

• Works well off screens and sets up easy shots for teammates

Offensive Game

Supposedly Paige shows signs of becoming an offensive minded PG in addition to a true distributing PG. Some scouts say he can knock down jumpers, even in clutch situations, and that he has a one-on-one arsenal to get to the basket or can pull up and hit shots if the drive isn’t there.

Other Positives

• 4-year player who brings stability to the quarterback position

• Willing to learn from Kendall Marshall and happily back him up

• Other unselfish recruits will want to play with him

• Could rise up to 5 star status and become a real steal in the class of 2012

• Coach Williams wanted him more than any other point guard

• He says he tries to play like Chris Paul

• Kansas wanted him and brought him in for Midnight Madness this year

• Plain and simple, he wants to be a Tar Heel and moved on his opportunity quickly

• It’s been a long damn time since a commitment!

Possible Downsides

• Iowa isn’t an ultra-competitive high school circuit

• Needs strength, size, and weight

• Doesn’t have “elite” athleticism to easily dominate competition with pure physicality

• Not a “pure shooter” yet so will need to continue to see progression/development over next 2 years

What Recruiting Junkies Want to Know

• Is Marcus Paige Larry Drew III?

• Who are his friends? Is he close with any other 2012 recruits that he can help bring in?

• Can he actually score AND distribute? Really??

• This means no LJ Rose right? Right?? Yep.

More Links to Peruse

Videos:

http://northcarolina.scout.com/a.z?s=78&p=2&c=1046470&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fnorthcarolina.scout.com%2f2%2f1046470.html
http://northcarolina.scout.com/a.z?s=78&p=8&c=1&nid=3849098
http://theshiver.com/2010/05/marcus-paige-highlights-from-the-kansas-city-classic/

Discussions:
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/messages/chrono/26422760/0/0/26424284
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=78&f=1410&t=6868589
http://www.illinoisloyalty.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=13842
http://www.hawkeyenation.com/forum/basketball/22200-3-reason-marcus-paige-will-not-go-kansas.html

Profiles:
http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=3849098
http://www.maxpreps.com/athletes/YhnIKIHwI0i_PZkIOMyipg/basketball-winter-09-10/profile-marcus-paige.htm
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/player/videos/_/id/67416/marcus-paige
http://rivals.yahoo.com/iowastate/basketball/recruiting/player-Marcus-Paige-83890