10-30-2007, 11:36 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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**Who'da Thought?**
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 4,189
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Face of Promise...
Nice article on CP3.
Chris Paul didn't notice when a visitor slipped into the players' meeting room three years ago at Wake Forest. Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower was seated in the back row, an invited guest of Coach Skip Prosser.
At the time, Paul was the Demon Deacons' star point guard. NBA scouts and general managers came frequently to Winston-Salem, N.C., to see him play. But Bower was one of the first to take a behind-the-scenes look.
Bower did not bring a note pad, but he took a particular interest in the way Paul sat in the front row and asked Prosser questions about the offensive sets and his responsibilities. Bower noticed the way Paul interacted with his teammates, explaining what they should do against different defensive sets.
Bower saw a personality exuding enthusiasm, politeness and leadership. Even when he ventured beyond the players' meeting room, Bower noticed qualities that made Paul a lock as the top choice on the Hornets' draft-day wish list.
"You could just feel the bond he had developed around campus everywhere you went," Bower said. "To watch it unfold and listen to people talk about him on campus, whether it was in the bookstore or the student union or lunchroom -- those were the places I went with Skip, and we talked to people, and I just listened to what they said.
"Going beyond Chris' talent, it was noticeable how well-liked and respected Chris was on campus. It's easy to be polite and respectable when the lights are on, but when your guards are down and you're just doing everyday life experiences, that's when you find out the true meaning of what a guy is like. Everybody across the board raved about him."
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Face of Promise...
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