“I basically just told him that [Illinois
basketball] is a lot different than Western Michigan,” former University of
Illinois starting shooting guard, Brandon Paul, says of the advice he has given
to his younger brother, Darius, a transfer from Western Michigan University, gearing
up to play basketball at Illinois for the 2013-2014 season.
Brandon adds, “Coach Groce is going to expect a lot
more out of him. It’s not going to be as easy. I’m not saying it was easy over
at Western Michigan, but I think the work load is a lot more. There’s a lot of
good competition in the Big Ten. I told him he has a lot to prepare for. I just
want to make sure he’s ready for it.”
Brandon has set the bar high for the Paul family’s
name in basketball and has created some big shoes for his little brother to
fill. After committing to play basketball at the University of Illinois his
junior year at Warren Township High School, Brandon finished up his high school
career with being named the “2009 Illinois Mr. Basketball”—an award annually given
to the best high school basketball player in Illinois and shared with ten other
former Illini*.
“I had wanted to play at Illinois for a long time,”
Brandon says, “When I received the call offering me a scholarship, it was
really humbling. I just talked it over with my family and went on my visit. The
whole experience was really exciting.”
During his freshman and sophomore seasons at
Illinois, Brandon received solid playing time from Head Coach Bruce Weber in all
of the team’s 70 games.
During his
junior year is when Brandon really started to shine as one of the team’s top
players. At the beginning of the 2011-2012 season, he earned the role as one of
the team’s all-time starters. Playing all 32 games that season, Brandon led the
team in points (469), average points per game (14.7), free throws (125),
assists (94), and steals (46). The most memorable moment of Brandon’s season happened
on January 10, 2012 when he scored a career high 43 points in the Fighting
Illini’s defeat of the #5 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. This was the third highest single game scoring
total in the history of the program. That night, Brandon also made eight three
pointers, which tied the school’s all-time record.
Entering his senior season, Brandon experienced a drastic
coaching change when Bruce Weber moved onto Kansas State
and Illinois hired former Ohio University head coach, John Groce.
“It
was tough having a coaching change,” Brandon says, “but both staffs helped me
learn a lot. I think we really came along with Coach Groce and his staff. It
was hard to learn a new system with just one year left under my belt, but
playing under [the Groce administration] was definitely one of my better years.”
In
his final season at Illinois, Brandon also experienced his fondest memory as a
member of the Fighting Illini—the 2012 Maui Invitational.
“We
played really well and got off to a hot start in the season. We ended up
winning the tournament. That was one of the best times as a team. Individually,
I was awarded the MVP, which was just icing on the cake.”
Paul says that much of his success
has come from the support he has gotten both at home and at various levels of
play.
“I put a lot of work into my game myself,” Brandon
says, “but my parents have had a lot of influence on me as well
as my high school coaches and my AAU coaches. [Former Chicago Bull] Dickey
Simpkins, my AAU coach, is one of my mentors. I look to my parents and Dickey, as
well as a few of my college coaches who have helped me get to where I am right
now. They have all been big impacts on my basketball career.”
Brandon
says that his Warren Township Varsity coach, Chuck Ramsey, played an important
role in developing him into the disciplined player that he is today.
“Coach Ramsey was my Varsity coach. He and his staff
had a huge impact on me. He never sugar coated anything, and he never treated
you differently. He knew that if we were going to be good, then he needed to be
hard on us. He was a great coach for me in my high school days. I appreciate
everything he did for me.”
When
asked to give a scouting report on himself, Brandon is a bit hesitant.
“I
don’t know if I would want to give anybody a scouting report on me because they
would know how to guard me.”
Brandon
does describe himself, however, as “a gifted scorer”.
“I
came to college to score. I had to juggle two roles. I had to become a backup
point guard as well as a two guard. I see myself as a combo guard that can take
the ball up the floor as well as space the floor out. I’m capable of playing
multiple positions and capable of guarding multiple positions.”
Although
grateful for NBA comparisons to that of Dwayne Wade, Courtney Lee, and Russell
Westbrook, Brandon does not try to model his game after anyone in particular.
“I
just play like [Brandon Paul]. I just
try to play my own game and nobody else’s.”
Confidently,
Brandon says he has no weaknesses, only “part of [his] game that [he] can
improve.”
He
says, “I’m working on my ball handling, shot consistency, and just overall
endurance. I want to go out on the court and be the best player possible all
the time.”
Earning
the respect of his coaches and teammates throughout the years, Brandon has
become a known leader both on and off the court.
“I
just try to lead by example,” he says, “If I see guys lacking, I speak up
vocally. I want to be enthusiastic no matter what’s going on. Things may not be
going well, but you want to keep a positive mindset.”
When
he has gotten down or has had a less than satisfying game, Brandon says his
teammates have always been there to pick him up and help make him a better
player on the court.
“A lot of my teammates from high school are still
some of my best friends today. I’ve been playing with many of them since third
grade. I have always been fortunate enough to have teammates that haven’t
treated me differently because of my abilities. They don’t look to me for
anything. They’re just there to support me. The guys in college pushed me to be
a better player. If I did something wrong, they would let me know and not just
stay quiet about it.”
Like most athletes, Brandon is a
very competitive person. He strives to be the best basketball player he can be
and plans to make a living doing what he loves. After going undrafted in the
2013 NBA draft and playing on the Minnesota Timberwolves summer-league team, he
is now playing for BC Nizhny Novgorod of the Russian Professional Basketball
League.
“I
always want to win and want to be successful. I know that there are guys that
are not in my position that would kill to be in my position right now. That
drives me to become a better player than what I am now.”
*Other
former Fighting Illini to receive the “Illinois Mr. Basketball” award include:
Bruce Douglas (1982), Nick Anderson (1986), Marcus Liberty (1987), Deon Thomas
(1989), Jarrod Lee (1994), Sergio McClain (1997), Frank Williams (1998), Brian
Cook (1999), Dee Brown (2002), and Jereme Richmond (2010).
