University of North Carolina Athletics
Out Of The Blue: Marcus Paige
February 10, 2014 | Men's Basketball
NOTE: This article originally appeared in the Feb. 4 issue of CAROLINA.
by Ben Brown, GoHeels.com
CHAPEL HILL — Marcus Paige has proven that he is the unquestioned leader of the Tar Heel basketball team, but all he's focused on is getting better at his craft as he looks to continue Carolina's history of great point guards.
Ben Brown: Who do you model your game after?
Marcus Paige: "Well, I try to model my game after Chris Paul. He's a little bit better than me, obviously, but I just like the way he has an all-around game. He scores, passes and defends and he's sort of my role model so I just try to play like him."
BB: Describe the feeling of anticipation right before you play Duke:
MP: "It's ridiculous. My first couple of games, I was really nervous and it went away as I got more comfortable, but for the Duke game that was the most nervous I've ever been before a game. Just understanding the rivalry and the history behind it, and then being that excited to get the chance to be a part of it, I know it didn't go well, but it was something I can't really describe."
BB: Who is the toughest player you have ever had to guard?
MP: "Shane Larkin from Miami. He was the 14th pick in the draft this past year and he's just so quick and he's a good shooter. He reminds me a little bit of Ty Lawson when he was in college. Shane was a great player in college, and he's going to be a great pro too."
BB: You're known for your floater. How did you develop that shot and become so effective at it?
MP: "Well, obviously I'm not the tallest guy around, so you have to get creative when you're going to the basket against seven-footers. It's something that I got kind of good at in high school, but it's something that I've really had to use since I've been here. I've been working with Coach Davis on it all the time, and it's really become one of my most effective moves."
BB: Hubert Davis is very outgoing and has a great personality, what has it been like being around him everyday?
MP: "He's a great guy, and he's starting to talk more. Last year, he was kind of quiet because he didn't really know what to do as a coach, but now he's working with us all of the time and he's always trying to get guys in the gym. He's just a great person. He's one of the guys who I'm proud I get to be around because of how successful he's been."
BB: Carolina fans were introduced to your dancing skills in the video that you did at Late Night With Roy. Do you have a favorite Michael Jackson song to dance to and do you have a go-to move?
MP: "My go-to move is the moonwalk. That one is my favorite. I like the side shuffles and the spins too, and every now and then I like to throw a leg kick in. But my favorite song to dance to, that one's tough. It probably changes all the time, but I like 'Pretty Young Thing,' 'Wanna be Startin' Something' . . . basically anything off the Thriller album and then some of the stuff from the Jackson 5 as well."
Editor's note: Check out Paige's dance skills:
BB: What's your favorite thing to do with your teammates when you're not at the Smith Center?
MP: "We play a lot of PlayStation, Me and Brice play Zombies all the time. I think our highest is level 30 or something. We get pretty intense when it comes to Call of Duty Zombies."
BB: What's your favorite play that you have made during your career at Carolina?
MP: "Probably the and-one against NC State last year at home. It kind of put the game away and that was one of the better games I had last year. We had a great crowd and it was against NC State so it was just a really exciting game."
BB: Do you have a quote that you try and implement in your life?
MP: "That's a good question. We get a lot of good ones from Coach Williams. We do a quote of the day every day in practice, and he's given me some really good ones. A couple of my favorites are 'You can't control the wind, but you can adjust the sails.' Meaning that you just have to come in and work everyday and worry about the things you have control over in life, and that's what I try to do. And another one is 'Today's preparation determines tomorrow's success.' Jonas (Sahratian), our strength coach, likes that one. I try to take that and use that to work hard everyday. But those are a couple of my favorites."
BB: What was the biggest factor that led to you committing to Carolina?
MP: "My relationship with Coach Williams was probably the biggest thing. I'm far away from home, so it wasn't a regional thing. But once I started to get to know Coach Williams and came down to campus and met some of the guys and saw the type of people that I'd be around, it was really impossible to pass up."
