Chris Paul is the best point guard in the country.

The Wake Forest sophomore took his team to the Sweet 16 and was named Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year last winter. His legend has already been born in rural North Carolina and he has the respect of the college basketball nation. But until last year, the 6-foot All-America candidate wasn’t even the best point guard from his family.

‘I’d always beat him in one-on-one,’ Chris’ older brother C.J. said, ‘probably until he got taller than me, his first year in college.’

For years, the two brothers would go at it in their front yard in Lewisville, N.C. C.J., who is two years older than Chris, would pound on his little brother.

‘When we used to play,’ C.J. said, ‘it was physical to the point where we used to just foul. We’d have to be broken up.’

Earlier this month the brothers met again, and there wasn’t any need for physical separation. Chris’ Demon Deacons played host in an exhibition game to Division II South Carolina-Upstate and his brother C.J., a senior.‘Being able to play against him,’ Chris said after the game, ‘this was just a great thing for my family. They made up T-shirts and everything. It was so great to have my whole family here to support the two of us.’

The game itself wasn’t exactly a nail biter – Wake Forest pounded USC-Upstate, 103-57, inside of a normally rowdy Joel Coliseum. C.J. had seven points, six rebounds and a pair of steals in a foul-plagued 26 minutes of play while Chris filled the stat box with 11 points, nine assists and six steals.

The exhibition game, though, was hardly about numbers.

‘It was a great experience,’ C.J. said. ‘Just being out there was my favorite part of the night. Being back home was great.’

‘Playing against him was really tough because I just want to see him succeed,’ Chris said. ‘After the game, I thanked Coach (Skip) Prosser for setting this up, but it is something that I never want to do again.’

The brothers had been on the same team for as long as C.J. can remember. The last – and perhaps only time – they played against each other, C.J. was 7 years old and Chris was 5.

The brothers grew up playing alongside each other, from grade school through their days at West Forsyth High School in North Carolina. When C.J. was a senior, he received attention from many Division II schools. C.J. chose Hampton in Hickory, N.C., over schools out of state and even small Division I schools.

While the brothers parted ways, they only grew closer, as C.J. followed Chris’ success and as the two brothers were reunited after family tragedy – their grandfather’s murder.

When C.J. departed, Chris flourished under the spotlight and chose Wake. He wanted to be close to his family, most notably C.J. and his grandfather Nathaniel Jones. When Chris held a press conference and made his announcement, Jones sat next to him and he gave his grandfather the Wake Forest hat from his head.

Jones was murdered in the weeks following Chris’ announcement.

‘It was so hard,’ C.J. said. ‘I remember coming home, and we were both in shock. We didn’t know what to do.’

C.J. and Chris both debated to play games for their respective teams that week. Upon a request from his aunt, Chris agreed to play and tribute his performance to his late grandfather.

‘The idea came from our aunt,’ C.J. said, ‘and my parents talked him into it.’

Charles and Robin talked their youngest son into scoring 61 points – one for each year of Jones’ life – in his next game. Holding back tears and fighting the sadness that kept him inside of his house for nearly a week, Paul went out and played the game of his life.

With 59 points in the fourth quarter, Paul hit a basket and was fouled. He went to the line, eyes tearing up, and intentionally threw up an air ball. Then, with the state single-game scoring record in reach, Paul substituted himself out of the game. He ended with 61 points, a tribute to his 61-year-old grandfather. He walked off the court to a standing ovation and fell into the arms of his parents and C.J.

C.J. still reads the obituary and prays prior to every game in his grandfather’s memory.

Through tragedy, driveway fights and a passion for the game, the Paul brothers have each taken their own distinct yet successful paths. C.J. plans to get into coaching after he graduates in May. Chris may forego his final two years of college to play in the NBA.

Wherever these two end up, they will most likely have basketball, and they will undoubtedly have each other.

Said C.J.: ‘I love him to death. It has been a lot of fun to follow him and watch him improve.’

Vermont at UNC (12/21) – Sure the Tar Heels are in nearly everyone’s top five. But those Catamounts have early season upset written all over them. Vermont is in search of its third consecutive America East title. 6-foot-9 power forward Taylor Coppenrath has drawn numerous comparisons to Larry Bird. Coppenrath scored 24.1 points per game as a junior – fifth best in the nation.

Vermont will get a tune-up for the Tar Heels when it heads to Kansas this Friday.

Southern Illinois at Hawaii (11/29) – The fighting Salukis (Russian dog) will face off against the Rainbows. Hawaii is led by junior forward Julian Sensley, who was top 10 in the Western Athletic Conference last year in rebounds and assists.

If for some reason you are awake to watch this game, keep an eye on LaMar Owen. The junior college transfer was the sixth man of the year in his first Missouri Valley Conference season.

UCLA against the field – After just one season, head coach Ben Howland is feeling the pressure of Los Angeles. The former Pittsburgh coach needs a better showing than last year’s 11-17 campaign. Howland and three returning starters will have the opportunity to show off early if this will be a different type of season.

The Bruins will host Boston College (12/5) and Michigan (12/18) before traveling to East Lansing to play Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad.

Published on November 15, 2004 at 12:00 pm