Marcus Paige

Marcus Taylor Paige (Serbian Cyrillic: Маркус Тејлор Пејџ; born September 11, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Partizan of the ABA League and the Basketball League of Serbia. He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina, where he helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2016 NCAA Championship Game and hit the game-tying shot.

Marcus Paige
Paige with the Greensboro Swarm
No. 5 – Partizan NIS Belgrade
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueABA League
Basketball League of Serbia
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1993-09-11) September 11, 1993
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
NationalityAmerican / Serbian
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolLinn-Mar (Marion, Iowa)
CollegeNorth Carolina (2012–2016)
NBA draft2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 55th overall
Selected by the Brooklyn Nets
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Salt Lake City Stars
2017–2018Charlotte Hornets
2017–2018→Greensboro Swarm
2018–presentPartizan NIS
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

In addition to being a citizen of the United States, Paige also has Serbian citizenship.

High school career

Paige was rated as the number 22 overall player (and the best point guard) in the class of 2012 in the ESPNU 100,[1] the number 35 player by Scout.com,[2] and the number 34 player by Rivals.com.[3]

In his junior year, Paige led Linn-Mar High School to an undefeated season and the 2011 4-A state title. Considered by scouts to be an excellent ball handler with shooting range to the three-point line,[4] Paige also played on the AAU circuit with Martin Brothers Select.

On January 8, 2011, Paige verbally committed to play college basketball for North Carolina, turning down scholarship offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Minnesota, Virginia, Illinois, and Iowa.

In his senior season, Paige was the leader of his Linn-Mar team, as he averaged over 28 points per game. He also recorded the most points in school history with 49 against Cedar Rapids Kennedy in Substate. Paige's high school career ended when Linn-Mar was defeated by Iowa City West in the State semi-finals.

College recruitment
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Marcus Paige
PG		 Marion, IA Linn-Mar HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jan 8, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 96

College career

Freshman season

During his freshman season at North Carolina, Paige averaged 8.6 points and 4.6 assists per game and started 34 of 36 games for the Tar Heels. Throughout the season, his assist to turnover ratio was 1.8:1, which was sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. His season high for points in a game was against Virginia Tech, with 19, and a season high for assists against Notre Dame with 10. Paige led the Tar Heels to the round of thirty-two where they eventually lost to the Kansas Jayhawks 70–58. At season's end, he was elected to both the ACC All-Academic Team and the Freshman All-American team.[5]

Sophomore season

Paige improved his statistics from his freshman season. During his sophomore season, he averaged 17.5 points per game and 4.2 assists per game. Throughout the season, he shot 44% from the field, 39% from three-point range, and 87.7% from the free throw line. His point average per game was fourth in the ACC, and his free throw percentage was the highest in the entire conference. Paige led the Tar Heels to the NCAA tournament, where for a second year in a row, they lost in the round of thirty-two, this time against the Iowa State Cyclones 85–83. He was named second-team All-American, first-team All-ACC, and was awarded the ACC's Most Improved Player.[5]

Junior season

Paige finished his junior season averaging 14.1 points and 4.5 assists per game. After a stellar sophomore season, Paige had a dip in offensive production. He managed to shoot 39.5% from three-point range while shooting only 41.3% from the field. For the season, Paige fell only one three-pointer short of tying Shammond WIlliam's record for most three-pointers made in a single season, which is now held by Justin Jackson at 101. Paige earned himself second-team Academic All-American honors for the second consecutive year, as he managed to also earn second-team All-ACC honors.[5] His statistical drops are in part credited to a case of plantar fasciitis that Paige was fighting all year long.[6]

Senior season
Paige in 2016

Paige was named preseason ACC player of the year. Early in the season, Paige was widely regarded to have been in a shooting slump.[7] He broke the UNC record for the most career 3-pointers made (299). However, he recovered late in the season and helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2016 NCAA Championship Game, where they faced Villanova. In the game, Paige scored 21 points and hit a game-tying circus three-pointer with 4.7 seconds left in the 2nd half of regulation. However, Villanova's Kris Jenkins went on to score a buzzer beater to win the game 77–74.[8]

Professional career

Salt Lake City Stars (2016–2017)

On June 23, 2016, Paige was selected by the Brooklyn Nets with the 55th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He was later traded to the Utah Jazz the following day.[9] He signed with the Jazz on August 22, 2016,[10] but was waived on October 13.[11] On October 31, he was acquired by the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA Development League.[12] Paige appeared in 46 games and started 40 for the Salt Lake City Stars in the 2016-2017 NBA Development league season. His season averages were 12.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists in 32.7 minutes per game.

Paige joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Charlotte Hornets/Greensboro Swarm (2017–2018)

On August 1, 2017, Paige signed a two-way contract by the Charlotte Hornets. Under the terms of the deal, he and fellow two-way affiliate Mangok Mathiang will split time between the Hornets and their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.[13] Paige averaged 15.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in 46 games with Greensboro.[14] On June 29, 2018, the Hornets announced that they would decline a qualifying offer to Paige, making him a free agent.[15]

Partizan Belgrade (2018-present)

On July 11, 2018, Paige signed a two-year contract with the Serbian club Partizan Belgrade[16] of the ABA League.

On February 12, 2019, Paige obtained a Serbian passport and Serbian citizenship.[17] He signed a two-year deal on May 9, 2020.[18]

On May 9, 2020, Paige signed a second two-year contract with Partizan Belgrade[19] of the ABA League after helping the club to both the Serbian Cup and ABA League Supercup in 2019 and a second Serbian Cup in 2020.

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 North Carolina 353429.2.356.344.8362.74.61.4.18.2
2013–14 North Carolina 343335.6.440.389.8773.24.21.5.217.5
2014–15 North Carolina 383833.2.413.395.8652.94.51.7.214.1
2015–16 North Carolina 343431.6.397.355.7962.53.71.1.413.4
Career 14113932.4.407.374.8482.84.31.4.213.3

Source: sports-reference.com

Professional career
Legend
  GP Games played  MPG  Minutes per game  FG%  Field goal percentage
 3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high     Led the league
Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Salt Lake NBA D-League 4632.7.398.354.8372.22.3.9.312.1
2017–18 Greensboro NBA G League 4632.6.428.373.8473.04.41.4.215.2
2017–18 Charlotte NBA 55.6.286.2501.000.8.6.0.02.4
2018–19 Partizan ABA League 6024.2.405.375.7922.43.71.1.310.2
2019–20 Partizan ABA League 4222.3.461.462.8571.51.9.8.39.9
2020–21 Partizan ABA League 2124.5.443.449.8081.11.9.8.29.3

References
  1. "2012 College Basketball Recruiting Rankings - ESPNU 100". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  2. "Scout.com College Basketball Team Recruiting Prospects". ScoutHoops.Scout.com. ScoutHoops. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  3. "The Rivals150 2012 Prospect Rankings". Rivals.com. Yahoo.com. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
  4. "2012 Elite 100". TheHoopsWindow.com. The Hoops Window. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2013.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "Marcus Page bio". GoHeels.com. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  6. Auerbach, Nicole (November 2, 2015). "No. 1 North Carolina's Marcus Paige puts better foot forward". USAToday.com. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  7. Waliga, Heather (April 5, 2016). "MARCUS PAIGE'S PARENTS PROUD TO SUPPORT SON IN NCAA FINALS". ABC11.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  8. "Villanova beats North Carolina on Jenkins' buzzer-beater to claim first national championship since 1985". ESPN.com. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  9. "Brooklyn Nets Acquire Draft Rights to Isaiah Whitehead". NBA.com. June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  10. "Jazz Sign 2016 Draft Pick Marcus Paige". NBA.com. August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  11. "Jazz Waive Dawson, Ford and Paige". NBA.com. October 13, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  12. "Salt Lake City Stars roster and info after D-League Draft". SLCDunk.com. SB-Nation. October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  13. "Hornets Sign Mathiang and Paige to Two-Way Contracts". Charlotte Hornets. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  14. "Final 2017-18 NBA G League stats for ex-Iowa collegians". The Gazette. March 27, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  15. "Hornets Decline Qualifying Offers To Treveon Graham, Marcus Paige". NBA.com. June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  16. "Marcus Paige two seasons with the black and white". aba-liga.com. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  17. "PEJDŽ DOBIO SRPSKO DRŽAVLJANSTVO Partizan u punom sastavu ide po Kup Radivoja Koraća". sport.blic.rs. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  18. "Partizan Belgrade, Marcus Paige agree on new two-year contract". Sportando. May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  19. "Partizan signs Marcus Paige to new two-year deal". www.eurohoops.net/en/eurocup/1057719/. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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