Paul George InterviewBy: Paolo Zamorano

Fresno State stand out Paul George is one of the most athletic wing players in the nation. Just a rising sophomore, George is beginning to get recognition on a national scale as a superstar in the making. 

NBADraft.net: You had an excellent freshman season at Fresno State last year. What was the transition like from high school to college?

Paul George: You know, I think my transition was real comfortable for me. I think it was a little easier for me to come out of high school and go to a conference like the WAC as opposed to going to the Big East where I think my transition would have been a lot harder. I think it went well for me though, Fresno has been a good place for me.

NBADraft.net: Your dunk against St. Mary’s last year opened a lot of eyes to your talent. Did you notice a lot more recognition after that game? Have you had a better dunk in a game?

Paul George: As far as best dunk, yeah I think there have been a couple other people that I’ve gotten worse then that. But nothing like that where we were playing such a big game. I mean, we were playing at St. Marys who were one of the top teams in the country, we were playing on ESPN, so the exposure was all there, everybody across the country was watching. I think that dunk really did help me as far as putting my name on the map, and really speeding up the process of me being a legit draft prospect. I think people started to take a lot more notice after that game.

NBADraft.net: Is there a game that you have marked on the schedule for next season?

Paul George: Nah, not really I haven’t really looked at the schedule like that, so I really don’t know everyone who is on our schedule, but I do know we play Pepperdine and BYU. Those are 2 games that I really hope I am able to play to the best of my ability. Pepperdine, just because we have a past history with me originally committing there, and BYU, well they are a tournament team, and have one of the hardest places to play in the country.

NBADraft.net: You weren’t considered a top 50 player coming out of high school. Were you just overlooked, or are you a late bloomer?

Paul George: I think I was probably overlooked a little, I didn’t really play AAU or anything like that, I wasn’t really put out there in front of all those scouts and people, I kind just went under the radar, just because I never went the same route as some of the other guys. With that said though, I’m happy with the way things turned out even if the way I went about things was tougher.

NBADraft.net: What NBA player do you feel your game resembles and who do you try to pattern your game after?

Paul George: I would say probably Rudy Gay/ Tracy Mcgrady. They are wing players who are smooth, athletic, and play hard. Those are all things that I think about myself, so those are two players that I’ve always thought my game resembled.

NBADraft.net: What goals, personal and team do you have for next season?

Paul George: Staying in the weight room just getting a little bigger and quicker and more athletic, winning more games is really something that I want to change. We struggled last year so I really hope we can change that this year. I really just want to do anything I can to help the team win.

NBADraft.net: How good can Fresno State be next season? Is making the NCAA tournament a satisfactory goal, or are you guys shooting higher?

Paul George: Well first off I think we have to start by winning more games, and then hopefully winning Conference. I think we have a good chance to win our conference, and then hopefully from there we can have some momentum going into the Conference tournament, and then we’ll see where it takes us from there. I just want to win.

NBADraft.net: What do you need to do to improve your game for the NBA level? And when will you know you’re ready?

Paul George: Just getting my body stronger, adding some more lbs. being a playmaker, all those things are stuff I need to improve on if I want to take my game to the next level. Really depending on how this year goes I would like to test the waters after this next season, just to see what kind of feedback I get, but it really depends on how I do this year and how we do as a team.

NBADraft.net: What’s your daily routine like? Give us a one day snap shot.

Paul George: I’m in the weight room at 6 in the morning, and after we usually go get about 500 jumpers up in the gym. After that I’ll probably just chill and hangout for a bit, and then around 1 I’ll go back up to the gym and get some ball-handling in. Then at about 3 our team usually plays pick-up with whatever guys are up here. That’s usually my daily workout routine.

NBADraft.net: Thanks for taking the time to to the interview and best of luck in your future!