HERFORD, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany – Saint Anselm College men's basketball alumnus
Chris Paul '22 has signed a professional contract to play for BBG Herford in Germany. Paul previously played professionally in Luxembourg and Finland. He is one of six Saint Anselm men's basketball alumni currently playing professionally overseas (Danny Evans - France, Tim Guers - Japan, Owen McGlashan - Czech Republic, Gustav Suhr-Jessen - Iceland, and Miles Tention - Germany).
CHRIS PAUL '22
Paul spent five years at Saint Anselm from 2017-2022. He started in all 120 games that he appeared in across four seasons of play. The Highland Mills, N.Y. native helped the Hawks win a Northeast-10 (NE10) Championship and earn four NCAA Division II Tournament berths during his tenure on the Hilltop. During the 2018-19 campaign, Paul led Saint Anselm to an NCAA Division II East Region title and helped the team reach the Final Four. Across his four seasons, he was a four-time All-NE10 selection (two-time First Team pick), a two-time NABC All-District First Team selection, and a two-time D2CCA All-East Region Second Team selection. He guided the Hawks to 86 wins compared to just 34 losses during his career and finished fifth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,947 career points.
As a freshman in 2017-18, Paul averaged 11.8 points per game across 31 starts. He added 6.0 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, and shot 55.9 percent from the floor, which was fifth-best in the NE10. He scored 50 points across a two-game stretch against Le Moyne and Saint Rose in January of that season. He also dropped 25 points in an NE10 Quarterfinal win over Southern Connecticut State. Paul was a key piece in the Hawks squad that reached the NE10 title game, but fell to Le Moyne, 69-63. The team qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament and Paul was named to the NE10 All-Rookie Team following his breakout freshman season.
As a sophomore in 2018-19, the forward increased his scoring average to 14.7 points per game while hauling in 6.1 rebounds per contest across 32 starts. His 469 points that year was third-most on the team and he shot 52.0 percent from the floor while making 181 field goals. He scored 10 or more points in 25 games on the season and had 20 or more in six contests. Paul and the Hawks fell in the Quarterfinal round of the NE10 Championship, but qualified for the NCAA Tournament once again. The team rattled off three straight victories to win the East Region and advance to Evansville, Ind. for the Elite Eight. Paul helped the Hawks defeat Nova Southeastern in that round with 16 points and 11 rebounds before following that up with a 21-point performance in the Final Four against eventual undefeated National Champion Northwest Missouri State. He was named an All-NE10 Honorable Mention pick at the conclusion of the season.
Paul once again showed improvement statistically as a junior in 2019-20. Across 29 starts, he led the team and was fifth in the conference with 19.3 points per game. He was also tied for the team lead and ranked eighth in the league with 7.6 rebounds per game. He shot 50.8 percent from the field (ninth in the NE10) on 191 made field goals and went 78.9 percent at the free throw line. His 168 made free throws were second-most in the NE10 and ranked 14th in NCAA Division II. Paul proved to be a consistent scorer with 10 or more points in all but two games on the season, including 13 outings with 20 or more points. He posted back-to-back double-doubles in early season wins with 26 points and 18 rebounds against Franklin Pierce followed by 29 points and 16 rebounds against Southern New Hampshire. In the game against Franklin Pierce, Paul forced overtime with a buzzer-beating shot that landed on SportCenter's Top 10 plays. He also reached 1,000 points during his junior campaign and led the Hawks to an overtime win in the NE10 Championship game over New Haven with 27 points and 11 rebounds. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 23.3 points and just shy of eight rebounds across three NE10 postseason games. Paul was selected to the All-NE10 First Team, the D2CCA All-East Region Second Team, and the NABC All-District First Team at the end of the season. Saint Anselm qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, but it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Paul's senior season in 2020-21 was also canceled because of the pandemic, but with one season of eligibility remaining, he returned as a fifth-year student-athlete in 2021-22. He produced team-bests of 19.7 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game while also dishing out a career-high 3.7 assists per contest across 28 starts. He shot over 50 percent for the fourth straight season and set a new career-high of 36.8 minutes per game. On the defensive end, he matched his career-high of 31 steals while setting a new career-high of 18 blocks. He finished his final season ranked fourth in the NE10 in scoring, seventh in rebounding, and was sixth in total assists. His 552 total points ranked second-most in the league and he led the conference in both made free throws (148) and free throw attempts (203). Paul scored in double figures in all 28 games and went for 20 or more points in 14 games, including a career-high 40 points while playing all 45 minutes against New Haven in the NE10 Quarterfinals. He posted seven double-doubles and recorded eight games with five or more assists. He finished his career scoring in double figures over his final 44 games played. Paul helped the Hawks win two games in the NE10 postseason and once again led them to an NCAA Tournament berth. For the second consecutive season, Paul was selected to the All-NE10 First Team, the D2CCA All-East Region Second Team, and the NABC All-District First Team. He was also named to the NE10 All-Tournament Team and participated in the NABC/Reese's Division II College All-Star Game.
Paul departed the Hilltop with 1,947 career points, the fifth most in program history. He finished with 703 made field goals, the third-most in program history, while ranking ninth in field goals attempted with 1,352. Paul also grabbed 815 rebounds across his four seasons of play, the sixth-most in a career. He accumulated the second-most minutes played in a career in program history (4,026) and had the seventh-highest minutes per game average (33.5). His career averages were 16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 52.0 percent shooting from the field, 39.7 percent shooting from three-point range, and 76.1 percent shooting at the free throw line across four seasons of play. Out of his 120 career games played, Paul recorded 98 games with double-digit scoring totals.
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