EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- If Chris Paul wants to see his future he needs only to look across the court at Jameer Nelson on Thursday night.
Paul, the skinny freshman point guard with the quick first step, innate passing sense and solid jump shot, will be running the offense for fourth-seeded Wake Forest, as he has from his first game.
Nelson, the muscular senior point guard with very similar offensive skills and the benefit of 123 college starts, will handle the ball for top-seeded Saint Joseph's, as he has for the last four years.
All eyes will be on the two stars when they meet in the East Rutherford Regional.
''I'm hoping experience and a little bit of size pays off,'' Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Nelson is an inch shorter but 20 pounds heavier than Paul.
''You can't make it all about them. We all have to guard Paul and they all have to guard Jameer.''
Nelson, a unanimous selection for the All-America team, averaged 20.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 49 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Paul was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year and was selected to the league's all-defensive team after leading it with 2.7 steals a game. He averaged 14.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free-throw line.
Paul's most recent games -- one in the ACC tournament and the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament -- have been his most impressive. He has 81 points, 22 assists and just three turnovers in those games.
''He's done a great job,'' Nelson said, referring to Paul. ''He seems to be a natural point guard. He's so calm out there and that's what a team needs a point guard to do.''
Paul, 18, has spent the last few days getting ready for the 22-year-old Nelson.
''You can't just watch one film on Jameer and understand what he wants to do. You have to watch tons and tons of film because he's such a great player and he's so versatile,'' Paul said. ''I know he's a senior and one thing Coach always says about seniors is they play with a sense of urgency because it could be their last game.''
Last season was almost Nelson's last in college, but he decided to return for his senior year. He and the Hawks had a special season, losing just one game and reaching No. 1 in The Associated Press poll.
What if Nelson hadn't returned?
''I'd be sitting home saying, 'Isn't it great Xavier made it from the Atlantic 10 and I hope Jim Thome gets healthy and hits more home runs this year,''' Martelli said. ''He is the best player in college basketball because he is the best leader in college basketball. From the day he came back he has demanded in a very quiet way from his teammates that they pursue excellence.''
It's harder to be a leader as a freshman, but Paul has been able to do it without stepping on the toes or egos of the upperclassmen.
''My teammates will never let me not know I'm a freshman,'' he said, laughing. ''At shootarounds or in the hotels my nickname is always 'Rookie' or 'Freshman.' They never call me Chris. Coach told me early in the season he didn't need me to play like a freshman, he needed me to play like an NCAA point guard.''
And that's what he was with 22 points and seven assists in the opening round against Virginia Commonwealth, and 29 points and six assists in the second round against Manhattan.
''He is T.J. Ford reincarnated,'' Martelli said, comparing Paul with Texas' All-America point guard from last season. ''I'm amazed at his speed, his calm. He hits big shot after big shot, and not only hits them, he wants to take them.
''When I watch him I think, 'That was what it was like when we had Jameer as a freshman.' I don't know all of the freshmen in the country, but if there's anybody who's had more of an impact on their team than he has had on this team, God bless him.''
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser played down the one-on-one matchup, but he looks at Nelson and sees what could be Paul's future.
''You look at the difference between Chris and Jameer physically and I think that's a natural maturation,'' Prosser said. ''He'll get stronger as he gets older. He's going to play, and he's done pretty well.
''As I've said ad infinitum, ad nauseam, I wouldn't trade him for any point guard in the country.''
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
