I Hate to Admit It, but Greg Paulus Deserves Your Respect

I'll openly admit that I rooted against him for his entire four-year career, but to see Greg Paulus in the news about football has allowed me to appreciate him a little bit more.

As point guard for Duke, Paulus had that typical game where you thought to yourself, "How in the world is this guy even on the court right now?"

And then he'd nail an open three-pointer or come up with a clutch defensive play. That, or he'd take one of those mythical charges Duke always gets.

OK, I had to get that last one in there. But I digress.

If you're not a Duke fan, just try to think of a college basketball play in the past for years involving Paulus.

I'll wait...

...Oh, yeah, the one where he got posterized at North Carolina trying to take a charge on Danny Green.

That's all I can come up with. And here we are talking about him. Or at least I am.

Paulus began his senior year on the bench as he gave way to sophomore Nolan Smith in an attempt to do what was best for the team. I laughed at the notion that Paulus would just give up his position to an underclassman without so much as a game being played.

Either way, Paulus ended a rather lackluster career at Duke with a loss to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament. He never averaged 12 points or six assists in a season and yet here he is in the news again...for football.

We all know the story at this point. A former high school quarterback, Paulus has gotten a look by the Green Bay Packers as well as conversations with Michigan University and even the Duke football program.

To be able to play basketball at school like Duke and in a conference like the ACC is one thing. But to have not played football for four years and get a call by a storied franchise like the Packers? I tip my hat to you, Mr. Paulus. Just don't get used to it.