College coaches, analysts break down Uthoff, Niang, Paige

CHICAGO — Half a decade ago, Marcus Paige and Jarrod Uthoff battled one another in Metro-area high school gyms en route to scholarships at major universities.

Now, both are in the midst of building an NBA resume at the aptly named Quest Multisport Complex in Chicago. Instead of competing for a Mississippi Valley Conference title — like when Uthoff was at Jefferson and Paige at Linn-Mar — or in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge — like when Uthoff was at Iowa and Paige at North Carolina — both now are competing for pro scouts' attention.

Both stepped on the same court at the same time Thursday with NBA aspirations intact. In what Paige called 'a surreal opportunity,' Iowa's Mr. Basketball in 2011 (Uthoff) and Mr. Basketball in 2012 (Paige) found themselves squared up on the court, just weeks away from the NBA draft.

'I think five years ago, I think I would have thought that this is where we'd be,' Paige said. 'But six or seven years ago, I would have been like, 'Man, if that happens we did everything right.'

'By the time I was a senior and Jarrod was in college, you could kind of see the potential to have this happen. The fact that it has means a lot of things have gone well for us. We've had great college careers, and it's very cool to see two guys from the same area, small-town Iowa make it.'

The two weren't necessarily friends growing up but remain friendly. They had a nice conversation on their first day at the camp and wished each other well.

'At the time when you're out there playing, you don't think anything of it,' Uthoff said. 'It is kind of neat because back in the day we used to play against each other in AAU and in high school.'

Like the two native Iowans, Iowa State's Georges Niang fits in the statewide narrative as well. Niang is one of the most popular Cyclones in school history and also worked out in front of NBA scouts. He and Uthoff went toe-to-toe for three straight years of Cy-Hawk bragging rights. On Friday, they were competitors on the court once again but this time without the rivalry hoopla.

'It was cool,' Niang said. 'We're both doing a great job of representing the state of Iowa out here at the combine.'

Three Iowa athletes all with different paths and different stories. Now all three hope their different Iowa experiences parlay into NBA opportunities.

JARROD UTHOFF, F, Iowa

Dimensions

: 6-9 3/4, 214 pounds

Hometown

: Marengo, Iowa

Agent

: Adam Pensack, San Francisco

Combine visits

: Miami, New York, Brooklyn and Memphis; San Antonio (site workout)

Resume

: Ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.9), first in blocked shots (2.7), and tied for 11th in rebounding (6.4). Ended his career 19th in Iowa scoring (1,259) and fourth in blocked shots (174). Was tabbed Academic All-American of the Year for Division I men's basketball and second-team All-American. The first player in the last 15 years to average more than two blocks and two 3-pointers per game.

What ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla says

: 'With Jarrod it's about the confidence. When he plays confidently, there's a lot of things about his game that translate to the NBA. His size and length, his ability to defend, which is very underrated, and his ability to make deep shots. The fact that he's an unsung, unselfish player helps him, but there's also times when he's got to be really, really aggressive. I think that's a big thing.

'I think one of the things that hurt the Hawkeyes at the end of the season was that it seemed to me that he lost a little bit of his confidence. He needs to play with the feeling that he's one of the best players on the floor every time he steps on it.'

What Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery says

: 'They know he can make the NBA 3. But he's not a mistake guy and he defends. Obviously he's a character guy. That's a big part of any time any NBA person speaks with me. His character, his work ethic, he's a good teammate, a good leader, and for him, that's an easy sell for me. That's how he is. That's who he is.

'I don't think I have to tell him that (to be aggressive) anymore. I think he gets it now. He knows he's at his best when he's being aggressive. He's just always going to be efficient. So as much as we want him to be aggressive, he's never going to shoot when he's supposed to pass. Or drive when he should move it on. He's never going to be so aggressive that he's making mistakes. That's not who he is. So he'll take more shots, he'll take less shots. They look at his height and his length, and they like his skill set.'

What Purdue Coach Matt Painter says

: 'I think his improvements for me were on the defensive side. I think that was real noticeable this year. I thought his ability to guard people, his ability to guard a lot of different people ... he's one of few guys who can make mistakes defensively and then because of his length get back into place and change shots and block shots. I think to be a big wing and be that type of guy because you're going to get beat in the NBA I don't care who you are. You just are. There's so many talented and fast guys. I think that can really help him. We all know how versatile he is as an offensive player, but I think he's pretty versatile as a defensive player.

'I think any time you have guys that shoot, it's such a short amount of time in terms of you play 35 games. You have good stretches, and you have bad stretches. You get in the NBA, you have more games, but guys still go through periods where they have struggles. The best shooters in the league will have a week or a four-game stretch where he struggles to shoot the basketball. That's going to happen. In my opinion he's a shot-maker. He can make open shots but he can make a variety of different shots, whether that's in the post or whether that's dribbling the basketball or that's standing still. I don't think he's that 'standstill type of guy.' I think he's versatile, and I think that's definitely going to help him when teams are evaluating him.

What Uthoff says:

'I would say my biggest asset is my shooting. I can shoot inside and out. I'm a good 3-point shooter, I'm a good midrange shooter. I've got a post-up game, so I'm very versatile in that respect. Weaknesses, I'd say strength right now. I need to put on a little weight. Get stronger in the weight room. 

GEORGES NIANG, F, IOWA STATE

Dimensions

: 6-8 1/2, 230.8 pounds

Hometown

: Methuen, Mass.

Agent

: Wasserman Group, Los Angeles

Combine visits:

Houston, L.A. Lakers, Cleveland, Washington, Indiana, Golden State, New York and Phoenix

Resume

: Was named the Karl Malone Award winner as the nation's top power forward. Led Iowa State with 19.8 points and 6.2 rebounds. Was the only player nationally to average 19 points and six rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line. Was named first-team all-Big 12 and to the Big 12's all-tournament team. Led Cyclones to two Sweet Sixteen appearances.

What ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla says

: 'It's a great time for Georges to be coming into to the league or trying to get into the league because the league has gotten smaller, faster and quicker and there's more skill involved now. So his offensive strengths in many ways match the way the league is going. A big guy who can play away from the basket, can pass it, can dribble it and can score inside when he has to. The question for Georges is — which teams have to figure out when they see him here and also work him out in individual workouts is — what position in the NBA can he guard? Can he guard fours? Can he guard threes? The likelihood is he's going to be a small power forward. So if he can prove if he can hold his own defensively, he does a lot of things to make your team play well offensively because he's such a great team-oriented, yet offensively skilled guy. If there's a guy in the NBA that he reminds me of, it's (San Antonio's) Boris Diaw. It doesn't really matter whether Georges scores or not, it seems like his team usually scores. That's how Georges is.'

What Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery says:

'The thing about Georges that you have to look at is don't focus on what you think he can't do. He was a better defender than anyone gave him credit for. That's always been the knock on him at the next level. Who can he guard? What you do with Georges is you focus on, what he does do? He can dribble, pass and shoot. He can shoot from distance. He's got a low post game. He's a terrific passer, and he's a terrific late-clock, late-game player. His teams usually win. So what I think you do with him is focus on what he does do and not what you think he might not be able to do at the next level.'

What Purdue Coach Matt Painter says:

'He's just a really good basketball player. I don't know if there's a better basketball player here at this combine. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He's intelligent. He knows how to play. He's always been really, really productive across the board at every level he's played at.'

What Niang says:

'I thought I got out there and really competed and showed I was a competitor and showed the things I can do well and show the things I can to help the team. Just getting in the best shape of my life and really worked on being a knockdown outside shooter.'

MARCUS PAIGE, PG, NORTH CAROLINA

Dimensions

: 6-1 3/4, 163.8 pounds

Hometown

: Marion, Iowa

Agent

: Excel Sports Management, New York

Combine visits:

L.A. Lakers, Atlanta, Dallas

Resume

: Was named a second-team All-American after his sophomore season and was a two-team team MVP. He finished with 1,844 points, 602 assists and 203 steals at North Carolina. Was named North Carolina's only four-time winner of its defensive player of the year award and only three-time permanent team captain. Ended his final season with solid statistics at 12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game. Scored 21 points in NCAA title game.

What ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla says

: 'There's a 50-50 chance that he gets drafted at all. But there's no doubt because of his accomplishments and his ability he's going to be playing for an NBA summer league team, and that's really where it matters. He's not going to be a first-round pick. If you're not guaranteed money, the next best step is, 'I'm going to have to go prove myself.' Where you prove yourself is in the summer league. There's no doubt Marcus is going to be on a summer league team and playing in front of a lot of NBA eyeballs with an opportunity to prove himself one more time. It's not much different from going to that first exposure camp when you're a young player in high school and you're considered one of the elite. So he's got to prove himself all over again, like all of these guys do. If he doesn't make a roster, does he go to the D-League? Does he play overseas where I think he'd have a very good career at some point? A lot of variables here that more than likely his agent will walk him through.'

What Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery says:

'I've been a big Marcus Paige fan. I always have been. I think he'll be a terrific point guard in the NBA. He played a lot of shooting guard for Carolina. That was good for him to go in that mode of, 'I've got to go get buckets.' That was good. But I think he's a natural point guard. He gives it up easy. He throws it ahead, he can get in the lane, he can feed the post and he can score. He's also an underrated defender because he does have great length. I think he's going to be an excellent professional basketball player in the NBA.'

What Paige says:

'I think I have a lot of qualities similar to Mike Conley and not just because we're both left-handed. We're both leaders, we're floor generals, we both shoot the ball, we put pressure on the defense. Shooting the ball is important to me. You can't be a shooter if you can't shoot. I can knock down shots. I can defend, Coach (Roy) Williams will tell you I'm a great defender, but I've got to prove it at the next level as well.'

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com