UNCG receives men's basketball commitment from Nick Paulos

GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG men's basketball coach Mike Dement received his first commitment for next season on Thursday when 6-7 swingman Nick Paulos signed a National Letter of Intent on the first day of the early signing period.

Paulos is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, and is currently playing at New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. Paulos is playing at the same prep school that UNCG assistant coach Wes Miller attended. A product of Olympus HS in Utah, Paulos was a first-team all-state selection as a senior in Class 4A, averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per contest.

According to ESPN's Dave Telep, Paulos was being recruited by Creighton, Northeastern, Boston College, St. Mary's, Northwestern and Utah State.

"We are happy Nick will be joining our team next season," said Dement. "He has a skill set that fits a need on our roster and, with his size and athleticism, he will allow us to match up more closely with teams on our future schedules.

"Away from the basketball court, Nick is a serious student with a great family. On the court, his prep year at New Hampton will be very valuable in his development. He will be well prepared under coach Pete Hutchins as they compete against high level competition all season."

Paulos is an outstanding outside shooter and can knock shots down from the perimeter. In addition, he has ability to drive to the basket, runs the floor well and can play above the rim in transition. At New Hampton, he is on a roster that has eight players committed to Division I schools next season.

"I am thrilled that Nick is going to continue his basketball career next year at UNCG," said New Hampton coach Pete Hutchins, who has seen 21 of his players commit to Division I schools in the last three years. "Nick has a unique combination of size, length and basketball sense for a perimeter player and he is a deadly shooter coming off screens. In my opinion, he will be ready to step into college basketball as a freshman and make an immediate impact. We expect him to have a big year here at New Hampton that will prepare him to play against UNCG's big-time schedule."

UNCG opens the 2010-11 season at VCU on Friday night. The Spartans return home for their home opener on Sunday to face Florida State at 3:30 p.m. Tickets for that game and all UNCG home men's basketball games are available online through ticketmaster.com.

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