Hall of Fame
The College of Staten Island men’s basketball program has made quite the habit of recruiting fine talent, but in 1998 they broke a mold when they cultivated a young star relatively new to the sport out of Lafayette High School in Brooklyn. David Paul came to the Dolphins’ hardwood short on experience but long on upside, and in four years he set multiple benchmarks and brought championship play back to Staten Island.
Although it didn’t take long to figure out that Paul’s natural talents would lead to prominence, it was clear that he was a student of the game first. He never started in an organized basketball game until his senior year of high school, and in his debut season in 1998-99, Paul garnered only a single start, playing just a handful of minutes at a time plugging away with 5.2 points and 3.3 rebounds a game, hardly gaudy numbers. But Paul contributed earnestly to a playoff run that ended with a CUNYAC Championship, an indicator that he would need to shoulder the load for years to come with many seniors graduating from that championship side.
So, in 1999-00, Paul assumed a larger role and it was accepted to huge success. In his sophomore season Paul amassed 16.6 points per game to lead the team along with 184 rebounds. He posted 44 blocked shots on the interior, earning 1st-team All-Star and CUNYAC All-Tournament honors. Still, CSI’s run at a repeat title was halted in semifinal play, and Paul’s future would be magnified.
Facing more pressure to bring CSI back into title contention in his junior season, Paul was nothing short of magnificent. His play and leadership continued to grow, and he would finish with 537 points, good for 19.2 per game, collecting another 148 rebounds while blocking 51 shots, at the time the 5th-highest in school history. After winning CUNYAC and Met Writers Player of the Year, CSI seemed primed for a title, but a Finals upset at the hands of CCNY left a bitter sting to the season, and eyes narrowed on Paul.
With all efforts concentrated on a championship to coincide with his senior campaign, Paul made it count. He would register career highs with 558 points and 213 rebounds in his final go-around, and this time, in the biggest game of the season, he would punch home a double-double in a 59-57 win over Medgar Evers in the CUNYAC Final. The win helped catapult Paul to once again claim CUNYAC and Met Writers Player of the Year honors as well as CUNYAC Tournament MVP. He would finish his career with a school-record, since broken, with 1,684 points, with 633 rebounds, currently good for 15th all-time.
Paul continues to make basketball an integral part of his life. Since leaving CSI he has been an anchor to the Harlem Wizards traveling basketball showcase having traveled all around the country and abroad, raising millions of dollars for charitable organizations, schools and foundations across the globe.
