2007 Watch: Biko Paris

One of the biggest highlights of the Challenge in the South was the play of rising sophomore Biko Paris, a 6-foot-1 point guard for the Jackson Panthers. The New Orleans native was a combination of pin point passing and clutch shooting and helped propel his team to the championship game. Schools are getting in early with the floor general and his future is looking better by the day.

The John Curtis (La.) High School product was instrumental in the semi-finals, scoring 25 points against Alabama Challenge. His three point stroke and power drives to the basket reminded some of current LSU point guard Tac Minor. Paris was equally impressive as an on court leader even as the youngest player on the roster.

“I knew I had to pick my game up and just be the team leader in order for us to win,” Paris said. “It’s not about age out here. It’s about knowing how to win. I wanted to put us in a position to do that.”

He played well enough during the evaluation period to garner interest from a umber of schools. Paris said he is receiving letters from Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Southern Miss, Penn State, Ohio State and the Air Force. There is one school that he said he’d like to hear from the most.

“I grew up watching North Carolina,” he said with a smile. “Hopefully I can play well enough for them to start sending me stuff.”

Paris said he will play in the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis in two weeks as well as competition the rest of the summer with the Panthers. He’ll be one to watch in the coming years as the class of 2007 continues to take shape.