From goviks.com
Paul Guede Signs NLI With Men's Basketball
Portland State men's basketball coach Ken Bone has announced the signing of Paul Guede to a national letter of intent for the 2008-09 season.
Guede, a 6-5 guard, played this past season at Tallahassee Community College, where he averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Guede was third in minutes played, starting 20 of 27 games for the 17-10 Eagles. He shot .393 from the field, .397 from three-point range and .693 at the line.
"Paul is a perimeter guy who can handle the ball," Bone said. "He has times in his career where he has handled the point, so he has good solid guard skills. He's a threat from the three-point line and a very good team player.
"What I like about him as much as anything is his defensive presence on and off the ball. I think he will add a dimension to us in the fact that he can guard a few different positions. In that sense, he was a critical find. I think we have some good offensive weapons next year, but we need to find out who will guard on the other end of the floor. I think Paul will bring that to the table."
Bone became aware of Guede through a coaching friend who saw him play in England and helped place him in an American high school.
"We started recruiting Paul when he was in high school three years ago," said Bone. "He went to Vanderbilt for one year, redshirted, then transferred to Tallahassee. So, we knew he had three years of eligibility left. We kept track of him this year, watched his progress, recruited him and felt fortunate to get him with our program."
A native of London, England, Guede originally signed with Valparaiso University in 2006, but did not play. He transferred to play at Tallahassee CC last season and will have sophomore eligibility in 2008-09.
In 2006, Guede competed for Great Britain in the 2006 U20 European Championships. He averaged a team-leading 15.0 points per game. He has been selected to try out this summer for the fledgling British basketball squad that will attempt to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
Guede attended Grace Christian School in Sanford, NC where he was a three-time All-State selection and led the Crusaders to state championships in 2005 and 2006. Grace was 84-19 in his three seasons. As a senior, Guede averaged 22.0 points, 11.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Also a star soccer player, Guede was named a three-time All State selection at Grace Christian in that sport as well.
Guede joins a Portland State basketball team that is coming off its' finest season in school history. The Vikings were 23-10 and won the Big Sky Conference Championship, reaching the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Vikings lost five seniors from that team and have seven letterwinners and three redshirts returning in 2008-09. Guede joins a pair of signees for the Vikings from this past fall, Jason Conrad and Glen Dean.
PORTLAND STATE BASKETBALL NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNING - April 22
Paul Guede, SO, G, 6-5, 205, London, England (Grace Christian/Tallahassee CC)
name pronounced GWEED
2008-09 PORTLAND STATE BASKETBALL NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENTS
Jason Conrad, FR, C, 6-11, 220, Gilroy, CA (Gilroy HS) - signed during fall signing period
Glen Dean, FR, G, 5-11, 165, Seattle, WA (Roosevelt HS) - signed during fall signing period
Paul Guede, SO, G, 6-5, 205, London, England (Grace Christian HS/Tallahassee CC)
