Dunking at the age of 12 and named Mr. Basketball one year in his hometown, Eric Paschall knew basketball was his calling.
During his journey from Dobbs Ferry High School to Villanova, he befriended Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell at AAU. Still in contact with the NBA All-Rookie player and 2018 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champ, Paschall looked to him for advice heading to Chicago for his first NBA Combine. I asked the 255 pound forward what advice did his old-time friend give him.
“Teams are always watching,” Paschall said, “always wondering who you are, trying to figure out what you bring to the table.”
“Just do a great job at being who you are.”
The meetings at the NBA Combine can be intense as your surrounded by executives of a professional basketball team asking all types of question from your basketball mindset to if you would drive through a stoplight that’s yellow.
“Before the process, I was intimidated but once you go through one, and you keep going, it’s fine.”
Beyond his solid shooting for his size at 6’7″, averaging 16.5 points per game, Paschall also possess another talent he learned with the Wildcats.
“I surprise a lot of people with my playmaking. I feel like later in the year I did better at getting my teammates involved.”
The 22-year old is expected to be drafted early to mid-second round.
We see a lot of high school basketball players commit to a Division I school, play ball for a year and then enter the draft. For Paschall, he transferred from Fordham his freshman year when Tom Pecora was fired in 2015 and spent three years with Nova, winning a NCAA Championship in 2018. During this, he earned his Bachelors in Liberal Arts and three minors in communication, philosophy and education. What pushed him throughout was his hardworking parents and his role model, LeBron James.
Paschall smiled when I asked why LeBron James, “The reason I say that is more than just his basketball.”
“Very smart man, he’s never in trouble. He takes all criticism and he’s the best player in the world. It’s kind of hard to be in his position because you’re doing all the right things and there’s something you’re still not doing right. I applaud him so much because to deal with that as such a young age, at 16, I don’t know if I could of done that at 16.’
Besides his basketball skills, the dedication from his parents got him to where he is now. Listen to his story on the next page and the full interview.