DURHAM, N.C. -- A lot has happened in the last two weeks for Greg Paulus. With college basketball season ending and Paulus's time playing under head coach Mike Krzyzewski finished, one would wonder what the next step was for the Syracuse, N.Y. native.
Paulus received a phone call from representatives of the Green Bay Packers shortly after his Duke basketball career came to a close to gauge his interest in working out as a quarterback for the Packers.
That lit the initial spark for Paulus, who hasn't played the quarterback position since his senior year at Christian Brothers Academy in New York, other than the occasional throwing sessions with his younger brother, Mike Paulus, who is a quarterback at North Carolina.
“I wasn't thinking about it,” Paulus said. “During the season you're only thinking about that. There was some contact from the Green Bay Packers and that kind of got me throwing a little bit, got me thinking about that.”
Paulus officially held a workout with the Packers last week from Durham, N.C. in front of a Green Bay scout. Paulus threw passes, working on footwork, three and five step drops and throwing on the run, to Duke wide receiver Eron Riley.
Paulus has also made a trip north to visit with members of the Michigan Staff to discuss the possibility of transferring to play quarterback for the Wolverines, and he has been in contact with Duke head coach David Cutcliffe about trying out for a wide receiver position.
Paulus has received attention from other universities and NFL teams as well since the Packers made the initial phone call to the Duke point guard. At this point Paulus is weighing his options and searching for the best potential fit for him both academically and athletically.
“I got to do my homework,” Paulus said. “Is this a good situation? Is there a chance for me to do what I want to do? Do they have, most importantly, a chance [for me] to pursue academics as well?”
The Syracuse, N.Y. native averaged 16.1 minutes per game and 4.9 points during his senior season as a Blue Devil coming off the bench as one of the key reserves for Duke. Over his career the 6'1” point guard started 100-of-139 games averaging 8.6 points, 3.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals to go along with .415 field goal percentage and .398 three point field goal percentage.
“I have had an unbelievable four years here,” Paulus said. “This has been a dream come true. Growing up I always wanted an opportunity to play for a place like Duke and get a chance to play for Coach K. With the academics and you throw in the history and tradition of this place, you can't beat it.”
“These four years and this experience has been something I would never change.”
Before finally committing to Duke to play basketball after his senior year of high school, Paulus had received offers from both Notre Dame and the University of Miami to play football.
As a quarterback for Christian Brothers Academy, Paulus went 42-3 throwing for 11,763 yards and 152 touchdowns, including a 13-0 mark and the NYSPHAA Class AA championship as a senior. He was a four-time all-state, All-CNY and all-league selection as a quarterback, named the 2004 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year, and collected football All-America honors from U.S. Army, Parade and Student Sports.
“Every day that I threw for the last couple of weeks it has gotten better and better,” Paulus said. “That is something that is exciting, and I do love football and this has been a really neat opportunity to possibly pursue that and keep that going.”
