because he, his father, and his brother all share the same initials. A former athlete himself, Charles Sr. taught his sons basketball and football and coached them in various youth leagues throughout their childhoods. Growing up, the Paul brothers spent their summers working at a service station owned by their grandfather Nathaniel Jones; Paul attributes many life lessons to his grandfather and has described him as his "best friend". High school career Paul attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played on the junior varsity team. For his junior year, he averaged 25 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.4 steals per game, helping West Forsyth reach the state semifinals. Over the ensuing summer, he led the Winston-Salem-based Kappa Magic to the National U-17 AAU title, earning tournament MVP honors in the process. During his senior season, Paul received national attention for scoring 61 points in a game; his 61-year-old grandfather was murdered earlier that year and Paul honored him by scoring one point for each year of his life. Paul finished the season with averages of 30.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 6 steals per game, leading West Forsyth to a 27–3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals. He was ultimately named a McDonald's All-American, first-team Parade All-American, and North Carolina's Mr. Basketball by The Charlotte Observer. College career As a freshman at Wake Forest University, Paul averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game, setting school freshman records for three-point percentage, free throws, free throw percentage, assists, and steals in the process. Behind his play, the Demon Deacons qualified for the NCAA tournament, losing in the Sweet Sixteen to St. Joseph's. At the conclusion of the season, Paul was named ACC Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-ACC. For two weeks early in Paul's sophomore season, Wake Forest was ranked number one in the nation for the first time in school history. On January 15, 2005, Paul registered 26 points and 8 assists in a victory over rival North Carolina, and on February 3, he scored 23 points in a win against rival Duke. In the final game of the year, Paul punched NC State guard Julius Hodge in the groin and received a one-game suspension from the ACC Tournament, an incident that marred Paul's image for a short time. The Demon Deacons again qualified