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NEW YORK — When asked her motivation, Mia Pauldo always points to her family and her hometown of Paterson. The only New Jersey resident named to the McDonald's All-American Games this year, the Morris County point guard was determined to "put on a show" for the local fans at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Morris Catholic's starting point guard for the past four winters, Pauldo had little trouble picking up the same role for the East team on Tuesday night. She had nine points, seven assists and three rebounds.
The only promise Pauldo didn't deliver on was an East win. The West drove to a quick lead and polished off the East, 104-82, in the girls All-American game.
"This means everything to me," said Pauldo, the third McDonald's All-American from Paterson, following Tim Thomas (Paterson Catholic) and Essence Carson (Eastside).
"My Paterson people are coming to support me, because that's where I'm born and raised. Most people think I'm from Denville, New Jersey, because but that's just the high school I go to. My hood is Paterson, New Jersey, and that's where most of my support comes from."
Mia's paternal grandmother, Jeannette Wallace, 71, started the family's long history with basketball in Paterson.
After finding no athletic options for girls while at Eastside High School except cheerleading or "band auxiliary," Wallace was determined to make changes.
After graduating from William Paterson with a health and physical education degree, she came home and started coaching midget league boys basketball. Wallace worked with Moe Leftwich, the Youth and Family Services Director for the Paterson YMCA, to launch the first girls basketball program in the city. Wallace proudly recalled how her son and daughter, D.J. Pauldo and Laina Wallace, "sat on my bench watching me coach."
Check out the photo gallery, then scroll down for the rest of the story.
D.J. and Filisha Latrell Pauldo are raising five kids in Paterson.
The eldest of the next generation, 23-year-old Daizon, also played basketball at Paterson Eastside – and in the family's backyard after D.J. ripped up the garage to put in a court. Mia and Mya are identical twins who turned 19 on Feb. 23, two days after the MCT final. Nyasia is 10 months younger. A senior at Panther Academy who plays for Eastside, she is currently sidelined after tearing her left ACL for the second time during preseason.
More: McDonald's All-American pick Mia Pauldo of Paterson serves up burgers in her hometown
After getting started as tiny 6-year-olds playing alongside fourth graders, Mia and Mya Pauldo switched to an AAU team coached by their aunt and mom a couple of years later. They also tried gymnastics, softball, dance, karate, and modeling, among other activities.
"They just gravitated to basketball," said Jeannette Wallace, who worked as a teacher and then the first athletic counselor at Eastside for decades. "Who knew they were going to be this good? They were this tall. But I knew they had it in them."
D.J. Pauldo was working with high-level boys teams, including Daizon's. Filisha got her husband out to a tournament, and he realized what he had been missing.
"It was instantaneous," D.J. Pauldo said. "From jump ball, (Mia) got the ball from somebody on the other team. she did some fancy dribble, kicked it up to Mya, and Mya made the layup. … I was in awe. I couldn't believe what I was watching."
Not much changed as the twins got older.
It's difficult to differentiate between them on or off the court, to the point that both D.J. Pauldo and Morris Catholic head coach Rahim Huland El tend to refer to both in the same sentence.
The All-American Game was a rare time when the twins were not playing together. They share the Twin Back Court brand – and signed a Name, Image and Likeness deal with Puma before their sophomore seasons. Both also signed National Letters of Intent to go on to the University of Tennessee.
More: Morris Catholic's Mia Pauldo reaches 2,000 points in Morris County Tournament semifinal
Mia Pauldo averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.3 steals as a senior, and was named Gatorade's New Jersey Player of the Year and the Morris County coaches' Player of the Year for the third straight year. The twins led Morris Catholic to four Morris County Tournament titles, three NJSIAA Non-Public trophies, and 57 straight games against New Jersey opponents.
"She has quickness and speed you don't often see in a young person. She has both," Huland El said. "She really has an explosion into her shot you don't often see on the women's side. ... She's skilled and can score, but she understands what play should be made."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: McDonald's All American Game: Morris Catholic Mia Pauldo of Paterson NJ
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Morris Catholic's starting point guard for the past four winters, Pauldo had little trouble picking up the same role for the East team on Tuesday night. She had nine points, seven assists and three rebounds.
The only promise Pauldo didn't deliver on was an East win. The West drove to a quick lead and polished off the East, 104-82, in the girls All-American game.
You must be registered for see images attach
"This means everything to me," said Pauldo, the third McDonald's All-American from Paterson, following Tim Thomas (Paterson Catholic) and Essence Carson (Eastside).
"My Paterson people are coming to support me, because that's where I'm born and raised. Most people think I'm from Denville, New Jersey, because but that's just the high school I go to. My hood is Paterson, New Jersey, and that's where most of my support comes from."
First family of Paterson basketball
Mia's paternal grandmother, Jeannette Wallace, 71, started the family's long history with basketball in Paterson.
After finding no athletic options for girls while at Eastside High School except cheerleading or "band auxiliary," Wallace was determined to make changes.
After graduating from William Paterson with a health and physical education degree, she came home and started coaching midget league boys basketball. Wallace worked with Moe Leftwich, the Youth and Family Services Director for the Paterson YMCA, to launch the first girls basketball program in the city. Wallace proudly recalled how her son and daughter, D.J. Pauldo and Laina Wallace, "sat on my bench watching me coach."
Check out the photo gallery, then scroll down for the rest of the story.
D.J. and Filisha Latrell Pauldo are raising five kids in Paterson.
The eldest of the next generation, 23-year-old Daizon, also played basketball at Paterson Eastside – and in the family's backyard after D.J. ripped up the garage to put in a court. Mia and Mya are identical twins who turned 19 on Feb. 23, two days after the MCT final. Nyasia is 10 months younger. A senior at Panther Academy who plays for Eastside, she is currently sidelined after tearing her left ACL for the second time during preseason.
More: McDonald's All-American pick Mia Pauldo of Paterson serves up burgers in her hometown
After getting started as tiny 6-year-olds playing alongside fourth graders, Mia and Mya Pauldo switched to an AAU team coached by their aunt and mom a couple of years later. They also tried gymnastics, softball, dance, karate, and modeling, among other activities.
"They just gravitated to basketball," said Jeannette Wallace, who worked as a teacher and then the first athletic counselor at Eastside for decades. "Who knew they were going to be this good? They were this tall. But I knew they had it in them."
You must be registered for see images attach
D.J. Pauldo was working with high-level boys teams, including Daizon's. Filisha got her husband out to a tournament, and he realized what he had been missing.
"It was instantaneous," D.J. Pauldo said. "From jump ball, (Mia) got the ball from somebody on the other team. she did some fancy dribble, kicked it up to Mya, and Mya made the layup. … I was in awe. I couldn't believe what I was watching."
Pauldo twins bound for Tennessee
Not much changed as the twins got older.
It's difficult to differentiate between them on or off the court, to the point that both D.J. Pauldo and Morris Catholic head coach Rahim Huland El tend to refer to both in the same sentence.
The All-American Game was a rare time when the twins were not playing together. They share the Twin Back Court brand – and signed a Name, Image and Likeness deal with Puma before their sophomore seasons. Both also signed National Letters of Intent to go on to the University of Tennessee.
More: Morris Catholic's Mia Pauldo reaches 2,000 points in Morris County Tournament semifinal
Mia Pauldo averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.3 steals as a senior, and was named Gatorade's New Jersey Player of the Year and the Morris County coaches' Player of the Year for the third straight year. The twins led Morris Catholic to four Morris County Tournament titles, three NJSIAA Non-Public trophies, and 57 straight games against New Jersey opponents.
"She has quickness and speed you don't often see in a young person. She has both," Huland El said. "She really has an explosion into her shot you don't often see on the women's side. ... She's skilled and can score, but she understands what play should be made."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: McDonald's All American Game: Morris Catholic Mia Pauldo of Paterson NJ
Continue reading...
