PAUL HITS THE MARK AS AVC'S SIXTH MAN; FRESHMAN HAS 3-POINT SHOOTING TOUCH.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Daily News Staff Writer

He likes to refer to his Antelope Valley College players as family members.

Newton Chelette has known freshman guard Michael Paul for so long, the coach could consider the player his second son.

In fact, the youth travel teams Chelette coached following his first season at AVC in 1990 had a father and son flavor to it.

While Chelette had his son Brady, now a junior guard at Lancaster High, on the team, Paul's father Michael Paul Sr. served as an assistant coach, a duty that he continues to hold this day on an unofficial basis.

``I was a football player, but basketball had always been my first love,'' Paul Sr. said. ``I'm something of a basketball fanatic. And when my son was born, I figured that was going to be the perfect chance for me to get into the game with him.''

Michael Jr. and Brady Chelette, two years apart in age, both had the opportunity to play for their fathers as youngsters. They had another common link: pinpoint shooting ability.

``They both had to play up (in a higher age group),'' Newton Chelette said. ``They were little guys, but the one thing they could do was shoot the basketball. I've always been fond of shooters.

``I remember taking the team to Las Vegas to a tournament. It was a lot of fun, seeing their reaction of being in Vegas.''

The Paul-Chelette coaching team had the same principles, preferring to play a fast-paced game. The younger Paul says it was a major reason why he chose to continue his career with AVC upon his graduation from Highland High last June.

``They go hand-in-hand with each other,'' Paul Jr. said. ``Going from my dad to playing for coach Chelette was easy. I love playing their kind of game. It lets me shoot. It's up-tempo.''

That philosophy was preached in the backyard court at the Pauls' Palmdale home. While Michael Paul has never been afraid to take a jump shot, he disregarded playing defense until a few stringent family lessons made defending as much a priority as scoring.

``I taught him how to play good defense on a ball handler without putting his hands on him,'' Paul Sr. said.

Michael Jr. said: ``My dad always stressed defense. (In high school) I didn't play defense too well. I hated playing defense, but I learned to kind of like it.''

While shooting, mostly from the 3-point line, is Paul's forte with the Marauders as a sixth man, his defense is improving, albeit slowly.

``He's really trying,'' Chelette said of Paul's defensive effort. ``That's one area where he needs to improve. I make that a priority with him. He knows what he needs to work on.''

It's definitely not spotting up to shoot the 3. Forty-three of Paul's 64 made field goals have come beyond the 19-foot, 9-inch mark.

``Mike's come in at a very opportune time,'' Chelette said. ``The teams know Sonny (sophomore guard John Burrell, Paul's former Highland teammate) is our go-to guy. That makes it easy for Mike to have a chance to knock down some 3s. He has.''

Burrell's decoy status burned Chaffey on Jan. 7, when Paul buried a career-high five 3-pointers to lead AVC past the rival Panthers. And in the season opener against Fullerton, Paul knocked down a jumper from the deep corner for the deciding bucket in his first collegiate game.

``I knew it was a big shot,'' Paul said. ``I was pretty surprised that coach called a play for me.

``It just made me realize that I could play at this level. It seems like everyone has told me I should do well here: my dad, my mom, my friends, my friends' parents. I had to prove it to myself.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1) ``It seems like everyone has told me I should do well here: my dad, my mom, my friends, my friends' parents. I had to prove it to myself.''

- Michael Paul Jr.

AVC sixth man

(2) Michael Paul, who played on youth teams coached by AVC's Newton Chelette, has made 43 3-pointers.

Jeff Goldwater / Daily News