Charlotte Men’s Basketball coach Wes Miller announced Wednesday that Marcus Paige has been named an assistant coach.
He comes to Charlotte after serving as an assistant coach on Hubert Davis’ staff at North Carolina for three seasons. It marked his first coaching stop after playing professionally for seven seasons following a standout playing career with the Tar Heels from 2012-16.
Paige, the only three-time captain in UNC basketball history, finished his career 11th among the program’s all-time scorers with 1,844 points, first in 3-pointers (299), third in steals (203), fourth in free-throw percentage (84.4%), and eighth in assists (602). He proved clutch, too, making more 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament than any other Tar Heel (39), and was the only player in NCAA Tournament history to make multiple 3-pointers in all 13 games he played.
“I’m thrilled to add Marcus Paige to our staff. He is a rising star in coaching,” Miller said. “I’ve gotten to know him well during his time as an assistant at UNC and have been blown away by him as a young man and coach. He works hard, he’s curious, and he understands the game at an extremely high level. What I’m most impressed with is how naturally he communicates and connects with young people. He was a great player. And I’m convinced he’ll be an even better coach!”
A native of Marion, Iowa, the guard enjoyed a decorated career at UNC, earning first-team All-ACC and second-team All-America honors as a sophomore. He added second-team All-ACC recognition in 2015 and honorable mention All-America accolades in 2016, while being named team MVP in both 2014 and 2015. A four-time team Defensive Player of the Year, he was also a two-time National Player of the Week and four-time ACC Player of the Week, becoming the first Tar Heel point guard since 1976 to earn first-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore.
Paige finished his career as one of just two players in ACC history to record at least 1,800 points, 500 assists, 350 rebounds, 275 three-pointers, and 200 steals. As a senior, he helped lead North Carolina to an ACC Tournament title and the NCAA Championship game, highlighted by a memorable game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of the national title contest.
Off the court, Paige was equally accomplished, becoming one of only three players in ACC history to earn Academic All-America honors three times. He was a two-time recipient of the ACC’s Skip Prosser Award as the league’s top scholar-athlete and a finalist for the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year.
