International treasure

Although separated by thousands of miles, both the men’s basketball squad and new Portland State recruit Paul Guede are coming off their best seasons ever.

While the Vikings were taking the Big Sky Conference by storm, earning their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, Guede was earning his stripes as a solid all-around player at Tallahassee Community College in Florida.

Traveling across the country for a visit, Guede was in the Rose Garden crowd when the Vikings clinched the Big Sky Championship with a victory over Northern Arizona in early March. Weeks after the game, Guede committed to joining head coach Ken Bone’s team for his final three years of collegiate eligibility beginning next season.

After a standout high school soccer and basketball career in North Carolina, Guede spent his freshman season at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Following his first year, Guede transferred to TCC.

“This was a growing-up year for him,” said Eddie Barnes, Guede’s head coach at TCC. “There was a bit of a learning curve, but he adjusted well and became a very solid player.”

Guede’s commitment to Portland State came after Bone and his staff conducted a lengthy recruitment that began when the 6-foot-5 guard was prepping at Grace Christian High School.

“They recruited me in high school, but after I transferred here [TCC], they contacted me again,” Guede said from his home in Tallahassee. “They came down here several times to see me play, and I felt real comfortable around coach Bone and [assistant coach] Tony Allen.”

According to Bone, Guede will bring an athletic presence and added versatility to the Vikings next season, helping fill a roster depleted by the departure of seniors Deonte Huff and Dupree Lucas, and freshman Justynn Hammond, who left the team midseason.

“He gives us another solid defender that can guard multiple positions,” Bone said. “We’re not sure where he’ll fit in, but he’ll be in the mix for playing time.”

While it might seem atypical that a player from Florida would consider signing with a mid-major on the other side of the country, Guede said he was attracted to the Rose City because of its similarity to the city where he spent most of his adolescence: London.

“When I was up there, it was a bit cold and a bit rainy. It felt a lot like London, just a great city,” Guede said. “I loved everything about it.”

Both Guede and transfer Donatas Visockis, a 6-foot-10 center who also recently signed with the Vikings and will join the team next season, will give Portland State two players with international playing experience under their belt. Visockis is originally from Lithuania, but like Guede, played high school basketball in the United States.

Born in West Africa, Guede moved to London when he was a young boy. He spent last summer as a member of the United Kingdom Under-20 team, which finished sixth of 16 teams in the European Championships, and said his game is continuing to develop.

“Playing international basketball has benefited me greatly,” Guede said. “It’s a different game, but I think the biggest impact is that it has made me more patient.”

After Guede’s redshirt season at Valparaiso, the impact of playing international ball began to pay off, as he started 20 of 27 games and played an important role for Barnes at TCC last season.

“Defensively, he was very good the entire season,” Barnes said. “But as the season progressed, he developed his perimeter shooting and he learned how to get in the lane and draw fouls.”

While Bone and his staff devoted a substantial amount of time and energy to recruiting Guede, the developing guard reciprocated the interest. Guede cited Bone’s honesty and the affable nature of the current Vikings team as motivating factors for his decision to sign with Portland State, despite several offers from other schools geographically closer.

“I had an opportunity to meet with the team right after they won the Big Sky Tournament, and that was exciting,” Guede said. “They seemed like a group of hardworking guys, and I can’t wait to join them.”