Julius Page

Julius Marvin Page (born February 26, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player.

An athletic combo guard whose vertical leap was reported to be 39 in, he played high school basketball at Turner-Carroll High School in Buffalo, New York.

Page was recruited by Clemson, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Villanova, and committed to Pittsburgh in early September 1999.

Newly appointed head coach Ben Howland signed Page intending to use him as a shooting guard in his lineup, replacing departing seniors Kellii Taylor and Jarrett Lockhart.

Page chose to wear jersey number 1 and was included in the starting lineup since mid-December, starting 25 consecutive games as a freshman.

In his senior year, Page averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists per game, winning the 2000 Buffalo News Player of the Year award for the best player in the Western New York area.

He was also included in the all-area first team for the second consecutive season.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentioned him as one of the best players in the nation, and he was considered one of the most athletic players and one of the best dunkers in the 2000 class by the Sporting News.

Page was selected to play in the Capital Classic, a high school all-star game, during which he scored 15 points, shooting 7/11 from the field.

During Page's tenure at Turner-Carroll, the school appeared in three state championships, winning two.

He ended his high school career with a total of 1,541 points.

On January 20, 2001, Page scored 18 points (a then season high) against Georgetown: during the game, he dunked on Georgetown center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, in a dunk that was defined as one of the best in Pittsburgh history by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and one of the best in NCAA college basketball history by Paul Ables of Bleacher Report.

On February 3, in a game against of Notre Dame, Page tied his season high mark of 18 points.

During the 2001 National Invitation Tournament, Page scored a new season high of 22 points against St. Bonaventure.

Throughout the season, Page made an impact on his team with his shooting and his defense.

He was the second best scorer on the team behind senior forward Ricardo Greer at 9.1 points per game, and the fifth best in three-point shooting percentage at 34.1 (on 3.8 attempts per game).

Page also played a total of 888 minutes (26.9 per game), ranking fourth on the team.

Page was confirmed as the team's starting shooting guard for his sophomore season.

In the game against Illinois State on November 24, 2001, Page posted a career-high 6 assists.

On January 5, in a game against Boston College, Page recorded a career-high 3 blocks.

He scored a then career-high 23 points on March 2, 2002, against West Virginia in the last game of the regular season.

In the Big East tournament, Page played 48 minutes during the double overtime loss to UConn.

During the 2002 NCAA tournament, Page debuted with 16 points (4/6 on three-pointers) on March 15 against Central Connecticut State, followed by a 17-point, 8-rebound performance against California, recording a career high in rebounds in a single game.

In the Sweet Sixteen game against Kent State, Page scored 18 points in a 73–78 loss.

Page was the second-best scorer on the team behind point guard Brandin Knight (12.2 points per game), second in minutes per game (34.3) and third in assists (2.2), and he had his best free throw shooting season at 80.9%.

At the end of the season he was an All-Big East Honorable Mention.

As a junior, Page debuted on November 23, 2002, in the first game of the season against Duquesne, scoring 17 points.

In the game against Ohio State on December 18 he scored 18 points.

He then played college basketball with the Pittsburgh Panthers, staying for 4 years: in his junior season in 2003 he was named Big East tournament MVP and was a third-team all-conference selection.

He scored a career-high 25 points on January 18, 2003, against future NCAA champions Syracuse, shooting 10/15 from the field, making 4 of his 8 three-point attempts.

He then scored 19 points against Notre Dame (February 9), 17 points against UConn (March 2), and 16 points against Seton Hall (March 5) and Boston College (March 14).

In the Big East championship game (the third consecutive in Page's career) against UConn, Page scored 16 points (7/13 from the field, including 2/4 from three) and added 4 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 36 minutes.

He won the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the Big East tournament MVP, and was a third-team All-Conference selection, leading the Panthers in scoring in conference play (12.4 points per game).

In the 2003 NCAA tournament Page made his debut posting 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists against Wagner; he then scored 13 points against Indiana, shooting 5/9 from the field.

The team reached the Sweet Sixteen, where they were eliminated by Marquette: Page scored 12 points and recorded 4 assists in the last game.

After going undrafted in the 2004 NBA draft, Page started a professional career in the Continental Basketball Association, playing for the Idaho Stampede.

He has also played in Germany and Israel before retiring from professional basketball in 2009.

Page played for Turner-Carroll High School, a Catholic school in the East Side of his hometown of Buffalo, New York.

As a sophomore, Page was selected as a starter of the varsity team, and the school won the Class C state championship.

In his junior year, he averaged 22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game, and his team won the Class B state title; he was named in the All-Western New York First Team at the end of the season.