"I think I'm in heaven," the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets point guard and newest USBC spokesperson said upon laying eyes on the building's lobby. He was equally in awe when he stepped into USBC's Equipment Specifications facility moments later.

"If I was living here, I'd never leave," he said. "I never knew all the stuff on testing was here."

While there's no chance the Hornets will trade the 2006 National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year to the Milwaukee Bucks, whom Paul plays against Tuesday night in Milwaukee, it's a near certainty he will learn more about his real passion – bowling – through his new affiliation with USBC.

The 21-year-old Winston-Salem, N.C., native started receiving some coaching nearly immediately. After leaving a 7 pin on his first try on the test center's lane 8, USBC Director of Research Neil Stremmel went over his shot on the Computer Aided Tracking System (CATS) set up on that lane. After missing the spare and throwing a ball in the right channel on his next shot, USBC Proprietor Relations team leader Dale Niemela gave Paul some tips that resulted in a 10-pin spare.

Later, Paul saw other testing methods USBC uses, including "Harry" the automatic ball-thrower. It helped him appreciate even more the athletic side of bowling.

"I did an interview with USA Today the day before yesterday and one of the questions I was asked was 'what would you rather do – score 50 points or bowl a 300 game,' "Paul said."I said a 300 game because once I got to 11 strikes in a row, I'd be way more nervous than trying to hit a free throw in front of 18,000 people."

Paul's passion for bowling has roots with his family. He's been bowling since a youngster and when not in basketball season, he joins family and friends to bowl as often as twice a day at AMF Major League Lanes in Winston-Salem. Even during basketball season, he tries to bowl once a week. He also competes in the Hornets' annual team bowling outing.

"Our team outing usually is bowling because coach (Bryon Scott) thinks he's pretty good," said Paul, whose 256 high game proves who really is the better bowler.

There's no doubt the two-time All-American at Wake Forest University will use his new knowledge of bowling to help improve his game. He'll also be help to broaden the visibility and participation of bowling later this year in various television, radio and newspaper interviews as well as appear in advertising and promotional campaigns.