Pappageorge proving people wrong

Those were the knocks on former Burlingame standout Peter Pappageorge coming out of high school in 2009.

"I’ve never passed the eye test,” Pappageorge said.

After two years at Cañada College — including a standout 2010-11 season — Pappageorge is heading to Long Beach State as a recruited walk-on.

"They definitely have been treating me like I’m part of the team,” Pappageorge said. "(The 49ers have an) unbelievable coaching staff. … They’re going to be a very good team this year. I’m sure expectations are the NCAA tournament.”

Pappageorge said if he can prove he belongs in Long Beach, he may be offered a scholarship for his senior season.

"They couldn’t give me a scholarship right now,” Pappageorge said.

Pappageorge, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard, will bring his unique skill set to Southern California: namely, a pure shooter with unlimited range. Over the last two years, however, Pappageorge has worked hard to shore up the rest of his game. Whereas in the past he was strictly a spot-up shooter, he is now a lot more comfortable creating his own shot off the dribble, as well as driving to the basket.

Pappageorge credits Cañada coach Peter Diepenbrock for pushing him to be the best he could be.

"He definitely thought I could (play at the Division I level),” Pappageorge said of Diepenbrock. "He said I’m just going to have to put in more work than I’ve ever done and work on every part of my game, including my shooting.”

Diepenbrock said to call Pappageorge strictly a shooter would not be fair to him.

"With Peter, he is always talked about as being a shooter. But when I think of guys that are shooters, I think of guys who are always looking to get (shots),” Diepenbrock said. "I told him, ‘You’re more than a shooter. You’re a basketball player.’ When he’s at his best, he makes great decisions and is a great teammate. He knows the game, he knows what the play is supposed to be. He’s not determined to get off as many shots as he can.”

Pappageorge had a good base with which to begin. His father, Nick Pappageorge, was a standout guard at Mills, Skyline College and St. Mary’s College, making the Gaels’ all-century team in 2008. Sister Mariana Pappageorge was a standout shooter in her own right at Burlingame. So it was only natural Peter Pappageorge follow in the family’s footsteps.

"[My abilities] definitely get passed on in the genes,” Pappageorge said. "But it doesn’t include all the hard work I put in.”

Pappageorge averaged 15 points per game his freshman year, which generated some interest from colleges. But it wasn’t until this last summer that he really put his name — and game — on the map.

"I had a strong summer in some of those showcases,” Pappageorge said. "And this year, we had a good year. I had a good year myself.”That would be an understatement. Pappageorge led the Coast Conference-North Division in scoring at 19.5 points per game and was the second-best scorer in the entire conference — both North and South — behind Cabrillo’s Marcus Duran’s 20.3 points per game. Pappageorge’s scoring ranked him fifth in Northern California and he was the 12th best scorer in the state.

"I definitely could not have done this without coach Diepenbrock,” Pappageorge said. "He did a great job of advertising me to coaches, getting coaches to come and watch our games.”

More important than individual accomplishments, however, was the success of the team. The Colts finished in a tie for second place — behind eventual state champion City College of San Francisco — in the Coast Conference-North with an 8-4 conference record. Overall, Cañada finished 20-6. Pappageorge realized during his recruitment that individual statistics were not the only numbers at which coaches looked.

"The coaches definitely look at stats,” Pappageorge said. "The main thing … they look at (is) the success of the team. We had a great year and all five (Colts) starters all have (college) options for next year.”

Pappageorge said other Division I schools such as San Jose State and U.C. Santa Barbara expressed interest, as did Division II schools Chico State, Humboldt State and Hawaii-Pacific. Canada’s Simon Fraser was also interested in Pappageorge’s game.

But Pappageorge took one look at Long Beach State’s preseason schedule and he was sold: game at North Carolina, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Louisville, along with a tournament in Hawaii.

"I’ve been a basketball fan my whole life and those are four of the best teams in the country,” Pappageorge said.

Don’t expect Pappageorge to be in awe of playing on the biggest stages, however. He said he it took him a while to adjust to the college game coming out of high school. Players at the college level were bigger, stronger and faster. But once he found his comfort level, it became just basketball again.

"I don’t think it will be as big a leap this year,” Pappageorge said. "I have confidence in my offensive game. I don’t think too many people think I can play because of how I look. Now, it’s my time.”

Diepenbrock is confident Pappageorge can make some noise, as well.

"I think when people recruit players, understanding the game and game IQ isn’t taken into account. It’s easy to dwell on size and speed,” Diepenbrock said. "I definitely think he can play in the Big West (Conference). I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”