Ten years ago, Isaiah Swann and Pele Paelay led Magruder High School to an undefeated season and the Class 4A state basketball championship. This winter, they will be playing professional basketball in Europe.

“That was the [most fun] team of all the teams I've ever played on,” Swann said of his high school title-winning team. “Pele had the bandage on his head and Howie [Ruddell], Wesley [Frazier], Will [Talesnick] and Henryk [Palmer] were just classic. I've yet to have that feeling again and I've won another championship.”

Swann, 26, only spent three years at Magruder, but left an unforgettable mark on the basketball court. Academically ineligible as a freshman in 1999-2000, Swann joined the following season to lead the Colonels in scoring. He averaged 22.1 points per game the following year.

The ensuing year, Swann transferred to hoops powerhouse Oak Hill (Va.) Academy.

“I wanted to play for the best high school basketball team in the nation,” Swann said for the reason behind the transfer to Oak Hill. “Obviously, that also helped me a lot academically because I got a lot more attention and tutoring. ... It was probably the best thing that could've happened.”

During the 2002-03 season, Swann witnessed NBA star LeBron James before his ascension to professional renown. At the time, James played for St. Vincent-St. Mary's High (Ohio), which met Oak Hill in a nationally-televised game.

“I was just amazed to be around that type of atmosphere with [ESPN commentator] Dick Vitale and all that,” Swann said. “LeBron was legit and I had to guard him. He showed why he was the best.”

Swann spent his senior year (2003-2004) at Hargrave Military Academy and developed into a highly-touted prospect, playing in the Capital Classic senior all-star game.

He signed with Florida State University and graduated as FSU's 35th all-time leading scorer with 1,035 points. Five months after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in Feb. 2008, Swann signed to play with Italian professional team Imola, but was released in January 2009. Shortly afterwards, he signed with Israeli professional team Gilboa Galil and helped the squad to the league's championship.

He began last season with the NBA Developmental League's Rio Grande (Texas) Valley Vipers, but returned to Israel and signed with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and said he will play for Germany's Ratiopharm Ulm this winter.

“With the NBA lockout going on and everything, I didn't want to get stuck without a job,” Swann said. “Playing in Germany is going to be fun. It was a good decision and good spot since I'm going to be playing [shooting guard].”

Paelay, 27, graduated from Magruder in 2002 as a two-sport star. Eight months after winning the basketball title, he lifted the Colonels boys soccer team to a state championship by scoring the game-winning goal in the final. He then played college hoops at Coastal Carolina University and was named the 2005 Big South Conference Player of the Year.

He was drafted into the now defunct Continental Basketball Association, where he spent time with the Minot (N.D.) Skyrockets and Great Falls (Mont.) Explorers. Since the fall of 2008, Paelay has played for two German and four French teams. This winter, he said he will play for Quimper UJAP (France).

“I love seeing all the different culture,” Paelay said. “Basketball wise, the American game is much more one-on-one. Here, you got to be more team-orientated, and they hold the Americans more accountable. Hopefully, me and Isaiah can play against each other someday.”

Both still return to Montgomery County each summer and remain closely connected to the Colonels' program. Both said longtime Colonels coach Dan Harwood, who follows their careers closely on the Internet, is one of the most influential figures in their lives on an off the court.

“Pele and Isaiah are two of the five best players I've coached in my 21 years,” Harwood said. “I've never had any doubts about their ability to succeed in basketball, but I've been impressed with how they've adapted to the different culture overseas and developed into great role models.”

They are both regular instructors at Harwood's youth basketball camp, and this summer are mentoring rising junior guard Nick Griffin, an All-Gazette-first team selection last winter. Griffin, who averaged a team-high 14.8 points per game last season, has occasionally beaten Swann in shooting contests and drills.

“That was all early in the season when my game was off,” Swann joked. “Right now, he wouldn't stand a chance since my shot is back. But for real, he's a good kid that's unbelievably talented and has a real high basketball IQ.

“I'm not really giving him much advice because he doesn't need it, but he knows to he can ask me anything.”

Added Griffin: “I'm working on tightening up my ball-handling and shooting this summer, and Isaiah and Pele have given me a few pointers, but I just mainly enjoy seeing how hard they work.”

kzakour@gazette.net