“Different in a good way”: Despite conditions, Blue Ridge’s Bishop is who he always hoped to be
Left: A young Paul Bishop holds up his glucose monitor for his Type 1 Diabetes. Right: Blue Ridge senior star Paul Bishop dribbles the ball against High Point Academy on Dec. 6, 2024. Bishop had a game-high 22 points.
Paul Bishop’s seventh-grade English paper was only meant to be an assignment.
But as he sat down to write it, it slowly turned into a plea — a legible cry for help.
“His teacher in the class reached out to me after the assignments had been turned in,” recalled Paul’s mother, Missy Bishop. “He said, ‘I just want you to read this. I really want you to see it.’”
The assignment? Nothing too convoluted. Paul and his peers — in Mr. Will Snipes’ class at Blue Ridge Middle School — needed to write about how their close family members would describe them.
To his mother? Paul was, well, Paul. Her little “Paulie” — the kind-hearted go-getter who never let anything stand in the way of achieving his goals.
However, as Paul spilled his thoughts on that paper, he realized something sobering.
That’s the “Paul” he wanted everyone else to see him as, too.
His chronic physical ailments, he believed, made that a near-impossibility.
“I always felt like people treated me differently because of my conditions,” said Paul. “That was something I struggled with.”
“He was tired of being labeled by people at school and all around him,” said Missy. “To them, it was always ‘the kid with the dog’ or ‘the kid with diabetes.’ It made him feel less than normal.”
From youth, Paul has navigated life with two separate chronic conditions — Type 1 Diabetes and Ankylosing Spondylitis. The latter is a form of arthritis that causes inflammation in the joints and ligaments of the spine. The former causes limited insulin to be produced by the pancreas, resulting in high blood sugar levels.
Together, these conditions have severely complicated Paul’s young life.
“I don’t really talk about these kinds of things much,” said Paul. “But I actually used to have to bring a service dog to school.”
Boone — a standard poodle — stood about half of young Paul’s height. Hair fluffier than a pillow, demeanor sweet as can be.
“As a kid, that was cool, you know? I got to bring a dog to school. All the kids loved it. But then they got older. And they started making jokes about me having a dog. They’d make fun of me for it, and anytime I was in an argument with someone, that was the first thing they’d hit me with. It hurt.”
One day — a day Paul remembers all too well — sweet Boone couldn’t hold it in. He threw up in one of Paul’s classes. Paul had never felt more embarrassed by anything in his life.
“That was the last of that. I knew I couldn’t bring him to class anymore,” Paul said. “Especially as I was getting to high school. No way I could’ve brought him here. These kids wouldn’t respect me at all.”
MORE THAN A PLAYER
Blue Ridge head basketball coach Richie Stevens isn’t checking his text messages during games, he promises.
While his Tigers run up and down the court chasing wins, Stevens occasionally peeks at his cell phone during the action. He’s not looking at his Instagram. Stevens isn’t scrolling through Facebook or checking his emails, either.
“I swear, people might be in the stands watching our games, wondering why in the world I’m looking at my cell phone so often,” Stevens said. “People who don’t know the reason probably think it’s crazy.”
Paul knows the reason.
“Coach [Stevens] keeps up with my [blood sugar] levels during games on his cell phone. He makes sure I’m doing okay,” said Bishop. “It’s something he’s done for me since 10th grade.”
The relationship between Paul and Stevens extends far beyond the court. Stevens has coached Paul’s basketball teams since Paul was in fourth grade. To Stevens, Paul is “like another son.”
Blue Ridge head coach Richie Stevens has coached Bishop (back row, second from right) since Paul was in fourth grade.
“He’s such a great kid. He’s always been super respectful. But it’s funny. As he gets older, he’s started talking back to me a little bit, kind of like a son would do,” Stevens said, laughing. “But it’s never disrespectful. He’s truly a good kid.”
Stevens acknowledges the struggles Paul has endured. For example, the time he forgot his insulin before an away game at Daniel High School. Paul’s older brother, Alex, had to race over to Daniel and bring it to him so he wasn’t at risk of having a seizure.
It’s never been easy for Paul. But his head has rarely hung low.
“He has dealt with a lot, a lot that people don’t understand,” said Stevens. “He keeps a good attitude, even though I know he gets frustrated at times with his health. You can just tell. But he is so strong and so inspirational with the way he deals with it and doesn’t let it stop him.”
THE PAUL THEY SEE
For Paul, basketball is an outlet. Don’t get him wrong, he still has to monitor his conditions while he’s playing. Stevens — and his parents — help in doing so. But Paul has more than found his balance.
Despite the odds being stacked against him, Paul’s making a name for himself on the court. As he goes, so do his Tigers.
Paul leads Blue Ridge with 16.6 points per game. He’s second on the team in rebounds and assists with 7.2 and 3.1 per game, respectively.
Bishop shoots a free throw during Blue Ridge’s first-round playoff game vs. Pendleton on Feb. 13, 2024.
He’s no longer “the kid with the dog,” “the kid with diabetes,” or the kid with anything. He’s Paul Bishop, the local basketball star who the Blue Ridge community shows up to be dazzled by night in and night out.
He’s the Paul he always wanted to be.
“When I was younger, I used to ask, ‘Why me? Why do I have to deal with this?’ But now, it makes me feel different in a good way,” said Paul. “I feel like someone could hear my story and be inspired by it. That’s all I can ask for.”
