While I'm sure no one is surprised that the Rockets are scouting Marcus, I thought you might be intereted in what they had to say. http://www.nolalive.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/sportsstory/big28.html "You don't get many big men anymore who are true centers -- playing with their back to the basket, giving you problems in the low post and opening up things for your guards," Houston Rockets scout Joe Ash said. "Marcus also is almost light on his feet. He's got some real skills."
Translation: Not interested. If the Rockets were interested, they'd all but deny scouting him. "Marcus? Marcus who? Oh, that guy. He's all right. Someone will probably pick him up in the first round. Next question, please."
I dont know about this guy Chris Marcus. Granted he got some good stats ...but so did Joe Dudek (remember the guy on the cover of SI many years ago that was supposedly in the runing for the Heisman?). The last time I saw Joe Dudek, he was drying off a chevy at Oakley's Car wash. It just seems that these dominating players in crappy conferences (sorry Old School...no offense to the Hilltoppers) end up not panning out. Benoit Benjamin comes to mind.
Good memory, NJ. We'll all get a chance to check him out as my Hilltoppers are playing in the big dance. os
And as a matter of fact...if ESPN Bracketology is on the mark, YOUR Hilltoppers could be playing MY Terps in the 2nd round. I think I hear a gentlemans bet forthcoming (with the point spread of course)
I'm sure there are just as many examples the other way. John Stockton comes to mind immediately, although I don't know if he dominated in college. Where did Scottie Pippen play?? He's at least worth looking at.
I agree Jay Z....there are certainly plenty of guys that fall into the "did pan out" category as well...if we get him i hope he does!
Chris Marcus is not Jason Collier. He can score around the basket and will require double teams. He is like a 7' Othella Harrington. I watched him play and he was beating triple teams. He will be a stud player one day. I would rather have him than any other player in the draft...
No... He is black and he is more like a huge Othella Harrington. I have watched him a couple of times and he is much better than Collier and Reeves..Marcus is better than any other C that came out in 2000, 2001 drafts.
Uh, no. Preseason Q&A From the Sporting News: TSN: You led the nation in rebounding last season (12.1 a game) and yet many people describe you as a work-in-progress. What are you doing to improve your game? CHRIS MARCUS: The biggest thing is working on my hook shot. I shot about 1,000 shots a day this summer and lot of them were hook shots. The more I shoot it, the more comfortable a shot it's becoming. TSN: Are you a Kareem fan? CM: No, but I got a chance to meet him. His son played for us. TSN: How much thought did you give to leaving after last year for the NBA? CM: Not much, but as the draft started getting closer and closer, I started to think more and more and more about it. But my parents wanted me to get my degree. TSN: Did you watch the draft? CM: Funny thing: I told myself I wasn't going to watch it. I was up in the library. Some student had pulled the draft up on his (computer) screen and he'd come up to me and let me know who was going where every pick. So actually, you can kind of say I did. TSN: If you graduate this year, you could come back for a fifth year at Western Kentucky. Is your plan to go pro after this season? CM: Yes, it is. TSN: Think you can be the No. 1 pick next year? CM: I don't know. There are so many great players in college. You've got Jason Williams from Duke, not to mention the high school guys that are going to come out. I really don't know. TSN: You've made quite a jump for someone who didn't play organized basketball until his senior year of high school. Why'd you take so long to pick up the sport? CM: I just wasn't into it. I saw it on TV, but I just didn't have any interest in doing it. My heart wasn't set on it. A lot of people tried to get me to, but I'm not the type of person to do something just because it seems like the thing you're supposed to be doing. TSN: So what made you change your mind? CM: I wanted the opportunity to go to college and my high school coach told me I could maybe get a partial scholarship somewhere by playing basketball. That really sunk in. Plus I think my parents, even though they would have been behind whatever decision I made, wanted me to give me the basketball thing a try. TSN: Would you have been able to afford college if it you didn't get a scholarship? CM: I probably would have gotten a job and gone to junior college close to home. TSN: So you play one season at Olympic High in Charlotte. Who recruits you? CM: North Carolina Central, East Carolina, Western Carolina, schools like that. TSN: And how'd Western Kentucky enter the picture? CM: Coach (Dennis) Felton was an assistant coach at Clemson at the time and he was recruiting two other guys on my team. That's how he, I guess you could say, "discovered" me. He got the coaching job at Western Kentucky and brought me. It was between Western Kentucky and Hampton. But I'd never heard of Western Kentucky. TSN: Speaking of which, what's a Hilltopper? CM: A Hilltopper would be a student that attends Western Kentucky University. TSN: Good one. Expectations are higher there than they've been in a long time. What's it like on campus and around town? CM: A lot of people are excited because of what we did last year in the (NCAA) Tournament. They can't wait for the season to start. People are just more interested. There are a lot of freshmen who heard about us or saw us on television and seem to be interested in basketball. Everywhere you go now, somebody wants to talk about basketball. "We can't wait for this year," stuff like that. TSN: What was your first taste of the NCAA tournament like? CM: It was very exciting. I didn't really get a chance to soak it in because we were so focused on Florida. But now that it's over, it's something I most definitely want to get back to. TSN: Most people think you will. How good can you guys be this season? CM: We'll be way better this year, even though we lost our senior captain, Nashon (McPherson) to graduation. A lot of people are going to be expecting us to win, expecting us to dominate, so there's pressure. That just comes with the territory. TSN: Tell us about Patrick Sparks, your fabulous freshman. CM: He's a fast-break player who creates for other people. The good thing about him is not only can he pass, he can knock down the shot. TSN: Do you worry about teams double- and triple-teaming you like Florida did in the tournament? CM: It's expected. But like I did last year, I've got to hit my open teammates. I've got more than enough confidence that they'll knock down the shot. TSN: We hear you hit the weights pretty hard this summer. What was your routine like? CM: This summer, my main focus was on strengthening up my legs and improving my flexibility. A lot of squats, a lot of leg presses, a lot of stretching and court work. TSN: How was the rest of your summer? CM: Long. I stayed up here and knocked some classes out of the way. I took a statistics course, an organized crime course and a research course. TSN: Switching gears: Your bio says you used to work in the pet department at Wal-Mart in high school. Bet you've got a few good stories from those days. CM: It just shocked a lot of people that walked in wanting some dog food or something for their fish, and they saw a 7-foot guy working in pets. I stunned a lot of people. It was fun, though. TSN: Got a pet? CM: No, I don't. But I wouldn't mind having some fish. TSN: At what age did you hit 7 feet? CM: I think I was 19. TSN: What's the toughest thing about being that tall? CM: Sitting in desks. And one thing you've always got to remember is to duck. TSN: Have a tough time finding a bed that's comfortable? CM: Oh man. The bed I've got at home is perfect. It's a full-size bed. I sleep curled up in a ball. But on road trips, when we stay in hotels, I've got to sleep diagonal. TSN: Who's your favorite 7-footer? CM: Of course, Shaq's the big one. I don't know if Tim Duncan's 7-foot, but I like his game, I like his demeanor. TSN: Your mom's 5-5. How big's your dad? CM: Only 6-1 or 6-2. I believe I was blessed. TSN: Your brother played tight end for a year in college. Ever consider giving that a try? CM: I played football my ninth-grade year, but I didn't like getting hit. That was the end of my football career. TSN: Wait till you get to the NBA. What's the most interesting class you've taken at Western Kentucky? CM: Sexuality in Society. TSN: Sounds interesting. CM: It was verrrry interesting. No one slept in that class. TSN: What's in your CD player? CM: It's a CD called Dead Prez. It's a rap group. TSN: What's your favorite movie? CM: It has to be Malcolm X. TSN: Got any pregame rituals? CM: Yeah. I shower for a long time before every game. TSN: Define "long time." CM: Maybe 30 minutes. It relaxes me. While I'm in there, I'm just thinking what I'm going to do. TSN: Last thing: Any perks to being a preseason Playboy All-American like yourself? CM: Yeah. Now people I know have got a reason to get the magazine. I do, too. Get all your Marcus bio here: http://wkusports.fansonly.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/marcus_chris00.html
I saw some Marcus's play on Tues. I'll wait to judge him when I think there is more competition. I will say his team is overated.
(bump after the much-needed split) BTW, I'm trying to find it, but CNNSI had Chris Marcus as the player to watch in college basketball this season.... or something to that effect. They had like a player to watch in every sport/league. It was a few months ago ...
I got news for you....if Chris Wilcox does come out this year...he is Chris Webber waiting to happen...he will be there at 6 or 7 possibly
Wilcox would be nice but I think he is definately a PF and we don't need another PF. Chris Webber was a much better college player than Wilcox. They aren't even in the same league. My choice would be Amare Stoudemire 1st then Chris Marcus. We need a lowpost scoring 5.
