The Hilltoppers' big project is now NCAA's best big man

Sporting News, The, June 11, 2001 by Mike DeCourcy

You will not find the NCAA's best big man where you might think. You may find him in North Carolina, occasionally, but not wearing the shades of blue favored by Tar Heels or Blue Devils. You can find him regularly in Kentucky, but not in Lexington. You will not find him on the NBA draft's early entry list, though some scouts considered Chris Marcus a lottery pick.

Marcus almost seems to be hiding at Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, a few miles off Interstate 65 and at least that far from college basketball's big time. But seeking him out is worth the effort.

If the NCAA wished to put together an instructional video demonstrating the possibilities the college game presents, it could simply tell the Chris Marcus story.

He played one season of high school basketball but led the nation in rebounding in his second year of Division I. He values a college degree, a chief reason he'll return for his senior season. "The draft is just one night," he says. At 7-1 and 285 pounds, Marcus is committed to being a true center.

"College has been great for him in terms of opening his eyes to the big world," Hilltoppers coach Dennis Felton says. "The development of his personality had as much to say about his progress as a basketball player as the development of his skills. He was just so withdrawn. Back when he was visiting campus, I don't know that he uttered an entire sentence the whole weekend."

Growing up in Charlotte, Marcus wasn't interested in high school basketball. He worked at Wal-Mart in the pet department, assisting customers and caring for the fish. After years of trying, Olympic High coach Dave Davis sold Marcus on the idea that joining the team his senior year could lead to a college scholarship.

Then Clemson's associate head coach, Felton spotted Marcus while he was scouting Marcus' Olympic teammates George Leach (now at Indiana) and Calvin Clemmons (South Carolina). When Western named Felton head coach the following spring, "Chris became a priority."

Marcus could bench-press no more than 135 pounds when he arrived. He was required to sit out his freshman season to establish academic eligibility. He was, in the purest sense, a project.

"I kind of liked that," Marcus says. "If they say, `He's a superstar,' then you've got to go out there and prove it."

Few other projects produce this sort of return. Now benching 315, Marcus threw his weight around and averaged 16.7 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks as a junior. His progress lifted the Hilltoppers from a losing season to a 24-7 record, with Sun Belt division and tourney titles as well as an NCAA bid.

Felton thinks the next step is for Marcus to become more reliant on his picture-perfect jumphook and attack the rim more ferociously.

"He has to increase his willingness to become physical. He's not soft; some of it is feeling good when your forearm makes contact with somebody's head," Felton says. "Just like he made a big jump from last year to this year, I think he could make a big jump next year."

Marcus' limited background may preclude some instinctive plays, but it also keeps him from looking for shortcuts. When a shot is in the air, he looks immediately for an opponent to box away from the goal. If a teammate secures a defensive rebound, he sprints toward the opposite post.

When he becomes part of the NBA draft pool--and it could be in 2003 because he hasn't ruled out using the year of eligibility he'll regain upon earning his degree--Marcus will have the experience of a successful college career and the upside of someone with a limited background.

"Eddy Curry and those guys are only in high school, but they've been playing all their lives," Marcus says. "Next year, I'll be a senior, but at the same time, I haven't been playing much. So you can say it's kind of both packages in one."

And it is a big, big package.

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