Eric Hampford:
Future150 GM / Senior National Analyst. Covering high and middle school basketball.
Long Beach, CA (Future150) -- Written By: Nigel Carter (Future150 West Coast Analyst)
Every year there are certain players that for one reason or another seem to fly under the radar and don’t get the type of attention that their talent level and potential warrants. This year is no different, and class of 2014 6-foot-5 shooting guard Malik Marquetti from Long Beach Millikan (CA) seems to fit the bill.
Described by Millikan head coach Chris Francis as an “unselfish and humble kid that wants to learn and is a willing listener”, Malik has turned from being a raw talent into a high-major division one prospect. His game has taken great strides over the past year and many people have started to take notice.
Malik attributes his improvement to good coaching and hard work, doing two-a-days at 5 a.m. in the morning and 7 p.m. at night. While Malik did play some AAU ball this past summer with the Los Angeles based I-CAN All-Stars, the majority of his time was spent in the gym trying to improve his game.
The combination of coaching and dedication to his craft gave him the confidence he needed to compete at a high level and put up big numbers against some of the top players in the country.
Earlier in the season, going up against Cerritos St. John Bosco (CA) and Class of 2014 UConn bound Daniel Hamilton, as well as top 10 ranked class of 2015 point guard Tyler Dorsey, Marquetti put on a strong performance, finishing the game with a 25 point and 13 rebound effort.
The very next night against Los Angeles Pacific Hills School and Missouri bound Namon Wright, he continued with his tough play finishing the game with 27 points and 13 rebounds.
Malik said those performances, “boosted my confidence and made me feel like I was just as good as those guys.” Coach Francis called those games as a defining moment in which, “he finally arrived.”
His continued strong play throughout the season did not go unnoticed. This past week Malik decided to give his commitment to the University of Southern California. While other schools such as Oregon, Florida State, Missouri, SMU, Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga and UC Irvine were also recruiting him at the time, Malik felt USC was the best choice for him.
"It's close to home and I love the coaching staff because it is similar to my high school [with] the style of play and I’ll be able to play big minutes early,” he said in reference to playing at USC. These ultimately were his deciding factors.
As his high school career winds down, Malik Marquetti hopes to finish his season with a California State Championship. This however is not the end of his basketball career, as the next stop is USC and Coach Francis believes Malik has the potential to play at the highest level if he continues with the pace of development he is currently on.
Comments:
Be the first to post. Just use the form below.