Coach Smith said this, players are like your children. You don't have a favorite child. Players are like that in that you don't have a favorite player. Marcus has certainly set a standard that is hard for anybody to match during his four years. As coaches we're very appreciative of that. I'll use this same guy again with Tyler Hansbrough, I told our staff every day the last two years, let's be thankful we're able to coach a guy like that. That's for his toughness, his focus, his basketball ability and the kind of person he was.
Now when talking to Marcus, I said it last year and this year, let's be thankful we're fortunate enough to coach a young man like that for his basketball, and all of those things, his academics, for his work in the community and the example he sets for our university. He's been an exemplary player, student-athlete. There's some guys I feel like I need to be paid to coach and for Marcus, I'd need to back up to the pay window, because I would coach him for nothing.
I think most of the coaches, especially the older coaches, I think I got into it because I wanted to be like my high school coach. He gave me confidence and was the first person I feel like I could do something. I wanted to be like him. I didn't know anything about press conferences, shoe contracts or anything like that. But Marcus he gives all of the coaches old-school appreciation for who he is. A phenomenal young man.
Now when talking to Marcus, I said it last year and this year, let's be thankful we're fortunate enough to coach a young man like that for his basketball, and all of those things, his academics, for his work in the community and the example he sets for our university. He's been an exemplary player, student-athlete. There's some guys I feel like I need to be paid to coach and for Marcus, I'd need to back up to the pay window, because I would coach him for nothing.
I think most of the coaches, especially the older coaches, I think I got into it because I wanted to be like my high school coach. He gave me confidence and was the first person I feel like I could do something. I wanted to be like him. I didn't know anything about press conferences, shoe contracts or anything like that. But Marcus he gives all of the coaches old-school appreciation for who he is. A phenomenal young man.
