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20 Western Kentucky
Team Page | 2001-2002 Schedule

The Hilltoppers, led by the country's best big man, hope to reach new heights

By Daniel G. Habib

Marcus, who led the NCAA in rebounding last season and is a likely lottery pick next June, added new low-post moves to his game over the summer.  John Biever

Seven games into his junior season, soft-spoken Chris Marcus finally got riled. After nearly 30 minutes of being jostled, tugged and hammered by the Louisville frontcourt in a 68-65 Hilltoppers win, the 7'1", 285-pound center, who's typically about as high volume as C-SPAN, got hot after he went up for a dunk and was clobbered by Cardinals forward Ellis Myles. "[Myles] was chirping because he had gotten a piece of the ball," says Western Kentucky coach Dennis Felton. "He got in Chris's face, and Chris went right back at him and shoved him. It was a tough time to get a technical, late in a tight game, but it was one of the best things that happened to him all year. He showed us an aggressiveness and an emotion he had not shown before."

	THE TOP 20
1	Duke
2	Illinois
3	Kentucky
4	Kansas
5	Maryland
6	UCLA
7	Florida
8	St. Joseph's
9	Missouri
10	Iowa
11	Memphis
12	Stanford
13	Virginia
14	USC
15	Kent State
16	Oklahoma St.
17	Temple
18	Georgetown
19	Arizona
20	Western Ky.
REST OF THE BEST

That new persona was prevalent for the rest of the season, as Marcus, in only his third year playing competitive basketball (he took up the sport at Felton's urging while a senior at Olympic High in Charlotte, primarily to earn a scholarship), blossomed into the nation's top big man, led the NCAA in rebounds (12.1 per game) and carried the Hilltoppers to their first NCAA tournament berth since 1995. "When he first got here, you couldn't pay him to talk," says senior guard Derek Robinson, "but he's become more outspoken, more sociable, and that helps him a lot."

During his first year, when he sat out because he was academically ineligible, Marcus rarely went off campus. Now, with the help of Robinson and senior Tremain Rowles, he easily mixes into the party scene. Robinson says Marcus's newfound confidence was put to the test last fall at Club 302 in Bowling Green. "We rolled in and everybody said, 'Oh, there's Chris Marcus,'" recalls Robinson. "A bunch of girls started dancing around him, so Chris just smiled and busted out his own moves." Marcus, a potential NBA lottery pick next June, has also broadened his repertoire at the offensive end of the court. Over the summer he added left- and right-handed jump hooks to a devastating low-post turnaround.

Felton will surround his big man, who's usually double-teamed in the post, with a three-guard lineup of able perimeter shooters. After two years of running the point, Robinson will cede primary ball-handling duties to junior Raynardo Curry and return to his natural off-guard slot; junior Filip Videnov and Rowles will share time at the third guard spot. Felton pulled off a recruiting coup when he signed Marcus, and he may have replicated the feat with guard Patrick Sparks, the top scorer in Kentucky with 31.4 points a game as a senior at Muhlenberg North High.

Felton has repeatedly shown his team a lowlight reel of the Hilltoppers' first-round tournament exit against Florida, pointing out the botched defensive assignments and rushed shots that led to a 69-56 loss. "Not a day goes by that something about Florida doesn't come out of Coach's mouth," Marcus says. "We know we did it to ourselves, and we'll be back there."

Issue date: November 19, 2001

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