SCOUTING REPORT: #STEPHONMARBURY aka 'STARBURY' aka 'THE POLO KING'
"Stephon was the epitome of two things-having no fear, and instant offense. Anytime we needed a bucket, all we had to say was 'Steph go to work!' U could see that he came from a basketball family. Mr. Marbury, and his brothers trusted Dermon & I with Steph from the ages of 9 thru 12. The three brothers were determined to make sure that he made it! Any kid that can pull-up from half court with ease, is a kid that's dangerous. He instantly snatched the other teams confidence when he did that. The kid had the total offensive package, with a basketball I.Q. that was off the charts. His fearlessness, and confidence was totally different. He was a game changer. I knew that he was gonna be a pro at nine years old! Good kid, never talked back. Always wanted to learn. We've had a lot of pros come out of N.Y.C., but Steph was different. I haven't seen a kid like him in a long time!"
Maxwell Cole Sr. aka Coach Bingo
(Stephon's AAU Coach at Young Life & Riverside)
THE D.E.N. EFFECT
What can I say about Steph. The guy was the definition of a #childprodigy. Everyone knew that he was going to be a pro at some point. It was just a matter of time. The way he walked, his swagger, and skill-set on the court was something that I never saw before. Yes, there were other New York City basketball prodigies. When people talk about the legend of #KennyAnderson, and #Jason Kidd-they say the same thing. These guys set trends, and captured the imagination of so many at such an early age. They were different. Extraordinarily special when it came to making magic with that rock. They were destined for greatness. I heard stories about the wizardry of K.A., but I didn't witness it. I lived thru the Stephon Marbury era. The one advantage that he did have, that none of his peers were able to access was the will, knowledge, and the #tutelage of 3 older brothers that were pros in their own right. Don, Eric, and Norman Marbury-AKA the DEN effect. Their will was on 1,000!!! They were driven by the fact that one Marbury had to make it big. When you add that burning commitment to the extreme skill-set that they all possessed, you have Stephon Marbury. Those three deserve a lot of credit! They were gonna give Steph everything he needed from a physical, mental, and business standpoint. Obviously, Steph had to consistently show up and do the work, and deal with the pressure from the critics-so you have to give him credit for that!
THE BEGINNING
1986. That was the year that I met Stephon for the very first time. It was at the Patterson Projects in the Bronx. The Gauchos (Coach Dave Jones is from Patterson) were hosting their Roundball Tournament in the back park. He was 9 years old. Skinny, with a baby face. However, the air of confidence that he walked into the park with was astounding. This is a kid from Coney Island that never stepped foot into one of the most #notorious housing projects in the South Bronx, but it didn't matter. When he was in his #domain-he owned it! Someone asked, "Who's that?" Coach Bingo Cole (Who brought Stephon to the park & coached him with Coach Dermon Player up to that point.) responded right away, "That's Stephon Marbury, the number one nine year old in the country!" From that point on, he was on my radar. Who didn't want to compete against the best player in the country for his age group? I wanted to compete against the best. Starbury (That wasn't his #moniker then.) presented a challenge. We played with and against each other at least 100 plus time. However, being adversaries was the most fun part. Having the assignment of guarding the offensive weapon that he was, is where I #refined my defensive craft, and gained the reputation as a stopper. When you are a weapon, you represent fear to others that are in your #realm. I represented an option for dealing with that weapon. His #alliance with the Riverside Church, and mine with the Gauchos. Arguably the top two AAU programs in the country. In the same city-that in itself is crazy. Here's what you have to understand about Steph's game. The things that you witnessed him do in the NBA wasn't anything new to those that competed against him at this beginning stage. He did all of these things at twelve years old.
SWAGGER ON A TRILLION
As Coach Bingo stated in his quote, one area that Mr. Marbury never fell short in was #confidence! Sometimes he might of come across as cocky, or arrogant, but it was just a byproduct of how confident he was in his skills. To be great at anything, you must possess this quality. I don't care if it's a sport, business, or being the best student in the classroom-you have to believe in yourself to the utmost. When you work as hard as Starbury did to be great, that will get your mindset believing that you're better than your competition. That's one thing that I don't think his peers really realized at the time. How hard he worked on his craft. I know I didn't. I just saw this gifted player and thought that it came naturally. The kid worked his ass off. That confidence in oneself can sometimes rub other people the wrong way. Steph knew that it was going to be him or someone else that was going to make it. He wasn't going to tear himself down to make someone else feel good. Off the court it wasn't personal, but on the court he was going to let you know that he was better than you. His brothers understood how important confidence was on the court. They pumped that confidence kool aid into him day in and day out. So how could he act any different amongst his peers and on the court? He was the definition of swagger!
THE PACKAGE
Steph could do anything that he wanted on the court. You can #attribute that to the hard work that he put in with his brothers and on his own. When you're a regular ball player you put in regular work. When you're talking about a prodigy, the magic number is 10,000 hours. They reach that number sooner than anyone else ever will. It takes an unbelievable amount of dedication, focus, and discipline. Regular kids want to hang with friends, play video games, and just chill. It doesn't work that way for a prodigy. They want to master their craft! Steph's #handle was fluent. He could attack the basket, while being under control going in both directions. Crossovers, thru the legs, behind the back, stutter steps, hesitation, and spin moves. He had it all in his bag. Those are great skill, but the historians of the game have seen that before. His #courtvision was #impeccable. He could dominate a game by getting 20 assists-taking only 5 shots. Once again, that was already done prior to him showcasing that ability. His #knowledge of the game was #impeccable. I can envision his older brothers sitting down with him to break down the game of all the great players-watching film together, and breaking down every aspect. The way that he saw the game, and made the right play nine out of ten times was special. However, the other point guard #savants before him were able to exhibit this every time they stepped foot on the court. To be a complete basketball player, you must excel at all of these skills! In my opinion, what really separated Steph from all of the great point guards that came before him and after him was his ability to shoot the ball. That was the game changer for him. #KennyAnderson mastered the pull-up jumper as a young phenom. #JasonKidd wasn't considered a great shooter in high school-he became a consistent shooter late in his career. #RandyLivingston was a dominant, explosive pg that did whatever he wanted on the court. I mention these guys because I have a lot of respect for them. I also bring these guys up because you have to mention them in the conversation of the the top 5 point guards in high school ever! No of them possessed the range, fluidity, and lift that Stephon Marbury had on his jump shot! He was deadly in all three phase-catch and shoot, pulling up out of the pick and roll, and pulling up off the dribble (half court & transition). You have all heard the #legend of him taking one dribble over half-court and knocking down the pull-up with ease. Not once, not twice, but consistently with ease. Not out of #desperation, but because he could. All legend that you hear about isn't always true! You can trust me on this one though, I was there. Fortunately, I wasn't on the receiving end of on of those half court bombs!
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST'S DEFENSIVE STRATEGY:
The only chance that you had with guarding Stephon Marbury was to make him uncomfortable-that's it! He was to great of an offensive player to give him any space or room to breath. Conversely, you had to stay in his space, and frustrate him. That's easier said than done. Especially if you didn't have a defensive mentality. How do you accomplish this feat? First and foremost, you had to #deny him the ball by any means necessary. Once he got the ball in his hands, you were at his mercy. The game plan has to be to forget about all of the other four players on the floor and just focus on complete denial. It's very hard to do because it takes a ton of physical and mental discipline, but that's the only way. Secondly, you had to be physical with him. Early on in his career, he wasn't as strong as he eventually became in the pros. I used to always try to bump him, and use my forearm to try to wear him down and frustrate him. Hoping that it would take a toll on him physically. Lastly, you had to come to grips with the fact that you were going to get embarrassed at some point in that game. I remember playing against Steph and Riverside one time at Tolentine High School-can't remember the tournament. He shook me to the floor one time, and I got back up and kept playing. You can't let a moment like that break you. Against a talent like that, you will never completely shut them down. You just try to limit their touches, make them take tough shots, and make them work as hard as possible to get the ball. Steph will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game from NYC. He had a legendary career. He was the man ever since he was 7 years old. It is extremely difficult to be touted as the number 1 prospect at anything in life, and continue to get better. Say what you want about Starbury, but you can't say that he didn't accomplish that. It was a pleasure to compete against him. He made me better. I hope that he would say the same thing about me. I never told Steph this, but I'm proud of the great career that you had, proud to say I competed against you, and I'm proud to say that we won a gold medal together as teammates! Thank you for being special and showing up every time you stepped on the court!
CONTACT INFO:
1-833-LOCK-U-UP
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