BUA

     In a dimly lit gym with bad ventilation and one-hundred degree Bakersfield heat outside, you hear the sounds of hard work. The heat in the gym is so extreme it seems like you can see heat waves raising from the floor. Fifteen minutes of ball-handling as a warm up, form shooting from each spot under the basket, one dribble left, jump shot, swish... one dribble right, jump shot, swish... catch and shoot from three, swish. As I returned to the states after spending ten months in Europe, this was my memorable glimpse of Sam Marcus.

     Dwuan Rice, who was working with BUA at the time, said he was training Sam Marcus in the old gym at CSUB and that I should come by to check it out. Any player who has ever trained with Dwuan knows that he’s no push over as a trainer. His drills can be very challenging and he works his clients very hard. As I walk through the gym doors I see a kid drenched in his own sweat, so tired he can hardly stand up to shoot the ball. In a joking manner I’m thinking to myself, “Lord please don’t let this kid pass out and have me answer to his parents”. I had read about Sam in the news papers and there had been friends of mine who coached him and told me about his talent, so I knew he was a good player. But who would have thought he was that tough and that much of a hard worker? It’s just not something you see very often from young basketball players coming out of Bakersfield. I was impressed to say the least. Out of all the times we worked with Sam, not once did I see his mom, dad, or friend standing on the sideline pushing him (which is also rare when your training young kids). I’m sure they did support him to the fullest but my point is that Sam pushed himself. We had worked with a variety of good players at the time. To name a few; Tim Billingsley (formerly at Bakersfield High), Tyron Wallace as a freshman (currently at Bakersfield High), and Korey Thielke during his junior and senior year (West High, currently Portland State). All very good players who at one point in Sam’s High School career may have challenged him in one way or another. Some of them were taller, stronger and more athletic but I cannot say that any of them worked harder which is why Sam has been successful. Every coach/trainer will tell you that there is a player they have worked with in the past who they use to set the standard for their future players as far as work ethic and character. For me, this player will always be Sam Marcus.

     Michael, at age 18, is currently in his Senior of High School. He's currently averaging 16 points, 5.5 assist, and 3.4 steals per game. in his senior season. Michael has been voted 2nd team all league twice, lead his team in points, assist, steals, 3 pointers made, and freethrows made. "My season is going really well, we broke the schools record on our senior night with the most wins in a season. We are currently 15-8 with 2 games left in league and also playoffs right after that. We had some really tough wins this season with our best game beating BHS in double overtime by 3 points. I know that my team will win in playoffs and I am planning on winning a Valley Championship this season." He has a overall GPA of 3.77 and received a 4.16 the first semester of his senior year. His plans for the future are attending a 4-year University to play basketball. Afterwards, he intends to get his Biology degree, attend Pharmacy school at UOP and one day become a Pharmacist. Michael and his brother Sam have both received the Jockey Club Award twice during their Junior and Senior years in High School.

     In an interview with Michael, we asked him what were some of the advantages of growing up watching his big brother Sam play. He replied, "Watching my brother Sam growing was such an advantage for me. I've got to learn what it takes to get better by watching him. He used to go to these training workouts with BUA and one day he brought me along. These trainers were kicking my butt, but the results were worth it. I got to play with a 2 time all area player, a League MVP and a point guard who lead his team to a Valley Championship. He was amazing for me that I got to grow up and play all the time with someone as inspiring with a background like his. I was lucky to be able to gain all the insight and knowledge that he taught me growing up." Michael and Sam also have a younger brother Aaron who has spent some time this year in BUA's Developmental Leagues. Sam was able to use his success on and off the court to help guide Michael and now Michael hopes to do the same with Aaron. It's really a thing of beauty to see.

     This brings me to the topic of the inconsistency in talent and competition in the Kern County area which is often talked about. I'll use Michael's experience as an example. Michael began playing basketball when he was in the 3rd grade. He started out playing in the NJB league and later switched to the Bakersfield Gladiators where Coach Hubbert taught him the game of basketball. He later played AAU ball with various teams such as the Bakersfield Dawgs and a non local team called the Icemen. Now the NJB programs are good but with their altered rules and volunteer staff, the program is catered more towards parents/kids who simply want their child to play and are less interested in them learning the game and enhancing their experience. In some cases, programs like this can damage the future skill development of a young athlete. AAU programs such as the Gladiators, which was a very good program, come along every once in a while but do not last which further contributes to the inconsistency of talent over the years. It's rare that we get a chance to hear from current young athletes in the community about this topic, so I asked Michael how he felt about the current talent level in the area and what he thinks can improve it. He replied, "I feel that in town we have a lot of potential talent here, I think a couple years back that the talent level was a lot higher than it is now. We have a few guys this year in town who will probably do some good things at the next level. Also we have some young guys who are doing really well, and will help to bring the talent level back in Bakersfield like it once was. For the talent level to get back to where it was I believe that the upcoming players need to play more basketball on a consistent basis, so they can get reps on their game. I would also recommend them to do some personal training with the BUA Trainers. With that they could build there game, which will help them succeed in high school and also the next level if they can make it that far." Considering the lack of athletic resources that Sam and Michael were provided in the early years of their youth, I think it's safe to say that they have accomplished a lot on and off the court. And as long as players like them continue to come and go, every coach and every trainer will always have that one player to use as a standard for those to come.