Marcius to Purdue

[SMU2007]

Announced today

http://www.jconline.com/article/20090426/NEWS0901/90426007

[ALEX LIFESON]

April 25, 2009


Brian Neubert


Talk about it in Knucklehead Central
MERRILLVILLE - Purdue got the man it wanted this spring, hoping that 6-foot-9 Croatian big man Sandi Marcius can provide the Boilermakers the big, physical body they may otherwise lack this season to come.

Marcius announced his signing with Purdue Sunday evening in Merrillville, at the conclusion of the Nike Spring Shootout, where he played with CAPS All-Stars/Fieldhouse Elite.

"I've been watching a lot of Purdue games," Marcius said, "and I see they have a need in the paint."

The 6-foot-9, 240-some pound Marcius considers himself a physical interior player and perhaps a nice complement to JaJuan Johnson's length, skill and athleticism.

"I think me and Johnson can do great things," Marcius said, "... maybe reach the Final Four."

In his one and only season in the U.S., Marcius averaged about 15 points and 15 rebounds at La Lumiere in LaPorte.

"His best attributes are his size and athleticism," La Lumiere coach Delray Brooks said. "He works hard, but his size and athleticism are what coaches liked, because you can't coach that.

"He plays with a lot of energy, he listens and he wants to do well. If you tell him to do something, he responds, and that's all you can ask for as a coach."

Marcius chose Purdue over SMU and South Florida and interest over numerous other schools. Boston College and North Carolina State also offered, Brooks said.

Marcius arrived in the U.S. in August speaking no English. All things considered, his proficiency in his new country's language seems well ahead of schedule.

Stay tuned this week for exclusive highlight footage of Marcius in action this weekend.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[papawasamustang]

Swing & a miss AGAIN !
Too bad. What next?

[Billy Joe]

I do not expect Doherty to get Indiana highschool recruits from Purdue, but I do expect Doherty to have more success in the D/FW area and Texas. I am very surprised Doherty has not landed a top local recruit yet. If you cannot recruit successfully in your own back yard then how are you going to recruit successfully in someone else's back yard? It starts with the D/FW area. SMU must start getting players like Sasser, Hancock, Davis, Elsey, and Ross again.

[papawasamustang]

I do not expect Doherty to get Indiana highschool recruits from Purdue, but I do expect Doherty to have more success in the D/FW area and Texas. I am very surprised Doherty has not landed a top local recruit yet. If you cannot recruit successfully in your own back yard then how are you going to recruit successfully in someone else's back yard? It starts with the D/FW area. SMU must start getting players like Sasser, Hancock, Davis, Elsey, and Ross again.

Doh's strength is or was recruiting, right?
Its obvious his X's & O's need help but this was the one area that I think we all thought he would be successful @ & turn our program around.

[fivemon]

people keep saying that doh needs to recruit dfw...he has never recruited this area before he came here...we are expecting him to change all his routines and create new connections, all though this would be ideal, it would be like moving to montana and not talking to anyone in dallas ever again...it just wont happen over 3+ years

[bagice]

He did swing and miss, but he did go to bat and SMU was in the final Two, and we were up against some big schools, most with a basketball history.....

[papawasamustang]

He did swing and miss, but he did go to bat and SMU was in the final Two, and we were up against some big schools, most with a basketball history.....

The bottom line AGAIN is that he didn't land this recruit. Its all about recruiting & Doh just isn't getting it done. The Win/Loss record tells the story.

[MustangIcon]

The Win/Loss record tells the story.

I'll hold you to that quote when SMU dramatically improves this season.

[LA_Mustang]

He did swing and miss, but he did go to bat and SMU was in the final Two, and we were up against some big schools, most with a basketball history.....

Bagice, I know you're a big defender of Doherty but the "we came close" and "hey, we were in the final two" excuses don't fly anymore. 95% of the schools in America would have fired Doherty for a three year run like he's had here......it has been beyond pathetic. I'm the biggest b-ball fan you'll ever meet but I've almost completely lost all interest in this program.

[fivemon]

I think if June does will both recruiting and on the filed this year, it will put a ton of pressure on doh because it will show that we can recruit good players and we can be competitive again (which can translate over to bb too.)

[SMU2007]

Doherty sucks.

What the hell has he done? We sucked before him and we continue to suck. Who is going to turn this thing around...?

[bagice]

He did swing and miss, but he did go to bat and SMU was in the final Two, and we were up against some big schools, most with a basketball history.....

Bagice, I know you're a big defender of Doherty but the "we came close" and "hey, we were in the final two" excuses don't fly anymore. 95% of the schools in America would have fired Doherty for a three year run like he's had here......it has been beyond pathetic. I'm the biggest b-ball fan you'll ever meet but I've almost completely lost all interest in this program.

Short of Cash, Coeds, Coke or Cars what could Doherty have done differently that any other coach could do? I was simply pointing out that SMU is a tough place to recruit, considering how long we have sucked, I think to be in the final two is impressive.

No matter though, I think we got as much as we could have hoped for on our limited scholarships, now the work begins to improve our current players and work the new ones in. Next year is all about the Wins and Losses, we need a winning record and need to be in the conference race all year, short of that, I will lead the charge to replace Doherty, but I think next year we are going to drastically improve and set this thing in motion. We will see.

[ponydawg]

Short of Cash, Coeds, Coke or Cars what could Doherty have done differently that any other coach could do? I was simply pointing out that SMU is a tough place to recruit, considering how long we have sucked, I think to be in the final two is impressive.

No matter though, I think we got as much as we could have hoped for on our limited scholarships, now the work begins to improve our current players and work the new ones in. Next year is all about the Wins and Losses, we need a winning record and need to be in the conference race all year, short of that, I will lead the charge to replace Doherty, but I think next year we are going to drastically improve and set this thing in motion. We will see.

Agreed. I can't wait for football season to start so I can start getting ready for basketball season to start.

[LA_Mustang]

Short of Cash, Coeds, Coke or Cars what could Doherty have done differently that any other coach could do? I was simply pointing out that SMU is a tough place to recruit, considering how long we have sucked, I think to be in the final two is impressive.

Doherty could have done a lot of things differently. He came to SMU with the reputation as a tremendous recruiter – many fans and the admin put their trust in that ability with his 07 class of seven. It looks like that class will produce a couple of roll players, at best. I know hindsight is 20/20, but he should have brought in two or three JUCOs in that class instead of seven high schoolers. Granted I know very little about this year’s class but so far in four classes he has landed one stud, McCoy......and as we have learned over the past fifteen years, one stud will get you nowhere.

Doherty’s strength is recruiting, and he has failed miserably. In addition, his coaching has been very suspect, puzzling at times.