By Rex Kirts
While playing behind Erik Fromm the past two seasons, Desmond Marks took the opportunity to work on his game.
And it wasn't just a little work here and a little work there. He put in a lot of time, sometimes drilling two or three times a day, often with his father, Deryck.
The effort added up and paid off. When it was his time as a senior to step up and become an important part of South's basketball program he was ready. He's producing, right on schedule.
While playing behind Erik Fromm the past two seasons, Desmond Marks took the opportunity to work on his game.
And it wasn't just a little work here and a little work there. He put in a lot of time, sometimes drilling two or three times a day, often with his father, Deryck.
The effort added up and paid off. When it was his time as a senior to step up and become an important part of South's basketball program he was ready. He's producing, right on schedule.
Desmond Marks
Through the Panthers' first five games, all wins against pretty good competition, Marks is averaging 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. At 6-5 1/2 and 250 pounds he has the bulk to take care of business inside and the shooting touch to be a threat from the perimeter.
"He can shoot the ball," coach J.R. Holmes said. "He'll be a '4' man (power forward) in college, but he plays a '5' (center) for us - he has to get some rebounds."
THE ABILITY of a big man to hit from outside creates a team bonus in more ways than one.
"Des takes guys like Pritchett (Alex, from Bedford North Lawrence) and Gant (Justin, from Terre Haute North) away from the basket, which opens it up for drives by Dee (Davis)," Holmes pointed out.
Marks' shooting benefitted last summer from two sources, J.C. Hulls and Brian Keaton. Hulls is the father of Mr. Basketball Jordy Hulls and current Panther standout Kaila Hulls, and Keaton was Marks' AAU coach.
"I did a lot of work with J.C.," Marks said, "all ball stuff. That's how my shot got better. I did a lot of shooting, and he would work on my body position, going straight up and keeping my balance. Then I would go do the same thing with my dad."
Keaton, then an assistant at Triton and now an assistant at Indianapolis Cathedral, coached an Indy-based AAU team. His part in helping Marks' shooting was simply to encourage him to keep putting the ball up. Marks followed the advice, and from that he gained confidence in his ability to get the ball in the hole.
MARKS' ALL-AROUND development was necessary for South to continue to be one of the state's powers. The Panthers' don't have the 6-7 or 6-8 asset that Fromm provided, so Marks has to be a force in the middle.
"My big thing is rebounding," he said. "I thought I could take up the slack left from Fromm and (Matt) Carlino."
An excellent way for Marks to get ready for this year was to endure the practices of the past two seasons. South's practices are physical, and Marks had to battle Fromm and Carlino and others. The court was no place for the meek.
"There was a lot of competition," Marks said of the practices. We had to play hard every day or get beat bad." The second five won its share of the battles. "It was about 50-50. We sometimes played them pretty tough."
Practices are still physical, Marks said. "The jayvees like to hit hard," Marks said. "We need to execute. It's still real competitive."
THE SHOOTING AND REBOUNDING improvements are products of all the work Marks put in not only since the end of last season but in the years before, too.
"I'd work two or three times a day," he said. "After practice I'd go to the Y with my dad or work out at my house."
His biggest needs now are to improve his ball handling and guarding people on the perimeter. "I worked on my ball handling all summer. I'm working now on my foot speed. I'm definitely quicker than last year," he said.
A 3.8 student, Marks isn't sure where he'll attend college. He's considering DePauw, Hanover, Lake Forest in Illinois, Maryland-Baltimore County and Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee. He's thinking of studying chemistry or meteorology.
His hobbies include working with his youth group at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. Helping homeless people is part of that program.
