Tech’s Marbury Reportedly Set On Turning Pro

Stephon Marbury, the star freshman guard for Georgia Tech, intends to leave college to enter the NBA, it was reported Wednesday. The school, however, said no decision has been made.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said in today’s editions that Marbury planned to make the announcement next week in New York with his family present. Atlanta station WXIA-TV said Marbury was already in New York and would be joined by Tech coach Bobby Cremins today.

Those reports followed a report on ESPN, which also said Marbury would enter the June draft.

“That’s very, very premature,” associate athletic director Mike Finn said. “We don’t expect a decision nor an announcement until the middle of next week.”

Marbury, 19, a highly recruited star from Brooklyn, said Saturday after Tech’s 87-70 loss to Cincinnati in the NCAA Southeast Regional semifinal that he was leaning toward returning to school next year.

“However, coach and I are going to sit down and talk things over,” Marbury said. “If I am a projected top five pick, I will enter the NBA draft.”

Neither coach Bobby Cremins nor Marbury could be reached Wednesday night. But Finn said he had talked to Cremins, and the coach told him no decision had been made. On Saturday, Cremins said he would make some calls to get a feeling about Marbury’s draft position.

“We’ll play the process out,” he said.

Cremins had contacted NBA coaches and general managers and was told Marbury would be selected high in the draft, the Journal-Constitution said. The newspaper said three pro scouts said they expected Marbury to be picked no lower than seventh.

Marbury averaged 18.9 points and 4.4 assists per game in leading Tech to its first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993.

Pitino’s presence pays

Fourteen years as a college head coach might not seem long enough to have established a family tree, but the impact Rick Pitino of Kentucky has made on the college game continues to grow.

Pitino served on the search committee at Massachusetts, his alma mater, during the process that led to the hiring of John Calipari. His former assistants include Stu Jackson of the Vancouver Grizzlies of the NBA, Pittsburgh coach Ralph Willard and Herb Sendek of Miami of Ohio.

Wednesday, another former Kentucky assistant, Billy Donovan, became the head coach at Florida. Nine years ago, Donovan was an essential part of the Providence team that Pitino led to the national semifinals. After two seasons as a head coach at Marshall University, Donovan, 30, has advanced to the Southeastern Conference.

Pitino, meanwhile, isn’t exactly thrilled about returning to the New York area. Pitino grew up in New York and is a former Knicks head coach.

“You never really enjoy it until after it’s over,” he said. “All I do is sit in a room, watch film and eat. It’ll be exciting for the family members, friends. But I’m segregated away with the VCR. Nice life.”

Big Country, Part II

Last year, Oklahoma State senior center Bryant “Big Country” Reeves added to his luster when he helped lead his team to the Final Four.

This weekend, there will be another “Big Country” at the Final Four. Mississippi State senior forward Russell Walters, like Reeves, comes from a small town (Myrick, Miss., population 500). Walters is a poultry science major who plays guitar and likes to sing country songs.

After Mississippi State defeated Cincinnati to advance to the Final Four, Walters was asked if he had any other plans. “Well, I was going to go hunting this weekend,” he said. “I guess I’ll have to wait until April.”

Tough tickets

With only about 1,000 tickets available to the general public, this promises to be the toughest ticket in Final Four history. And when Syracuse advanced with its West Regional victory, the demand increased.

Each school receives 2,500 tickets to distribute to its fans. Scalpers are asking between $6,000 and $10,000 for prime seats in the Meadowlands, which will seat 18,500 for this weekend’s games.

“I had a guy call who said he was a representative of Bruce Springsteen,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “I’m a big fan of Bruce’s. Now, if he calls me, I’d get him a ticket.”

Duncan’s dilemma

Tim Duncan, Wake Forest’s junior center, will probably be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft if he decides to forgo his senior season. Yet, people close to the program insist he’ll return next season. Wake Forest coach Dave Odom isn’t pushing Duncan but says of NBA life, “If he wants to spend 50 nights a year with 35-year-old men, OK, that’s great.”

Duncan has not announced his intentions but said staying in school this year gave him “growth, strength and experience.”

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