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Preps

Uplifting the level of the Lions

That's what senior guard Marquis McCullough does for playoff-bound King, his coach says.

By EMILY NIPPS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 26, 2003

TAMPA -- King senior guard Marquis McCullough has a baby face, stands 6 feet tall with shoes on and 160 pounds carrying his backpack. It's easy to see how his opponents are caught off-guard.

This is the stud who led the Lions to their first district championship since 1991? This is the guy who scored 49 points against Durant?

McCullough, a soft-spoken gym rat and one of the county's top scorers, seems to be the only one not confounded by his success.

"My AAU coach is surprised, Coach (Jon) Mackey is surprised, my parents are surprised," McCullough said. "I mean, I never thought I'd score 49 points or anything. That's a lot of points."

By district tournament time, the secret was out and teams were throwing all of their best defenders at McCullough. It hasn't worked. McCullough can score from underneath the basket as well as 20- to 30-feet away.

Plus, he seems to have rubbed off on his teammates.

"Marquis has raised the level of their play," Mackey said after the Lions' 66-61 win over top-seeded Chamberlain in Saturday's district championship. "He raises their intensity. He hates to lose and I think that shows."

McCullough, one of three seniors and four returning starters on the team, was named co-captain along with senior guard Tony Burkhart. It was a heavy load for McCullough, who had never really considered himself a leader.

Having started his senior year as a 16-year-old (he turned 17 in September), among the youngest in his class, McCullough had to learn to speak up if he wanted his teammates to want to win as badly as he did.

"It's hard to talk to them when I'm frustrated," he said. "The 10th-graders especially ... I don't really expect them to listen as well as the guys who are a little older."

Yet McCullough seems to have sparked something that even Mackey couldn't foresee. The Lions' defense is coming together, the free throws are going in and the younger guys such as David Banister and Irving Athis are working harder than ever.

"I was hoping to be .500 this year," Mackey said. "Eight of my 12 players are sophomores and juniors. I really feel they've overachieved."

On Thursday, the Lions (21-8) will host Durant (19-11) in the region quarterfinal, and they can be sure the Cougars are aware of their top player.

It might not matter, though. The Lions have come a long way since McCullough's 49-point performance in January, when they defeated the Cougars 80-61.

"Marquis has certainly carried the load for us," Mackey said. "But the other kids have started lightening the load for him."

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