It was about a month or so ago when St. Anthony legendary Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Hurley said that his team didn’t have sufficient senior leadership on the floor.
Those were words that hit home for talented senior forward Markis McDuffie.
True, McDuffie has never been the most outgoing or vocal player. The 6-foot-9 sharpshooter has basically done his job as a player in his own way.
But when Hurley made out that public outcry for help, McDuffie took it personally.
“It definitely did hit me,” McDuffie said. “We had a team meeting about that and I knew I had to become more vocal on the court, that I had to provide more senior leadership. I put in a lot of time and hard work with this team.”
Hurley had a little chat with McDuffie, who is headed to Wichita State in the fall.
“Coach Hurley told me that I just had to relax and let the game come to me,” McDuffie said. “Coach Hurley said that I was playing too fast. That I had to slow down, relax and let it come to me.”
Hurley admitted that he needed more from McDuffie.
“We talk about it every day,” Hurley said. “We needed more than just his performance on the floor. We needed him to be more of a factor on the court. We needed him to talk to the other guys and have a positive impact on the younger guys. Markis has definitely made the effort.”
The proof is in the pudding, as McDuffie has emerged as the go-to guy for the Friars, now 22-1.
“He’s been brilliant,” Hurley said. “He is so active for his size. He’s agile. He’s big, but he’s still growing. He’s a very graceful player. He’s a finesse player, but he’s a dangerous player. There aren’t many who can go outside and shoot the three [3-point shot] and then go inside. It’s been a constant progression for him.”
Over the last three weeks, McDuffie has turned his game up a full notch. He scored 25 points in wins over Newark West Side and the Coastal Academy and tallied 23 in a win over Chester of Pennsylvania. He also added 16 in a win over Long Island Lutheran and 13 in a win over Columbia of South Orange/Maplewood Tuesday night.
For his efforts, McDuffie has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
McDuffie said that he has worked on his game a little more over the past month.
“I changed my jump shot a little,” McDuffie said. “One of the coaches said that I was shooting to miss instead of making the shots. I was falling back instead of following through. I wasn’t that confident in my shot. Once I missed in the past, I was thinking too much about the miss and not concentrating on making the next one.”
Added McDuffie, “It was all about relaxing, calming down and letting the game come to me. Everything became easier then. I started to have fun while playing and we’re playing really well.”
Since a loss to Roselle Catholic on Jan. 2, the Friars have reeled off 16 straight wins, thanks in part to McDuffie, who is averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game.
“We have two people driving the bus right now,” Hurley said. “Markis is one of them and [junior guard] Jagan [Mosely] is the other. They are like co-pilots right now. When we’ve been able to play more [in more competitive games], then Markis gets to play more and gets more scoring chances. We’re also starting Kaleb Bishop now, so that allows Markis to play the three [small forward], which is his natural position and where he’ll play in college.”
McDuffie said that he’s trying to live up to his coach’s prophecy.
“I’m just trying to be a leader now,” McDuffie said. “The state playoffs are coming up, so I knew as a senior, I had to change my ways. I had to go out and be a very efficient guy, do everything to help the team, score, rebound, block shots, play defense.”
Hurley believes that McDuffie is among the very best all-around players in New Jersey.
“With the exception of [Roselle Catholic guard Isaiah] Briscoe, I don’t know of any other senior players who have an all-around game like Markis,” Hurley said. “Every opponent’s scouting report leans toward Markis.”
Hurley believes that the best is yet to come for McDuffie.
“He’s going to get bigger,” Hurley said. “He still probably has two inches of growing left, which will make him a realistic 6-foot-10 or 6-foot-11. He needs to get a little more meat on his bones, but he’s still amazingly strong for a skinny kid. He has a bright future.”
McDuffie said that there was one aspect to his game that was lacking.
“One of the assistant coaches told me that I needed a killer instinct,” McDuffie said. “He said that if I could add that, I would be a perfect player. I don’t know if I have it in me to be nasty and mean.”
Hurley agrees.
“He’s very mannerly and such a nice kid that I think raising his game to have a level of nastiness might be too much to ask,” Hurley said. “We’d like him to have it, but I don’t think he can be that type of kid.”
But Hurley loves the way McDuffie has blossomed.
“He’s made consistent progression every year,” Hurley said. “I couldn’t be happier for him. He loves the sport and he’s still going to get much better at it. I’m proud of him. He’s been through a lot.”
There is one thing missing: A state championship.
“I’m very hungry for that,” McDuffie said. “I didn’t like the way the season ended the last two years. It was terrible. People say that three times is a charm. Well, not for us. We’re all hungry for it. We’ve worked hard for this moment. I just have to stay relaxed and let the game come to me.”
Sounds like McDuffie has created a catch phrase for himself, the “relax and let the game come to me” adage sounds perfect for the senior Friar who stepped up at the right time.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.