Marcus marshals his next move into NBA

KUALA LUMPUR: Getting into the NBA is 23- year- old Marcus Marshall’s (pic) ultimate goal.

But he also knows that he needs to get as much game time as possible under his belt before he can get into the highly-lucrative but also highly-challenging NBA.

That’s why the 1.91m Marshall, who graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in the United States earlier this year, is looking forward to challenging for the Asean Basketball League (ABL) title with the Westports Malaysia Dragons.

This will be his first professional stint.

“I’m pretty excited to be here as I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Dragons and the ABL from coach Chris (Thomas),” said Marshall, who excels as a combo guard.

“Malaysia is also nicer than I imagined. I feel comfortable and I’m blending in well. The family-oriented style of the Dragons is also ideal.

“I feel that I can bring scoring and leadership to the team. I’m also ready to do whatever the team need me too. For me, the goal is always the NBA. But I’m not too focused on that now.

“I’m just focused on the ABL. I’m looking forward to making the playoffs with the team and to try and win the championship with the Dragons.”

Marshall’s signing is a sign that the Dragons are moving away from their previous pattern of signing two big world imports.

The Dragons will surely be counting on Marshall, who averaged 19.7 points and 3.7 assists in his senior year in Nevada, to run the play in the ABL.

He will also be a vital cog for the Dragons when they come up against the bigger guards in the league such as Saigon Heat’s Akeem Scott and Nanhai Kung Fu Basketball Club’s Anthony Tucker.

Besides Marshall, the Dragons also have Filipinos Reil Cervantes and Patrick Cabahug on their payroll. Their fourth import is ex-NBA centre Solomon Jones, who arrived here on Wednesday.

The team will be captained by 36-year-old John Ng. The other locals in the squad are Loh Shee Fai, Kuek Tian Yuan, Ivan Yeo, Wong Yi Hou, Teo Kok Hou, Ting Chun Hong, Heng Yee Tong and Phan Wee Chen.

The league tips on Nov 17, with the Dragons playing their first match away in Bangkok against the Mono Vampire Basketball Club on Nov 25.