By Phil Perry
Times Staff
2/25/10
For most college freshmen, getting used to life away from home can take some getting used to. There’s the cooking, the cleaning and – ugh – the laundry.
Luckily for Babson College first-year student Marcus McDermott, his mother is still within driving distance.
“I only moved to Wellesley,” he said. “So it’s not too hard.”Couple that with McDermott’s performance on the basketball court and it seems he’s adapting to college life just fine. Just one year removed from leading Milton High School to a Division 2 state championship, McDermott is thriving as the starting point guard for Division 3 Babson. He’s shown no signs of being intimidated after taking the reins of the Beavers’ offense at the start of the season, leading the team in both points and assists with 10.2 and 3.0 per game, respectively.
“The game is so much faster and physically challenging than it was in high school,” McDermott says. “You notice that right away. Driving lanes that used to be there in high school get closed off so much quicker now … there’s no way I would have guessed I would have been our leading scorer or anything. But our coaches got us prepared really early and it’s worked out well for me.”
McDermott is the headlining star on a team full of young talent. The Beavers do not carry a single senior on their roster and their starting five is made up of two first-years, two sophomores and a junior. At press time, Babson was 10-15 after losing six of its last seven. It’s a wonder where they would be without their wunderkind.
On the night before New Year’s Eve, playing in the Salem State Holiday Classic, McDermott was like confetti in Times Square: everywhere and awe-inspiring. Against the host team, he scored the Beavers’ final 11 points and helped them overcome a 7-point deficit in the final two minutes. His 3-point play with 7.9 second remaining gave Babson a 73-72 comeback win and was the exclamation point to McDermott’s performance that earned him Classic MVP.
Midway through the season, he missed five games with a back injury. He has since worked himself back into the starting lineup and continues to stand out. Aside from the 6-footer’s impressive offensive numbers, he’s also the team’s second-leading shot blocker.
“He plays with a kind of fearlessness and it doesn’t matter what the situation is,” said Babson coach Stephen Brennan. “He makes everyone better. It’s funny because he’s so quiet and respectful off the court, but he plays with a great deal of emotion.”
Brennan first saw McDermott play during last year’s Division 2 state tournament. The veteran Milton team was in the South Sectional semifinal against Franklin, but for as big as the game was, McDermott had his teammates at ease. He scored 15 points in the first half and the Wildcats were up by 9 at halftime when Brennan made a new friend.
“Milton’s superintendent of schools came right up to me,” Brennan said. “She said, ‘As good a basketball player as [McDermott] is, he’s an even better person.’ To me, that was the neatest thing about that whole game.”
Of course, McDermott’s eight 3-pointers and 32 points that day didn’t hurt his standing in Brennan’s eyes, either.
His outside shooting touch, the part of the game McDermott has had to work on the most since transitioning to college basketball, helps him when he realizes those driving lanes are swallowed up.
McDermott’s developing talents haven’t been lost on his high school basketball ties. Many of his former Wildcats teammates have seen him play in Wellesley and his old coach is still keeping an eye on him.
“What has impressed me the most is how much he has improved his shooting and shooting range,” said Milton High coach Sean LoPresti. “It’s made him a much more dangerous player, giving him the total package.”
McDermott grew up shooting hoops at Roxbury Crossing’s Reggie Lewis Center, which is managed by his father, Keith. In high school, he made himself do drills in his Hills View Road driveway to keep up with his friends who were honing their skills playing AAU basketball. He’s played on teams in Milton youth leagues, at Beaver Country Day School and Milton High, but it’s clear that at his latest stop he feels right at home.
“Babson has so many people who’ve helped me out,” said McDermott. “They’ve made it easy.”
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