A trailblazer for African basketball, Houtman a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominee

A driving force behind Marques Houtman going to Cape Verde in the early 2000s to play professional basketball was to connect with his family roots on the island country of West Africa.

“You hear stories as a kid,” said Houtman, recalling conversations with his grandmother, Maria Silva. “Going on boats back and forth (to the United States), getting lost at sea for nine or 10 weeks. You hear (stories of) strength.”

When Houtman was asked to join the Cape Verde National team in 1999, the 1997 New Bedford High graduate said it was a “no-brainer."

“It does something to you when you see where your ancestors walked,” Houtman said.

On the same land where his ancestors had stepped, Houtman created his own path as a trailblazer for African, specifically Cape Verdean, basketball.

“My dad was saying, ‘Somebody is going to see what you did someday,’” Houtman said.

That day is now.

The 44-year-old from New Bedford has been named a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 along with the likes of Vince Carter, Seimone Augustus, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Barnes, Mike Fratello and Penny Taylor among others.

“It’s surreal,” said Houtman, who is believed to be the first from New Bedford to receive such an honor. “It stopped me in my tracks to be listed up there with all those names.

“This is the accomplishment. If I go further than this (and be inducted), that is outstanding, but this is the historic stuff. I’m just excited.”

When Houtman arrived in Cape Verde, he wasn’t satisfied with the status quo and was determined to fight for more opportunities for African basketball teams.

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“I think it has to do with opening up part of Africa,” said Houtman, noting that at that time only one team in Africa was allowed to play in the World Games and Olympics. Now, five get to go. “I think I helped push through a few things and change a few things.”

Houtman put Cape Verde on the map, leading the team to a bronze medal at 2007 FIBA Africa Championship in Angola.

“That woke people up,” he said.

The following year, Houtman led the Clube de Premiero d' Agosto de Luanda to a first-place finish in the 2008 Angola Professional Men's League with a 63-1 record and then helped the Cape Verde Olympic team reach the FIBA Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Athens, Greece.

“Once I started performing, the work ethic matched and I made it a way of life and sacrificed everything,” he said of his rise through the ranks as Cape Verde’s point guard. “You don’t get out there by mistake.

“It’s crazy where basketball will take you if you take the risk.”

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Through it all, Houtman always took pride in coming from New Bedford.

“On the road, they’d ask, ‘How do you play like that?’” he said of his unique skillset of both a point guard and shooting guard. “New Bedford has its own brand of basketball as a combo guard. I tell people, ‘I have New Bedford’s brand of basketball.’

“Community-wise, I hope this (nomination) puts us on the map. I was one of those kids, I chased who was in front of me, (like) Marcus Wills, Jeffrey Clark, Tyhon Pina, Charlie DePina, Jason Baptiste, Billy Houtman, Ryan Fermino and Dwayne Pina.”

As news broke of Houtman’s prestigious nomination, he was flooded with calls and texts from family, friends, former teammates and members of the community.

“I’m just honored,” said Houtman, who had a Hall of Fame career at UMass Dartmouth. “A lot of it is luck. A lot of it is risk. It wasn’t the goal, but it’s where I landed. I was all over the place for 15 years. I did enjoy it, but I love where I am at now.”

Houtman is back in his hometown, coaching youth basketball at the Boys & Girls Club, where he got his start, and working in data management at Durfee High School.

“It’s just my way of giving back,” he said. “That’s the same gym I played in as a kid. I owe it.”

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford's Houtman a 2024 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominee