'I want to be everything': How this Athens-area hoops star took his game to another level
Marcus Gillespie is a prolific scorer for Clarke Central boys basketball. He averages 30 points a game and, just a junior, has already eclipsed 1,000 career points, an impressive feat for a 16-year-old.
But he wants to be known for more than that.
"Everybody knows I can score. That's what everybody talks about. Marcus scored this, Marcus scored that," he said. "I want to be known as a well-rounded player, somebody who blocks shots, gets rebounds and passes the ball well."
Gillespie is a versatile player on coach Stefan Smith's team, playing point guard, shooting guard and small forward. He's the unanimous captain, the player others look to for guidance. Senior Tom Gilley and sophomore A.J. Lonon Jr. both described Gillespie as "silly" and the heart of the team.
"When he's on the court, the whole energy changes," Lonon said. "If he starts talking smack, everybody starts talking smack. If he's going hard, everybody's going hard. When you're playing with him, you want to be better, because he's going to go out there and show up. He makes the whole team like that."
"I had to really talk to him about getting that kind of silliness out of him to be the leader," Smith said. "He shows more by example, and he's learning how to communicate with his teammates in a way that's not an 'I'm the man' type of thing. He silly a lot of times, and he takes that and uses it, and people don't always understand it. He'll say he's the king, and he'll say he's joking, but he's not in a way."
Of course, Gillespie hasn't always had the reigns in his hands.
When he came to Clarke Central as a freshman, Gillespie's talents needed to be explored early to find the right fit. Smith said he also had to build confidence, too
"I think (the senior class) kind of resented it at first, because you're going to give him (the main role), but they're kind of buying into it now," Smith said. "They understand that we all are a team, as one, and it's not Marcus with everybody else. It's all of us."
Gillespie says he spent his childhood idolizing NBA guard James Harden. Offense had been ingrained into him, but he needed to round out the rest of his game. This summer, however, the fog began to clear. Smith said he began to see a difference in Gillespie and knew it was time.
"He was making more, passing the ball more, playing better defense," Smith said. "He had (maybe) 20 points, (like) eight assists and five rebounds. I keep harping on that a lot, like that's impressive. He's able to get his teammates involved and also can rebound it. Those are the things I'm hoping stick with him this year, and they have, but now (stakes are higher) because he able to get 35 points.
"I told him, 'I'm not impressed with points, I know you can do that, you've shown me that.'"
Clarke Central junior Marcus Gillespie's recruitment
Smith said several college coaches have reached out in interest of Gillespie. The list includes names like Queens University (in Charlotte), New Orleans, Kennesaw State, Fort Valley and Western Carolina.
Smith said he tries not to put the weight of the world on his star's shoulders, but it can be hard when you're front and center like Gillespie. The first game of the season overwhelmed him. He wasn't having the game he wanted and in the fourth quarter, Smith reassured Gillespie that he was not to blame.
Smith said the best advice he ever received was from the principal: "He's a teenager."
"A lot of people have given me evaluations on things he needs to do to get better," Smith said. "College coaches have done that and told me this is what they need to see. So, I'm (passing that along) to him and he's moving toward that direction.
"At the end of the day, he's a teenager and I have to keep that in mind because I look at him and I'm like, he's got grown-man talent, and I see him and I'm like, now you've got to start thinking like a grown man. But he's not one, he's a teenager. He has teenager type actions, teenager type things that go on in his head, so I have to understand that and foster him along a little bit, give him that guidance that he needs in order to be successful."
Gillespie admitted his top three at this point are Kansas, Florida State and Kennesaw State.
"I wouldn't be surprised to be sitting back one day and hear his name somewhere that's pretty big," Smith said.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Clarke Central's Marcus Gillespie works to be 'more than a scorer'
