Marcus Scott V had an incredible sophomore season with the Savannah State University Tigers men’s basketball team (SSU). The 5-foot-9 guard finished the 2021-22 season as a champion and as MVP. Now he has officially entered into the NCAA transfer portal as he looks to continue his progression in the game of basketball.
Born and raised in Hinesville, Georgia, Marcus Scott V has been around basketball since the age of three where he began playing organized basketball. What started as a hobby would become a passion. Loving the game and enjoying the competition it bought and all the effort and hard work it takes to consistently improve.
Over the years, Marcus has always worked on his game and continued to improve in multiple facets of the game. From his ability to defend the ball to shooting three pointers in various situations and angles. His commitment and coachable attitude has made him become a player that is key to the side and that his teammates and coaching staff love working with.
Marcus saw a lot of success come his way early on. Winning state championships at both rec and high school level. The 2015 state championship win with Jenkins High came when he was the only freshmen with a major role in varsity. Also lead the stats in varsity games played, points, minutes, assists and steals.
Off the court, Marcus earned a Division 1 scholarship coming out of high school to Air Force Academy Preparatory School. He would attend there for a year before moving to Savannah State University. He has since balanced Basketball with his internship as a teacher. An education major, and his area of concentration is middle grades, English and Social Studies and would earn his undergraduate degree this past April.
Marcus has also launched his own “Be Different” merchandise that is available now. With his Marcus Scott logo on apparel such as shirts, hoodies, jackets, shorts, beanies, and much more. You can checkout his range at: https://fancloth.shop/3GWKZ.
Credit: @Marcusscott23/Twitter
Prior to his successful breakout sophomore season, the signs were there during Marcus’ freshman year. In his freshman year, Marcus would average 40% in both field goals and three pointers, 83% in free throws and finished with ten games scoring over 20+ points. He would also lead his team overall in points, field goals made, three pointers made, and highest field goal percentage.
Marcus would use the time off to prepare himself for an even bigger year in his 2021-22 sophomore season. Not only did he take his game to another level, but physically would add 20-pounds of muscle to his frame since joining the program.
Marcus started in all 29 games throughout the season. He finished with an average of 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Shot 37% from the field, 36% in three pointers made, 78% from the free throw line and had 26 steals to his name. He led his team in points scored (379), made field goals (121), made three pointers (80) and minutes played (29.8 per game).
At the point of the season that matters most, during the championship tournament SSU would hit form and went to a level that opponents couldn’t stop to claim the 2022 Championship title. Going into the tournament as third seed from the Eastern Division with a record of 15-13, they proved that after starting the season with a 40 point loss and a 0-3 opening record, that they were so much better than what their losing conference record suggested.
A run of four consecutive wins that led SSU to the championship would see them make up for past losses and break a team’s 18-game winning streak. Started with a win over Lane College (60-50), then Tuskegee University (61-50), then would break the 18-game streak of Morehouse College (60-59), to make the Championship game against Benedict College (76-62).
Credit: @marcusscott23/Instagram
Early in the opening half at the 15:58 mark, Benedict’s Brandon Smith nailed a jump shot to give his team the 6-5 lead. But Scott V was quick to respond with a three-pointer just seconds later to regain a 8-6 lead for SSU and began a massive wave of momentum to get a 21-0 run for the next five minutes earning a 25-8 lead with 8:23 to play in the half.
The offensive spurt halted Benedict’s momentum and defensively forced them into taking some shots they otherwise wouldn’t have. By the half, Benedict would only put up 15 points to SSU’s 46.
Credit: @Marcusscott23/Twitter
The triple digit advantage along with scoreboard and clock pressure would become too much for Benedict in the second half. They put up a valiant effort to cut SSU’s lead down to just 12 nearing the final stages of the second half with 8:34 to play on the clock. However the stars of the SSU team stood up to close out the game with a 76-62 win and earned the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship.
It was a great team effort with an exceptional game from Avery Joyner with 15 points, Christian Blue with 10 points and Trey DeLoach with 9 points in the win. Leading the team with 18 points, 4-for-8 from the three-point line and 5-for-12 from the field, Marcus Scott V had a huge impact on his team and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
With the championship win SSU earned the SIAC’s automatic qualifier and their place in the 2022 NCAA Division II Championship Tournament at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. They would face the first seed team of Nova Southeastern University Sharks (NSU) who came into the tournament with a 29-0 record. After a competitive first half, NSU would get away from SSU in the second half with a 113-62 win.
“I want to thank Savannah State University for the love, support and unforgettable memories and experiences over the past 3 years. I will forever be SSU made and SSU Proud. I am thankful to coach Clyde Wormley for always being available to work on my game and help me reach new levels in my path of basketball. Also, thank you to my teammates for helping us win a championship and qualify for the national tournament.
Lastly, I would like to shout out the college of education and Dr. Cora Thompson in which I will have obtained my degree from all the hard work they have done as well.
With all that being said, I have entered the NCAA transfer portal as a grad transfer with two years of eligibility left.” – Marcus Scott V
Marcus Scott V’s growth and development as a player over a season showed how great of an athlete he is. Now entering the NCAA transfer portal as he continues to always work on all areas of his game, his ability on the court and his attitude makes him a valuable member to any team he is on.
Follow Marcus Scott V:
2022 season highlights: Marcus Scott, year 2 highlights/MVP season at SSU. – YouTube
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marcusscott23?s=21&t=rhz7X85w6WUUMsv07TQ83Q
Instagram: Marcus Scott (@marcusscott23) • Instagram photos and videos
YouTube: Marcus Scott – YouTube
Marcus Scott “Be Different” apparel: https://fancloth.shop/3GWKZ
