Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: From Denmark to a Demon Deacon
12/27/2023 10:34:00 AM | Men's Basketball
With soccer exploding in popularity as Marqus Marion was a young child in Denmark, he was much more likely to be spotted on the pitch than on a basketball court.
Until he became allergic to grass. They could treat the allergy with medicine, but that caused fatigue that made him unable to play soccer. So, by age eight or nine, Marion picked up basketball as his main sport.
"My mom and dad played basketball and they wanted me to try it, and then I just fell in love with the game," Marion said.
The transition seems to be working out pretty well for Marion, who is flourishing as a freshman this season for coach Steve Forbes and the Demon Deacons. He's third on the team with 33 rebounds and is playing more than 18 minutes a contest.
"The main factor is the defense," Marion said about the key to having a major role as a freshman. "Try to play hard defense every time you go in a game. The coaches say to not turn the ball over and just rebound, play hard and talk. That's what keeps you in the game.
"I would say the key to rebounding is of course you have to be smart, but it's more about the hustle and playing it smart. Most of the time you have to look at the ball and know how to anticipate where the ball lands and then try to get a good position."
As Marion started excelling as the top scorer for the Danish team at the U18s FIBA Division B European Championship in the summer of 2022, he started getting noticed by scouts and college coaches. His mother encouraged him to finish school in Denmark and then look for what opportunities there might be to play collegiate basketball in America. That's when Wake Forest assistant coach Matt Woodley reached out to Marion.
"I really didn't even know what Wake Forest was before he reached out," Marion said. "I didn't really know about divisions and conferences. So, when Woodley wrote to me, I was like, is this a real guy? Then I did some research on Wake Forest and saw ACC, Tim Duncan, Chris Paul and all of that — so this is real now." and I kind of got like, oh, this is real."
It wasn't long before Marion had a Zoom meeting with the Wake Forest staff, then Woodley went to visit him.
"He said he was going to fly out to Denmark, and we really didn't believe him," Marion said. "We talked to him once and then he just showed up at the game in Denmark and we beat the reigning champions in the country, and then of course set up a time with Forbes and came on a visit and everything. And that's how I committed here."
While he's been a force on the boards and on defense, Marion has been working on developing his all-around game since arriving on campus during the summer.
"We've been primarily focused on trying to develop my game, and of course schoolwork too," he said. "It's been a lot more skill work in the morning with (Wake Forest assistant) coach (Demetris) Nichols, working on my game every day — just hoping it translates to the game. But I feel like it's been a pretty good six months.
"I would definitely say the main thing that's improved is my shot. I've been trying to work on my shot every day — it's all the small little details that I haven't been used to, so it's been good for me."
Adjusting to the pace of the college game as well as being away from home is coming along well for Marion so far.
"I would definitely say the pace and the conditioning that is required," he said about the biggest change. "I haven't been used to every practice going so hard, but I feel like that's been good in terms of my play on how hard you can go throughout the game and how long you can go that hard for.
"But I'm adjusting pretty well. I haven't really been homesick because I feel like my family, I have a lot of family over here and they've been really good at reaching out to me. I met my big brother for the first time in eight years at the Georgia game. My grandma stopped by at the Charleston Classic, so that's helped put me at ease here."
While the Deacs dropped a couple of hard-fought games on the road against power conference teams, they're currently on a roll, having grabbed home victories over both Florida and Rutgers.
"We knew we could beat those teams, but we just had to figure out the last pieces to the puzzle, and obviously that was rebounding and playing hard the whole game, as well playing for each other," Marion said. "We have a whole new team from last year, so just finding out what each player likes and how to move the ball properly, that really helps in those games.
"I'm kind of playing into my team's role where I know they need the rebounding and the hustle. We have all the talent on offense right now, so next year if more roles open up, I'll definitely be more offensive on the dribble off the cuts, driving more, shooting more and just doing what's necessary for us to win."
With conference play on the horizon, Marion believes the Demon Deacons are poised to put together a fantastic season.
"If everybody's healthy and playing well, we've got it all," he said. "We have rim protection, rebounding, shooting, driving, communication — the potential for this team is definitely going to the tournament and doing something good there."
Until he became allergic to grass. They could treat the allergy with medicine, but that caused fatigue that made him unable to play soccer. So, by age eight or nine, Marion picked up basketball as his main sport.
"My mom and dad played basketball and they wanted me to try it, and then I just fell in love with the game," Marion said.
The transition seems to be working out pretty well for Marion, who is flourishing as a freshman this season for coach Steve Forbes and the Demon Deacons. He's third on the team with 33 rebounds and is playing more than 18 minutes a contest.
"The main factor is the defense," Marion said about the key to having a major role as a freshman. "Try to play hard defense every time you go in a game. The coaches say to not turn the ball over and just rebound, play hard and talk. That's what keeps you in the game.
"I would say the key to rebounding is of course you have to be smart, but it's more about the hustle and playing it smart. Most of the time you have to look at the ball and know how to anticipate where the ball lands and then try to get a good position."
As Marion started excelling as the top scorer for the Danish team at the U18s FIBA Division B European Championship in the summer of 2022, he started getting noticed by scouts and college coaches. His mother encouraged him to finish school in Denmark and then look for what opportunities there might be to play collegiate basketball in America. That's when Wake Forest assistant coach Matt Woodley reached out to Marion.
"I really didn't even know what Wake Forest was before he reached out," Marion said. "I didn't really know about divisions and conferences. So, when Woodley wrote to me, I was like, is this a real guy? Then I did some research on Wake Forest and saw ACC, Tim Duncan, Chris Paul and all of that — so this is real now." and I kind of got like, oh, this is real."
It wasn't long before Marion had a Zoom meeting with the Wake Forest staff, then Woodley went to visit him.
"He said he was going to fly out to Denmark, and we really didn't believe him," Marion said. "We talked to him once and then he just showed up at the game in Denmark and we beat the reigning champions in the country, and then of course set up a time with Forbes and came on a visit and everything. And that's how I committed here."
While he's been a force on the boards and on defense, Marion has been working on developing his all-around game since arriving on campus during the summer.
"We've been primarily focused on trying to develop my game, and of course schoolwork too," he said. "It's been a lot more skill work in the morning with (Wake Forest assistant) coach (Demetris) Nichols, working on my game every day — just hoping it translates to the game. But I feel like it's been a pretty good six months.
"I would definitely say the main thing that's improved is my shot. I've been trying to work on my shot every day — it's all the small little details that I haven't been used to, so it's been good for me."
Adjusting to the pace of the college game as well as being away from home is coming along well for Marion so far.
"I would definitely say the pace and the conditioning that is required," he said about the biggest change. "I haven't been used to every practice going so hard, but I feel like that's been good in terms of my play on how hard you can go throughout the game and how long you can go that hard for.
"But I'm adjusting pretty well. I haven't really been homesick because I feel like my family, I have a lot of family over here and they've been really good at reaching out to me. I met my big brother for the first time in eight years at the Georgia game. My grandma stopped by at the Charleston Classic, so that's helped put me at ease here."
While the Deacs dropped a couple of hard-fought games on the road against power conference teams, they're currently on a roll, having grabbed home victories over both Florida and Rutgers.
"We knew we could beat those teams, but we just had to figure out the last pieces to the puzzle, and obviously that was rebounding and playing hard the whole game, as well playing for each other," Marion said. "We have a whole new team from last year, so just finding out what each player likes and how to move the ball properly, that really helps in those games.
"I'm kind of playing into my team's role where I know they need the rebounding and the hustle. We have all the talent on offense right now, so next year if more roles open up, I'll definitely be more offensive on the dribble off the cuts, driving more, shooting more and just doing what's necessary for us to win."
With conference play on the horizon, Marion believes the Demon Deacons are poised to put together a fantastic season.
"If everybody's healthy and playing well, we've got it all," he said. "We have rim protection, rebounding, shooting, driving, communication — the potential for this team is definitely going to the tournament and doing something good there."
Players Mentioned
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