Welcome back to our third installment of "Where Are They Now," where we catch up with a former Sycamore basketball player to see what they've been up to since leaving Indiana State. In this edition, we caught up with Marcus Howard, a multi-dimensional guard that helped lead the Sycamores to their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance in the 2000-2001 season.
Often considered a defensive specialist, Howard did a little bit of everything during his time with the Sycamores. When they needed a hoop, he got it. When they needed a defensive stop, they called his number. The 6-foot-3, 185 pound Howard finished up his Indiana State Sycamore career averaging 7.3 points per game, 1.9 assist per game, 2.3 rebounds per game and 1.1 steals per game.
SycamoreHoops.com: Since leaving Indiana State, what have you been up to?
Marcus Howard: Since leaving Indiana State, I got married in 2007 and currently I am working for my father's custom heat transfer company.
SycamoreHoops.com: Are you still playing basketball professionally or recreationally?
Marcus Howard: Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to play professionally due to some injuries. I try to play recreationally when I can.
SycamoreHoops.com: What was your favorite on-the-court memory or game?
Marcus Howard: My favorite on court memory/game would have to be beating Oklahoma in the first round of the 2001 NCAA tourney.
[ido=left]250[/ido][imgpic]http://www.sycamorehoops.com/images/players/marcus_howard.jpg[/imgpic][cap]Howard flys to the hoop during warm ups[/cap][idc][/idc]
SycamoreHoops.com: What were some of your favorite moments at Indiana State?
Marcus Howard: Some of my favorite moments at Indiana State would be beating Indiana and also winning the conference tournament and knowing that we just secured a spot in the 2001 NCAA tournament.
SycamoreHoops.com: Is there anything you miss about Indiana State? If so, what?
Marcus Howard: What I miss about Indiana State is getting to play everyday with all of my teammates as well as how great the fans treated me while I was there.
SycamoreHoops.com: Do you keep in touch with any of the players or coaches from your teams? If so, who?
Marcus Howard: I definitely keep in touch with my teammates as well as some of my coaches and it's a pretty long list of guys that I still keep in contact with. Almost every player from when I played 2000-2004.
SycamoreHoops.com: Are you still connected to the program?
Marcus Howard: I think once you play at Indiana State you will always be connected to the program in some way shape or form, so yes!
SycamoreHoops.com: What is your opinion of the current state of the program?
Marcus Howard: I definitely like the direction this program is headed in. The program has kinda been in the middle of the pack for a bit and I think pretty soon we will see Indiana State winning the conference.
SycamoreHoops.com: Are there any players on the current roster that impress you? Who? Why?
Marcus Howard: There's a handful of guys that I've been impressed with and that's what I like about the team. A different guy could step up on any given night.
SycamoreHoops.com: How have you seen the program changed since you left?
Marcus Howard: I think the only thing that has really changed are the faces. It's still a program that's going to be committed to winning, which it was when I was there.
SycamoreHoops.com: What are your expectations for the upcoming season?
Marcus Howard: I have some high expectations for this upcoming season. They have a good nucleus returning and they have some guys coming in that can have an immediate impact.
SycamoreHoops.com: Is there anything else you want to share with the Sycamore fans reading this?
Marcus Howard: To the sycamore fans I would just like to say continue to support the basketball program. I think the program is headed in the right direction and in the near future I think they can be extremely competitive and hopefully bring a conference title back to Indiana State. Last but not least I would like to thank all of the fans once again for all of the support they gave me while I was playing.
Often considered a defensive specialist, Howard did a little bit of everything during his time with the Sycamores. When they needed a hoop, he got it. When they needed a defensive stop, they called his number. The 6-foot-3, 185 pound Howard finished up his Indiana State Sycamore career averaging 7.3 points per game, 1.9 assist per game, 2.3 rebounds per game and 1.1 steals per game.
SycamoreHoops.com: Since leaving Indiana State, what have you been up to?
Marcus Howard: Since leaving Indiana State, I got married in 2007 and currently I am working for my father's custom heat transfer company.
SycamoreHoops.com: Are you still playing basketball professionally or recreationally?
Marcus Howard: Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to play professionally due to some injuries. I try to play recreationally when I can.
SycamoreHoops.com: What was your favorite on-the-court memory or game?
Marcus Howard: My favorite on court memory/game would have to be beating Oklahoma in the first round of the 2001 NCAA tourney.
[ido=left]250[/ido][imgpic]http://www.sycamorehoops.com/images/players/marcus_howard.jpg[/imgpic][cap]Howard flys to the hoop during warm ups[/cap][idc][/idc]
SycamoreHoops.com: What were some of your favorite moments at Indiana State?
Marcus Howard: Some of my favorite moments at Indiana State would be beating Indiana and also winning the conference tournament and knowing that we just secured a spot in the 2001 NCAA tournament.
SycamoreHoops.com: Is there anything you miss about Indiana State? If so, what?
Marcus Howard: What I miss about Indiana State is getting to play everyday with all of my teammates as well as how great the fans treated me while I was there.
SycamoreHoops.com: Do you keep in touch with any of the players or coaches from your teams? If so, who?
Marcus Howard: I definitely keep in touch with my teammates as well as some of my coaches and it's a pretty long list of guys that I still keep in contact with. Almost every player from when I played 2000-2004.
SycamoreHoops.com: Are you still connected to the program?
Marcus Howard: I think once you play at Indiana State you will always be connected to the program in some way shape or form, so yes!
SycamoreHoops.com: What is your opinion of the current state of the program?
Marcus Howard: I definitely like the direction this program is headed in. The program has kinda been in the middle of the pack for a bit and I think pretty soon we will see Indiana State winning the conference.
SycamoreHoops.com: Are there any players on the current roster that impress you? Who? Why?
Marcus Howard: There's a handful of guys that I've been impressed with and that's what I like about the team. A different guy could step up on any given night.
SycamoreHoops.com: How have you seen the program changed since you left?
Marcus Howard: I think the only thing that has really changed are the faces. It's still a program that's going to be committed to winning, which it was when I was there.
SycamoreHoops.com: What are your expectations for the upcoming season?
Marcus Howard: I have some high expectations for this upcoming season. They have a good nucleus returning and they have some guys coming in that can have an immediate impact.
SycamoreHoops.com: Is there anything else you want to share with the Sycamore fans reading this?
Marcus Howard: To the sycamore fans I would just like to say continue to support the basketball program. I think the program is headed in the right direction and in the near future I think they can be extremely competitive and hopefully bring a conference title back to Indiana State. Last but not least I would like to thank all of the fans once again for all of the support they gave me while I was playing.
