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University of Houston Athletics
Working Hard To Get The Job Done
2/3/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 3, 2004
It seems University of Houston senior guard Marcus Oliver has been picking himself off the ground every since he arrived at the University of Houston.
"I never thought I would be here all four years," Oliver said. "I wasn't sure I would ever make the starting lineup or even make it through the end of practice some days. When you play basketball there are lot of things tugging on you, whether its academics or playing basketball. But, I stuck with it, worked hard and got the job done."
Oliver came to Houston five years ago after playing on one of the nation's top high school teams. West Charlotte High School featured High School All-American Jason Parker at a post position and Oliver, who was a Third-Team, All-State performer, on the perimeter. When defenses collapsed on Parker, Oliver made them pay. In the state championship game, he scored 23 points after making four of his eight three-point shots to help beat Wilmington-Laney, 84-67. After the game, he signed to play at Houston.
"It was a big step for me," Oliver said. "I thought I was going to be alright, but then homesickness hit me, it messed me up a little bit."
Oliver stepped into the limelight early in his collegiate career. He made two free throws in the final three seconds of regulation to give Houston a 93-92 victory over George Washington and former Texas head coach Tom Penders in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Later that season, he hit two free throws in the final 10 seconds of the game to give the Cougars a 75-74 victory against Tulane. He ended the season averaging 5.3 points per game.
Then, Oliver had pick himself up emotionally to overcome the disappointment of former head coach Clyde Drexler's sudden departure at the end of the season.
"The homesickness got greater and I wondered if I even wanted to be here," Oliver said "But, I hung in there. That is part of life. When things go bad, you have to keep going."
Oliver moved into Houston's starting line-up his sophomore year and averaged 5.9 points per game. He scored a season-high 12 points against Memphis and Air Force. As a junior, one of Oliver's proudest moments came when he led Houston to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament.
"I was proud of the fact that I was able to make some noise in the Conference Tournament," Oliver said. "Having people realize who I am was something I wanted to accomplish when I came to Houston.
"I was able to bring some excitement back to the game for our fans and add to the tradition of our program. That, too, was something I wanted to accomplish."
He averaged 18.7 points in three games and set a tournament record for the best three-point field goal percentage with .714 after making 10 of his 14 attempts. He began the C-USA Tournament scoring 11 points against East Carolina to avenge an earlier regular-season loss. In the quarterfinals, he scored a career-best 26 points as the Cougars beat Memphis, 80-74. Then, he scored 19 points against 10th-ranked Marquette in the semifinals.
Following the C-USA Tournament, Houston was invited to play in the 2002 NIT. Oliver was hopful the success he enjoyed in the Conference USA Tournament would carry over into his senior year.
Then, he tore his ACL in his right knee during a summer pickup game and had to sit out the entire 2002-03 season while recovering from the injury.
"That was very humbling and a learning experience for me," Oliver said as he watched the Cougars throughout the 2002-03 season. "I understood that I had to sit out and fully recover from my injury. I knew I would come back, but I had to wait my turn."
Last summer, Oliver was chosen to play for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team that competed in qualifying tournaments for the 2003 Pan American Games and the Tournament of Americas.
When the 2003-04 season began, Oliver found himself having to swallow another bitter pill when he began the season as a reserve.
"It was disappointing even though I was there for the team and would do anything I could to do to help us succeed," Oliver said. "But, when you feel that you should be out on the floor helping your team in crucial situations down the stretch, it's hard to sit there and watch them play. Especially when you know what it takes to get the job done."
Five games into the season, head coach Ray McCallum inserted Oliver into the starting line-up and Oliver has not looked back.
"Coach McCallum told me that I would start two day before the Bethune-Cookman," Oliver said. "I knew that I couldn't take it for granted and had to work hard every day. "
That hard work paid off immediately when Oliver scored 18 points to lead the Cougars to a 56-45 victory.
"That was a big moment for me," Oliver said. "It was important for me to get off to a good start. I was able to show them what they had been missing."
He also played instrumental roles in Houston's wins over LSU and Texas A&M. Oliver scored 20 points against UL-Lafayette to mark the first time he had scored 20 points since the 2002 C-USA Tournament.
As his collegiate career winds down, Oliver has his sights set on one goal. "I want to win a Conference championship so that I can have a ring like I did when we won the state championship in high school," Oliver said. "It's a realistic goal if we come together as a team. We cannot play as individuals. We have to play as a team. We are working towards that and we have to do it."
And maybe, when he is picking up his sore, aching body off the floor in the final moment of his collegiate career, senior guard Marcus Oliver will be able to put a proud and satisfying smile on his face.
