PressBox recently chatted with UMBC men’s basketball senior Marcus Banks Jr. about his whirlwind journey the past several years, how he made an immediate impact with the Retrievers a year ago and more. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard averaged 15.1 points and 3.9 rebounds for UMBC in 2023-24. Banks is a native of Hampton, Va., and graduate of Bethel High School.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Marcus Banks Jr.: My dad, [Marcus Sr.], used to put the NBA on when I was younger. I remember the first game I was watching was the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, and the player that stood out to me the most was Kobe. From there, that’s been my favorite player. That’s been an inspiration for me to play basketball. That’s where it all started. I would say that was about when I was 9ish.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
MB: My father, because he was there for every step. He taught me how to do everything, the basics of everything, the fundamental parts, and really pushed me to be a better version of myself.
PB: Why did you take a prep year at Fork Union Military Academy after graduating from high school?
MB: I graduated in 2020. That was the year of the pandemic. It was kind of hard recruitment-wise, and at the time I didn’t have the looks that I wanted. With the pandemic happening, it was a better route to go post-grad so I chose that route.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Western Carolina after that?
MB: Being at post-grad, it wasn’t an ideal place for colleges to recruit. It was hard with that. I had two offers coming out of post-grad. It was Monmouth and Western Carolina, so I just took the better of those two offers. I had a relationship with two of the coaches on that staff already prior to that. One was from my area. It just felt right going there.
PB: Why did you go to the junior college route one year later at Odessa College?
MB: Freshman year was a great year [at Western Carolina], but it just wasn’t the fit for me and it didn’t feel like home, so I had to enter the portal. Odessa hit me up. They were just consistent. I was doing my research on how successful a program they are. I just decided that was a good route. It’s not an ideal thing to be at a D-I [and then] go JUCO, but it was my path and it was the right route. I felt confident in choosing that.
PB: Why did you choose to transfer to UMBC in 2023?
MB: Kind of similar to post-grad. After Odessa, it was hard getting recruited for me as well. When [Retrievers assistant coach Danny Lawson] reached out to me, it was just a go from there. They took a chance on me, so I appreciate that, for sure.
PB: The 2023-24 season marked your fifth school in five years dating back to high school. Does it feel like a whirlwind?
MB: No, it really doesn’t. It feels like I was supposed to do this all along. That journey that I took brought me to where I’m at right now and it made me a better person, so I wouldn’t change it for anything. I feel like that was the route that I was supposed to take.
PB: What was your favorite memory from your first season at UMBC in 2023-24?
MB: Just how well the organization gelled together. It was just one big family, it felt like. It felt [like] more of a family than what I had been at. Not speaking down on those other programs because the culture was strong there, but here it was different. You just feel the love. You feel that everybody’s got your back and is watching out for you.
PB: How were you able to become a high-level scorer for UMBC right away?
MB: Coming in and knowing my strengths and knowing my game and how it [overlaps] with what was needed and what was asked of me, too. Just using that and sticking to it and working. I don’t know, it was just something natural. It felt easy. It felt like what I was supposed to do here.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about UMBC?
MB: The people. Everybody around there cares. That’s a big part of wherever you are in life, like a job or whatever. It’s about the people you’re around. If you’re around good people, that allows you to prosper.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
MB: I’d have to say Alpha Chibambe because we were roommates all last year on the road, so that led us to a lot of conversations, a lot of stuff that I didn’t know about him and a lot of stuff he didn’t know about me. We just grew closer like that.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
MB: Freshman year [at Western Carolina] I definitely looked up to one of our older guys and he was from my area, too, and he was helping me out, looking out for me. His name is Cam Bacote. He helped me. We were in the gym a lot. … It led to me excelling there and actually starting as a freshman. I appreciated him for that.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players?
MB: Trust your process, trust your path. Don’t get too excited or too low about anything. Stay medium and stay prepared. That’s it.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
MB: My goals are just to be in a position where I can help others in any way I can.
Photo Credit: Gail Burton
Issue 289: October/November 2024
Originally published Oct. 16, 2024