HU’s Marrow takes next step toward NBA

Harrington Gardiner | Staff Writer

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Jermaine Marrow | HamptonPirat

Hampton basketball guard Jermaine Marrow made the decision to declare for the NBA Draft, announcing his decision April 2 on Instagram.

“The support I have gotten over my three years at Hampton University is something I will never forget,” Marrow said. “I am blessed to announce that I am officially declaring for the upcoming 2019 NBA draft.”

Marrow has played three years as a point guard for the Pirates and has been one of the most reliable players on the team. During his Hampton career, Marrow has averaged 19.7 points per game and has been one of the top scorers in the MEAC and the Big South.

During his freshman year, he was named to the MEAC All-Rookie team. The next year, he averaged 19.1 points per game and quickly became one of the team’s most dominant players. This past season, he had career high in points and assists, and he also came one point shy of the single-season scoring record of 855 points.

The man ahead of Marrow? NBA legend Rick Mahorn.

Marrow also finished with the fourth-highest single-season points total in Big South history as well as the seventh-highest single-season scoring average in conference history at 24.4 points this past season.

Now Marrow is facing a new challenge as he prepares for the NBA. As the draft approaches in June, he will join other prospects from big-name schools across the country who will hope to hear their name called by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

If Marrow gets invited to the NBA Combine, he’s going to have to outwork everybody in the gym and have stellar combine numbers to get noticed by NBA scouts. While he averaged 19.7 points per game in college, scoring points professionally will be a bigger challenge.

In order for Marrow to have a long-lasting impact in the NBA, defense will need to be a priority. Other players from smaller schools have stayed in the league a long time because of their tenacity on the defense of side of the ball. Avery Bradley and Patrick Beverley are prime examples of guys who came into the NBA without a lot of recognition but made a long-lasting impact because of how well they play on both sides of the floor.