Rebounding with Stephon Marbury

by Ryan Sherwin

Stephon Marbury is a talented player. He's a guy who can turn it on when needed and often picks his spots really well. Marbury started the preseason off very slowly, but as he promised, has turned it on and started to create havoc on the court. Marbury is already averaging 25 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game, very admirable numbers for a 6-2 point guard who is just 23 years old.

When Teenspeak caught up with Stephon Marbury for an interview, he expressed that his talent "was a gift from God. That's how I can pretty much put it. I was lucky enough to have been given a gift. But I also had to work on that gift. I played basketball every day of my life. Basketball is life to me. I look at it as, this is what I like doing, why don't I do it every day."

Marbury, who has been a star ever since high school, was named National High School Player of the Year by Parade Magazine when he attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, New York. His dedication to his sport is year round because, he contends, that you can't be a good competitor, playing against some of the best athletes in the world unless "You keep your body in shape throughout the whole year. I try and lift weights, run, and play the game as much as possible. I use the treadmill and do interval training, running 3 - 4 miles a day." He says that staying in shape is key because the Eastern conference is tough, and the season is a grueling 82 game battle that requires both mental and physical preparation.

Marbury says that the Nets have the talent to make a run deep into the playoffs this year. "We have just got to come out and play hard. It's important for us to come out with a really good start, not just to win games." Having Byron Scott as a coach has already helped Stephon tremendously. As he said, "He's a guy who will always stop and explain things during practice if you don't understand something. The guy has won three championships, so you have to respect that."

Stephon Marbury (center) with Jordan Mamorsky (left) and Ryan Sherwin