OMAHA (KMTV) — UNO men’s basketball is looking to make a statement in the Summit League this season, led by senior Marquel Sutton both on and off the court. His competitiveness is fueled by a love for family, teammates and coaches, and the desire to win.
- Marquel Sutton recently passed the 1,000 career point mark in two-and-a-half years at UNO.
- He's hoping to lead the Mavericks on a run in the Summit League tournament. They were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the conference preseason poll.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
UNO senior Marquel Suttonl recently surpassed a mark a select few college players hit: one thousand career points.
“I never really thought of it like that, middle school or high school or anything,” Sutton said. “I wasn’t really that good when I was younger. But you know it’s a big milestone, a big accomplishment and I’m thankful for it.”
“I’m really proud because it’s hard to do,” Mavericks head coach Chris Crutchfield said. “When guys come to college, most of the time that happens in their fourth year of college, and in marquel’s case it’s happened in almost two-and-a-half years here.”
Every time Sutton takes the court he plays for more than just himself.
“I have family back home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I play hard for them,” he said. “Before every game I think of them. For these guys out here, my brothers, playing hard for the coaches. I respect them a lot. I love those guys.”
After the mavs lost Frankie Fidler to the transfer portal this offseason, Sutton knew it was his time to take the reins.
“I was next up to just step up and lead,” he said. “My coaches and teammates have the confidence in me so that helps me be the best version of myself.”
“He’s not a verbal kid, but he’s always led by example by how hard he played,” Crutchfield said. “Any big play, a dunk or a steal or any big defensive play, that kind of ignites him, lights his spirit a little bit and he gets pretty fired up. Once he gets like that, he goes into a different mode.”
And (Crutchfield) says that intensity will fuel Sutton to the next level.
“We always had a goal for him,” Crutchfield said.” I think he can play professionally. I really do.”
But for now, Sutton is focused on how far he and the Mavs can push to the postseason.
“We want to compete with the best, see where we stand in the Summit League,” he said. “We have a really good chance of winning it I think with this group this year.”
UNO was picked to finish eighth in the Summit League preseason poll out of nine possible teams, but recently beat preseason favorite UMKC by almost 20 points.
Don’t forget the winner of the Summit League tournament later in the season gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
