Bright lights shine down on the court, the squeaking of shoes against the polished wood. Closer, and closer to the ever growing basket. The ball, rough in your hands moving up and down, inching closer. Dodging and narrow misses, passes and teamwork. That’s basketball. 

For Marcus Hall, senior, he has experienced that focused moment hundreds of times in games over his high school basketball career. Off the court when the clock isn’t clicking through the four quarters of a high school basketball game, he puts up thousands of shots to perfect his form and accuracy.

Still, scoring points isn’t what defines Marcus Hall on the court or off, despite the fact that he recently scored his 1000th career points as a Varsity Evergreen basketball player. 

“I don’t focus on scoring,” he said. It’s being a good teammate that matters. Even though reaching a thousand point milestone, Hll says it “wasn’t a huge deal,” but more of an accomplishment. A bigger accomplishment was when his team sophomore year won conference.

Fellow teammate and senior Conner McFarlane, said it’s “really good having a good player on the team.” Marcus, says McFarlane, is “not all about himself” and is more about the team.

“We’ve played together since the 2nd grade,” McFarlane says. “ It’s been crazy to watch him grow, you would not have seen him become a big star. However, it’s not surprising, sophomore year he blew up.” 

McFarlane adds that Marcus put in a lot of time and effort nearing his sophomore year. McFarlane describes Hall as selfless. “Easily the most unselfish player on the team. He leads the team, but he is always looking to get everyone else involved,” McFarlane says. Everyone kinda looks up to him; he’s a leader on the court and off. 

Overseeing everyone and building relationships is new head coach Oliver Drake, who stepped into the Varsity position just this year, adds that he has been “really impressed with Marcus.” 

Coach Drake says that Marcus’s overall love for the game, his work ethic, and leadership skills have been a pleasure to witness on a daily basis. “Marcus has been a phenomenal leader for us. He’s not afraid to hear his own voice and uses it to direct, empower, and energize his teammates,” Coach Drake says. 

Hall’s early experiences fueled a full-court passion, he started playing basketball at age five. Playing basketball with his brother at such a young age gained him his interest in the sport. Hall started to play for Everest on the same team his brother was on, making him push himself to keep up with his brother. As the intensity for Marcus grew, so did his love for the game. 

With the hard work and the dedication to the game Marcus grew to be an amazing player. However, while he does want to continue playing the game throughout college, it’s not his dream job. Hall says that he wants to go to college to become an athletic trainer or a physical therapist. His love for his game, though, will be forever.

“My advice for all players in our program would be to fall in love with the game,” said Coach Drake. “You can’t get bored with the basics and getting better in all that we get to do has to be the priority. Basketball is a skill game and you cannot cheat. Focus on running your race of skill, strength, character, and leadership development and try to encourage others to join the race. The best thing in life is getting the opportunity to get better and doing it together makes it that much better.” 

Hall was not the first nor the last player to reach 1000, however. His dedication and determination mixed with the passion for the game makes accomplishments like this possible. As well as the fact that when it comes to being a teammate means more than being an idol. 

Even when the game ends, there is constant practice behind the scenes that makes the players who they are on the court. On the court they are a team, not individuals playing for their own points. Individuals who play together on the team make the game.