Former Georgia Tech and NBA star Stephon Marbury recently made an appearance on 7PM in Brooklyn, a podcast hosted by former Syracuse basketball standout Carmelo Anthony.
On this episode, Marbury explained his admiration for the Syracuse basketball program and what eventually turned him off from attending the university.
"I was going to Syracuse before Syracuse knew I was going to Syracuse," Marbury said.
However, a home visit with long-time 'Cuse head coach and Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim didn't go as planned and forced Marbury to look elsewhere with his family present.
Former Georgia Tech and NBA star Stephon Marbury dished on why he didn't commit to Syracuse basketball.
Five minutes into the meeting, Boeheim told Marbury, ”I just want to let you know that we’re not going to start you.”
Suddenly, Marbury’s brothers walked out of the room in disgust while Stephon sat on the couch left confused thinking of what to do next.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to hear ... it wasn’t what my family wanted to hear,” Marbury admitted. At the time, Marbury was New York Mr. Basketball and a top-five recruit out of Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY.
"I was so shocked for the number one recruit at that time," Marbury explained.
Can you imagine Stephon at ‘Cuse? pic.twitter.com/L6pbDnt6Hz
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) April 28, 2024
The Coney Island native believed that the love between him and Jim Boeheim in terms of recruiting, was one-sided. "I wanted to go to Syracuse more than he (Boeheim) wanted me to go to Syracuse," Marbury said.
The next day, Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins came to Coney Island to have a conversation with the nation's top high school point guard. Unlike Boeheim, Cremins promised Marbury, "I'm going to give you the ball and let you do whatever you want."
Not only did Cremins give the Coney Island native the ball, he also took it and ran with it.
Marbury went on to average 18.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists during his freshman season at Georgia Tech. He helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 1996 Sweet Sixteen before losing to the Cincinnati Bearcats, 87–70.
Despite losing out on Marbury, the Orange made a run to the national championship game without him but lost to the Kentucky Wildcats, 76-67.
Later that year, Marbury was selected with the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks but was later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for UConn standout Ray Allen.
Almost 30 years after the home visit, Marbury is up for consideration to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Don't be fooled by Marbury's NBA resume alone. His accomplishments in the Chinese Basketball Association could be the difference in Marbury's case as a Hall of Famer.