What a college career it was for Marquette star and Arizona native, Markus Howard.
Howard made a big impact from the day he set foot on Marquette's campus, and left as someone being mentioned in the same breath as Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler.
During his senior year alone, which was unfortunately cut short prior to the completion of the conference and NCAA tournaments because of COVID-19, he was named first team All-American from five different entities, including the NCAA and Associated Press. He was also named first team All-Big East and a 2020 Wooden Award Finalist. In addition, he became Marquette’s All-time leading scorer, all-time leader in three point field goals made, and had three career 50 point games.
Off the court, Howard engrained himself into the community and was given the Marquette University Senior Class Award, as well as the Ralph H. Metcalf Leadership through Service Award. For those of us who have known him since he laced up his shoes in Chandler as a young kid, Howard has been a phenomenal representative and roll model for not just the Marquette community, but also young kids growing up in and around the city of Phoenix.
Now, Markus is preparing himself for a life-long dream of being selected in the upcoming NBA Draft. He was nice enough to catch up with us at ArizonaVarsity about his life, where he’s been, and where he’s headed.
Has it hit you that you've been deprived of one last shot in the NCAA Tournament? Or does it still seem like it didn't actually happen?
"As of now I have been kind of past it, but initially it was extremely tough to wrap my head around it all. But all in all, I’m just trying to make a positive out of the situation has been the main priority."
What was that conversation like with Coach Woj and your teammates?
"Just reminiscing and appreciating all the good times that we had and that our season was a great one and we just always look back on the positives of what we did."
There are a lot of great ones but what was your most memorable moment as a collegiate athlete?
"My favorite memory was becoming the all time scoring brother duo with my older brother Jordan."
(Jordan Howard is the all-time leading scorer at Central Arkansas, passing Scottie Pippen. The brothers surpassed Stephen and Seth Curry in 2019-20)
How are you preparing for the NBA draft knowing the process is significantly different, not just for the players, but for the teams as well? And how is the NBA communicating these changes?
"Nothing has changed for me. Everyday just getting in the gym with my family and working to best prepare myself has been the process. As well as speaking with nba teams over zoom."
What's the most important thing you are looking to spotlight about you and your game ahead of the draft?
"Just looking to spotlight that what I did in college and how it will translate and also show my full skill set to teams where I’ll have the opportunity to display all that I bring to the table, on and off the floor."
Let's rewind for a second. We're talking about you preparing for the NBA! What's your earliest memory of the NBA whether it's a game or a player from your childhood that pops into your brain?
"Definitely watching the NBA in our living room as a kid with my brothers. Then being in Arizona and having a love for the suns and the teams they had with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire was a lot of fun to watch."
If a young kid growing up in Arizona reads this and wants to look to you as a path they want to follow, what's something thing you would tell them as someone who has been in their shoes?
"Don’t change what makes you special. I think kids feel the need to succumb to be the player a coach or parent thinks they should be but the player is in the drivers seat and should be able to embrace the talents they have."
All of us have had to adjust our lives drastically as a result of COVID-19 and have learned a good amount about ourselves and how we live our lives. What's something you have learned and are eager to adjust/implement to yours when we come out of this?
"Continuing to follow a routine. I feel it’s essential in staying organized and productive."
The Howard Bro's have a YouTube channel! What exciting things can we expect from this?
"A lot of great content will be coming including day in the life episodes, looks into our own personal show collections, discussions on popular topics, and just getting to know us better as a family."
