The fourth player of Gregg Rosenberg's Q&A series, titled Past and Present, is former Apollo standout Dre Marin. Marin was a 2017 graduate who went on to play guard at Southern Utah.
Let's learn more about Dre Marin.
Looking back, how was your AAU experience playing for Coach Kenny Mullins and the Factory?
"Playing for Kenny Mullins was really good. He helped develop many aspects of my game, and gave me a tremendous amount of confidence."
How was your experience at Apollo playing for your dad?
"Playing for my dad was also a really good experience. He was definitely tough on me but I loved playing for him and we were really good."
What was your most memorable game at Apollo?
"My most memorable game from Apollo would probably be when we beat Corona del Sol my senior year. There was a lot of hype and talk leading up to the game. Most people in the state were saying Saben Lee and Alex Barcello were the best guard duo at the time. Holland Woods and I combined for 70 points that game, and we won by 15 points.
(Rosenberg's note)--That game was one of my personal favorite AIA regular season match-ups I have seen with all the hype and having two 2 D1 PGs versus two D1 PGs!
What offers did you have out of high school that you heavily considered? Why did you pick Southern Utah?
"Before I committed to SUU I was also considering Idaho State and Portland State. I ultimately chose SUU because I felt it was the best fit for me and I really liked the players and coaches there too."
How is your experience going at Southern Utah, and do you already have a major picked out?
"My experience at SUU has been tremendous. It's really become a second home to me and I'm super happy I chose to go there. I'm getting my degree in Physical Education-coaching."
How is it playing for Head Coach Todd Simon at SUU?
"Playing for Coach Simon has been good. He gave me a ton of opportunities from the jump and let me play through a lot of growing pains early on in my college career."
What are you working on for your last year?
"For my senior year I'm just trying to improve a lot of different parts of my game. But most importantly I feel like this is the year I need to be a good leader and be the vet that our team will need, especially with a lot of young new faces."
What are you trying to accomplish in college? IE degree, professional career, win the league?
"Since I've got to SUU my main goal every year has been to win the Big Sky championship. I have one more opportunity to get that done and I'm going to give it everything I have to make that happen."
Rosenberg's Take: Marin was a speedy PG who could shoot with some of the best players in state. He had a very professional attitude, something that you would expect from a son of a coach. He was a tough and physical on-ball defender, and a smart play-maker. It's no surprise for me to hear that the coaching staff at SUU enjoys having him on the team.
