From the day of his commitment to BU, junior guard Marlon Beck has had big expectations placed on his shoulders. The proclaimed floor general was expected to be a leader early and play a pivotal role in the renaissance of Binghamton men’s basketball and, midway through his career as a Bearcat, Beck has lived up to his potential. Through 40 starts, Beck has recorded 21 double-digit performances, knocked down 91 3-point shots and also led the team in assists and steals during his sophomore campaign. But the most valuable trait that the 5-foot-11-inch point guard brings to Binghamton may be his room to grow as a player.
“Coming in as a freshman, I kind of really didn’t know what to expect,” Beck said. “I was just playing. With [Binghamton head] coach Tommy Dempsey relying on me a lot to lead as a sophomore, it taught me a lot to see what I can do and what I can’t do. Coming in this year, gaining experience on and off the court — whether it be going into the film room or seeing what I can do better … I think it’s going to be great for me this year.”
As one of only four upperclassmen on the Binghamton roster, Beck is set to take the reigns of a team no longer forced to rebuild, but now positioned to propel. But with the addition of high-profile recruits such as sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez and freshman forward Thomas Bruce since Beck’s arrival, leadership will likely take a different form from Binghamton’s point guard this season.
“Working as a point guard, there is definitely going to be times for me to attack if I see an opening,” Beck said. “But, as a point guard I do want to look to get my assist totals up this year, look to run the offense instead of kind of just finding offense for myself at different times. I think a lot of my teammates trust me with that this year and I’m hoping to find them for better shots to take on the court.”
Beck has established himself as a pillar on a Bearcats team that has struggled to find its roar. The stripes that Beck has earned throughout his time at BU are not lost on his coaches or teammates, as Dempsey believes that Beck’s sense of leadership has spread to the younger Bearcats.
“Marlon and [junior guard] Yosef [Yacob] have done their best to provide leadership,” Dempsey said. “But we have some other guys, namely in [sophomore forwards] Justin [McFadden], Dusan [Perovic] and Bobby Ahearn, guys who are about all the right things, guys who are leaders in their own right. This is the first time in my tenure here that we have five, six guys capable of being captains. Whereas in the first couple of years we were anointing captains hoping they could become good leaders. I think we have some good leaders now and we hope that’s going to make a difference.”
On the court in Binghamton’s 92-53 exhibition win over Cobleskill last Friday, Beck commanded the floor with his signature confidence — collecting a team-high four steals and spurring a few exciting breakaway opportunities to give him 12 points on the evening. Although Beck might have been the oldest BU player to get on the scoresheet against the Tigers, his role as a veteran is going to take some getting used to.
“Some of them call me ‘vet’ sometimes, it’s kind of different for me,” Beck said. “All I can really do is say ‘I was in his position that time.’ … So just to be that mentor towards them means a lot for me. I know I can mold them into something that can be great for this program and I think that’s what they’re going for.”