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54

FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1991

Marks' West Bloomfield's
Rising Basketball Star

STEVE STEIN

Special to The Jewish News

T

he ball is in Harley
Marks' court, the bas-
ketball court, that is.
This 16-year-old from West
Bloomfield is 6-feet-6 1/2-inches
tall, weighs 220 pounds and
he's still growing. His coaches
say he has the skills and at-
titude to be a big-time star if
he continues to work hard
and correct his weaknesses.
By his own admission,
Marks has been serious about
basketball only since last
summer, so he's earned his ac-
colades in a very short period
of time.
"Two years ago, Harley
couldn't have made our team
and now he either starts at
forward or he's the first guy
off the bench," said Mel
Phifer, general manager of
the Little-Ma-Power and
16-and-under AAU team
which finished second in the
44-squad state tournament
and competed in the national
tourney in Memphis, Tenn.
"Harley has great hands for
a big man," Phifer added. "We
have some good passers on
our team and he doesn't miss
the ball when we try to get it
to him.
"He doesn't have great leap-
ing ability, but he takes up a
lot of space inside and does a
good job of boxing out, so he
gets a lot of rebounds and put-
back shots.
"I also like his attitude.
He's always smiling and he
does a good job of following
directions."
Marks' high school coach,
West Bloomfield's Tim
Domke, echoed Phifer's
thoughts.
"Harley has great hands,
runs the court well and has a
super disposition for a big
man," said Domke. "He's
physically and mentally
tough but he's not a bully and
he isn't nasty on the court.
He's tough, but he isn't a jerk.
That's a God-given
disposition.
"Harley does everything I
ask him to do and I'm star-
ting to see some leadership
ability emerge in him."
Last season, West Bloom-
field was one of the top high
school basketball teams in
the metropolitan area even
with a starting lineup which
often included three
sophomores. The Lakers
finished 20-4, took second
place in the Metro Suburban
Association and advanced to
the regional finals of the
Class A tournament, where

Harley Marks

they lost to eventual state
runnerup Detroit Northern.
Marks, a sophomore last
year, shared the starting
center position with junior
Scott Zack and averaged
eight points and six rebounds
a game.
His work inside helped
West Bloomfield end the year
as the top defensive team in
Oakland County. The Lakers
allowed their opponents 41.3
points-per-game.
That's the good news. The
bad news is Marks must im-
prove his quickness and
develop a consistent 15-foot
jump shot if he's going to live
lip to all his expectations.
"Quick forwards give
Harley problems. They make
a fast move to the baseline
and get around him," Phifer
said. "Harley has to work on
his quickness and learn to an-
ticipate the baseline move so
he can cut the guy off.
"He has a nice touch, but he
needs to develop a good
15-foot jump shot. If he can
improve his quickness and
get that shot, that will be the
difference between him being
a small college player and one
who could make it on a Divi-
sion I roster."
Marks known exactly what
he has to do to improve and it
sounds like he has the deter-
mination to develop into a
star.
"My goals are to become
one of the strongest big prep
basketball players in the area
and earn a scholarship to play
basketball in college. I know
if I dedicate myself and work
hard, I can accomplish my
goals. My coaches have been
around a long time and have
seen a lot of basketball