Tuesday, December 05, 2000
Estill emerges as force for Kentucky
Coming off first career double-double
The Associated Press
LEXINGTON, KY. — Two weeks ago, Kentucky forward Marquis Estill was stuck on the Kentucky bench, suspended for an undisclosed violation of team rules. Now, the 6-foot-9, 235- pound sophomore from Richmond is the Southeastern Conference's Player of the Week.
Estill won the honor with an impressive 19-point, 11-rebound performance — his first career double-double — off the bench in the Wildcats' 93-76 thrashing of then-No.6 North Carolina.
The soft-shooting big man made 8 of 10 shots from the floor, including his only 3-pointer, and blocked four shots in 31 minutes against the Tar Heels. Through the four games he's seen action, he leads the SEC in blocked shots with 12.
With Eastern Kentucky looming today, leading into higher-profile games at Georgia Tech and No.2 Michigan State, Estill hopes to continue to add some toughness and spark to a team that, until Saturday, was lacking both.
“Everybody's pretty confident now and feeling good about the win,” said Estill, who had only five points and six rebounds in Kentucky's surprising 73-68 loss to unranked Penn State — his first game back following the two-game suspension. “Being able to get out and get a full week of practice after missing a couple games and some practice time really helped.”
Estill was the 1999 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in Kentucky and a finalist for Mr. Basketball honors after averaging 20.5 points and 11.3 rebounds. He shot 71.2 percent from the field that season and finished his career at Madison Central High School shooting a remarkable 73.2 percent.
Estill chose to attend Kentucky over Louisville, but was forced to sit out last season as a partial qualifier. He spent most of his time practicing and rehabbing both knees following minor surgeries.
Now that he's healthy and able to play, Estill gives the Wildcats (2-3) an inside and outside threat the team's other big men — 6-10 Marvin Stone and 6-8 Jason Parker — do not.
“Marquis is a tough kid ... who understands what his role is,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. “He has something unique that Marvin and Jason don't bring to the table. He's really skilled offensively. He has good outside shooting and passing skills.”
Estill's teammates have noticed significant improvement since he began practicing with the team last January.
“He's worked hard to bring his body down from 290 to about 235, so he's running the floor better and able to help out on defense more,” said guard Saul Smith, the team's lone senior. “He's got a great work ethic and a drive to make himself a better player.”
The Colonels (2-2), who have lost to Xavier (93-75) and Ohio State (90-44), are led by its three starting guards — 6-2 John White, 6-3 Spanky Parks and 6-3 Lavoris Jerry. All three are averaging in double figures.
“We're overmatched at every position,” admitted Travis Ford, the former Kentucky standout in his first year at EKU. “They're bigger, stronger, faster and more experienced than we are, and we're going to have to play our best just to be competitive with them.”
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