RAY SWANSON | Keystoner Marin to speak at tourney banquet

Those of you who never witnessed Jack Marin in action on the basketball court missed out on a real treat.
In his playing days at Farrell High, Duke University and in the NBA, Marin was known as a "pure shooter," and his accuracy from the corners, to my acknowledge, never has been duplicated. And from the foul line, he even was more deadly. He is what was known as a team player, and most certainly he came to play in every game.
On April 5, Marin will return to the Mercer County area for a speaking engagement at the Sharon Lions Club/W.U. Hoyle Basketball Tournament banquet at The Radisson in West Middlesex. He is an excellent speaker and has delivered messages a number of times in the area.
NBA Career: Marin spent 11 years in the NBA following his collegiate career at Duke. He was the second draft pick by the Baltimore Bullets, behind Cazzie Russell. He spent six years with the Bullets, and was traded to the Houston Rockets for Elvin Hayes. He later played with the Buffalo Braves, and closed out his career with the Chicago Bulls.
He played in 849 NBA contests, and at one time had appeared in 452 consecutive games. And during it all, he was a tremendous outside shooter, especially from the corners.
Marin retired from the NBA in 1977, turning down a lucrative offer from the Bulls to continue playing.
Law school: Returning to Duke, Marin then graduated from law school and began a law practice after passing the state bar examination. In addition to being a tremendous basketball player, Marin also excelled on the golf course, and in 1980 played in the Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.
At Farrell, Marin played under coach Eddie McCluskey for three years.
Jack not only praised McCluskey for bringing out his talents, but singled out the efforts of Sam Jankovich and Felix "Blues" Bonadio for aiding him immensely along the way.
Marin's teammates at Farrell were Willie Alford, who just this year was an inductee into the Mercer County Hall of Fame, Gary Franko, Ron Clarke, Bob Samuels, Jack Gunsley, Ricky Heiman, Larry Austin, Steve Sincek and George Kaliney, plus the 1960 Steeler state championship team of Brian Generalovich, Paul Kudelko, Willie Somerset, Lou Mastrian, Aflred LaCamera, John Kahl, Chuck Marin and Lou Nicoloff.
Marin was accorded all-state honors in 1962 when he averaged 20.4 points per game, and was also his class valedictorian.
Valedictorian: Upon graduation from Farrell, Marin took his talent to Duke where he played for the Blue Devils form 1962-1966. In his final three years at Duke, the Blue Devils were ranked No. 3 and No. 7 in the country. In 1964 and 1966 Duke was in the NCAA's Final Four. Marin was the driving force to the lofty position.
Marin scorched the nets for 52 points in the 1966 NCAA Championships' final two games, and was selected on the first team NCAA Tournament team. He was also selected on several All-American teams.
During his NBA career, Marin tallied 12,541 points. His two highest single-game scoring efforts were 42 points against Houston and the Atlanta Hawks.
Top year: His biggest playoff year was in 1971 when he averaged 20.6 points per game. That season the Bullets lost in the NBA championship to Milwaukee after defeating Philadelphia and New York.
In 1972, he had a foul-shooting percentage of 90 percent, best in the NBA.
IN 1997, Marin was inducted into the Mercer County Hall of Fame.