As a nearly straight-A student, Elgin sophomore Marcus Howard pulls good grades in just about all of his classes.
But there are probably few subjects that interest him more than history. His own family history, that is.
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| Marcus Howard is a fourth generation basketball player at Elgin High. |
By tracing his roots, the reserve guard has come to understand why his love for basketball is so strong. His family's ties to the game go way back, especially on his mother's side.
Before she married Jeff Howard, a star basketball player at St. Charles back in the mid-seventies, Delores Howard was former Elgin cheerleader Delores Mayes.
And the Mayes family tree reads like an Elgin boys basketball yearbook.
Three generations of the family have suited up for the Maroons over the years. And with Marcus making the varsity squad this year, he represents the fourth - further extending the family's already amazing attachment to the program.
"When I was little, we used to live on Elgin's west side, which meant I would have gone to Larkin," said the 15-year-old Howard. "But my mom wasn't going to hear of that. She went to Elgin and so did her brothers, who all played basketball there. That's the main reason we moved to the east side before junior high.
"It's a great feeling to have basketball in the family, and I think my mom wanted me to continue on with the family way at Elgin. When I have a family, I hope my kids can go to Elgin and continue on with that tradition, too."
Before Marcus, his three uncles were the ones carrying on the Elgin basketball family tradition, which began decades ago in the late 1920s when Marcus' great, great grandfather - Carver Leach Sr. - played ball for the Maroons.
Now, fast forward for a minute to 1975.
That's when legendary Maroon Derrick Mayes, who went on to play at Illinois State and is likely Marcus' best-known uncle, helped Elgin become the first team in Upstate Eight Conference history to finish with an undefeated conference record at 14-0.
A few years later, Derrick's younger brothers Devin and Drew followed suit and became standouts on the team as well. Devin graduated with 424 career points in 1980 and Drew helped Elgin to a state quarterfinals appearance in 1983.
The three followed in the footsteps of their grandfather Hank (father to their mother Yvonne) and his brothers Carver Jr. and Willard - all of whom played for Elgin in the 1940s and 1950s.
Hank, Carver Jr. and Willard were Carver Sr.'s sons, which completes the four-generation connection.
"I'm very proud of everyone in this family who played at Elgin," said Derrick Mayes, who lives in Rockford and is the 12th-leading scorer in Elgin High history with 876 career points.
"It was such a family tradition when I was going through that I knew I wanted to carry it on. Even though I had some big shoes to fill, wanting to keep the tradition going made me work really hard as a basketball player. I'm sure Marcus feels the same way. He has the bloodlines, now all he has to do is work hard and he'll do well at Elgin."
In fact, Howard already has a great start.
As a freshman, the 6-foot sharp-shooter made the sophomore team and put up some big numbers on the offensive end as a regular starter.
Nowadays, Howard is one of the first players off the varsity bench, combining a reliable 3-point shot with a scrappy defensive presence to give the Maroons an instant spark whenever they need it.
"Marcus is a miniature Scottie Pippen," said Elgin coach Jim Harrington, whose team, ranked eighth in the state, is 14-0 entering tonight's UEC test at East Aurora.
"He's got the long arm span and quickness as well as some good fundamentals. But all that's going to rub off. Marcus has been around the game for a long time."
At 6-foot-5, Jeff Howard played both guard and center at St. Charles before starring at Elgin Community College. Since then, he's stayed close to the game by volunteering as a coach for Elgin's feeder programs.
"I get a lot of my fundamentals from my dad," Marcus said. "He helps me a lot. Even when I was little, I would have a little Nerf hoop set up in my room, and my dad would help me. I remember how I used to love going to watch my dad play in his league games."
Now, Marcus cheers on his dad in the driveway when he and Derrick take on Devin and Drew in some heated two-on-two games.
"I remember playing against Derrick in high school," Jeff Howard said. "Now, when the family gets together, we take on his younger brothers. They didn't want to play us years ago when they were first coming out of school, and I think they're still afraid of us now."
Yep, that was a dig. But any time the family's "old-timers" get together - like at family reunions each year - they can't help but talk a little trash and reminisce.
"When they all play together, everyone tries to outdo the other," Delores said of her husband and brothers. "'But they also do sit around a lot and look at the scrapbooks and trophies and tell the stories, especially about Elgin.
"Marcus has grown up with this, so I think he has really valued the tradition from a very young age. When he walks into that gym every day, he knows the history of this family."
