Glue Guy, Marcus Garrett: Kansas basketball’s road to the 2020 Final Four (Part 1)
By Dakota Fearn
As Kansas basketball looks to finish out the 2019-2020 regular season, it’s time to start identifying the keys for this team to make it to the Final Four. First up, the glue guy that anchors this team, Marcus Garrett.
Reaching a Final Four is something every basketball player has dreamed of, but it takes a special kind of player to help carve the path there. Glue guys; we all use the term and are vaguely familiar of what the actual definition is, but one thing is certain everyone knows a “glue guy” when they see one.
So to help define what a glue guy is, think to yourself, what do Tim Duncan, Shane Battier, and Nick Collison have in common? Yes, you guessed it, they are renowned ‘glue guys.’ On a nightly basis, they demonstrate their defensive tenacity, mental toughness, unwavering confidence, and willingness to do whatever it takes to win. They help silently lead their team in ways that a stat sheet may not reflect.
Enter Marcus Garrett, a lanky 6-foot-5-inch combo guard for the Kansas Jayhawks. Possessing a winning mentality and an unselfish style of play, Garrett is the definition of a glue guy. Drawing comparisons to the likes of former Kansas basketball greats, Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar, Bill Self had this to say of Garrett earlier in the season:
"“To me, he’s as fun a player as I’ve had to coach. Here may be a little different [on Garrett’s legacy], because you think of Tyrel Reed‘s legacy or Brady [Morningstar’s] legacy or Travis [Releford’s] legacy, you don’t think of guys that scored a ton of points, you think of winners.”"
With the 2020 Final Four quickly approaching, its hard to deny, that although we’ve seen top-caliber play from Devon Dotson and Udoka Azubuike, that Garrett is absolutely vital for the Jayhawks to make a run at another national title.
At first glance, Garrett has the build of a stereotypical, slightly under-sized shooting-guard/small-forward. But, turn on any Kansas basketball game from the last two seasons and you will see a player who dives for every loose ball, makes the extra pass every time, and plays defense as if his life depended on it.
Since arriving at Kansas in 2017, Garrett is not known for his offensive scoring ability but can rise above the rim for a lob or a defensive board. Averaging just 4.1 points-per-game, despite playing nearly 20 minutes, Garrett’s defensive allowed him to be a mainstay in the rotation.
The greatest benefit for Garrett in 2017 was getting to play behind the now starting point guard for the Charlotte Hornets, Devonte Graham. Garrett was able to learn from Graham’s passing abilities and watch first-hand what it meant to be the leader of Kansas basketball.
For Garrett, 2018 came with more competition in Quentin Grimes and Devon Dotson, but also high expectations from Coach Self. Garrett stepped up to the plate starting 13 of 30 games for the Jayhawks while emerging as a defensive force in the Big 12.
Fast forward to now, currently averaging a career-best 9.2 point per game and Big 12 leading 4.7 assists, the junior is propelling Kansas basketball towards their 16th Final Four appearance.
Garrett doesn’t do it by putting up 20 point games or knocking down 40-percent from the 3-point line though. He does it by displaying an uncanny ability to lock down any player, no matter the position or size difference and by distributing the ball to the Jayhawks’ two leading scorers.
The year over year improvement growth from a guy like Marcus Garrett, speaks volumes to the work he must be putting in at practice. Recently, his hard work has been nationally recognized as Garrett was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year.
Shane Battier, an all-time glue guy in his own right, said it best in his 2016 featured article for The Players’ Tribune, “Some glue guys are made, and others are born”
Next. Kansas duo among top-10 players in the country. dark
Well, this should serve as a fair warning to all other 2020 Final Four hopefuls, Marcus Garrett was born to be the Kansas Jayhawks’ Glue Guy.