RIO PEDRAS, Puerto Rico —
Marlon Rivera is spending the last month before school starts in his hometown preparing for life in the Peach Belt Conference.
And Georgia Southwestern men’s basketball coach Mike Leeder can’t wait to get Rivera on campus.
“I think he’s got two things,” said Leeder. “One, experience at the Division I level, and two, he’s been productive at the Division I level. Anytime you can add that to the roster this late in the recruiting process, those are two good qualities to have.”
After spending his first two seasons at Santa Fe Community College (Fla.) — the same place former Hurricane Trayce Macon started his collegiate career — Rivera spent last season with Florida Gulf Coast University in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Eagles were 7-13 in conference play — good for sixth — and 10-20 overall. They were ineligible for the postseason, however, since they are new to Division I.
But with the hiring of a new coach, Rivera was looking for a new home and thought GSW would be a perfect fit.
“It’s a great opportunity to finish my college career,” he said. “I heard about Georgia Southwestern, and I know they have a good team and a team last year that was pretty successful. I didn’t really look at any other schools. I wanted to go to GSW.”
The Hurricanes finished 20-7 last year and 12-5 in the Peach Belt. They graduated Macon and lost Talmadge Bell to academics. Leeder said picking up Rivera is big for the program.
“The thing I really like, he has a positive assist to turnover ratio and is a willing passer,” he said. “We want an unselfish guy in here, a guy that will share the ball. If you look at his rebounding numbers, he’s a guy that will commit to go in and rebound the ball.”
Rivera started 29 of 30 games, leading the team in minutes per game (31.8). He averaged 6.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and a conference-high 5.4 assists. He also led the team in steals (47), defensive rebounds (144) and free throw attempts (170).
Rivera was an assist shy of a triple-double against Southeast Missouri State, and he was the conference’s Player of the Week on Dec. 28, 2010.
Rivera said he’s ready for whatever role he needs to play, and he brings leadership and experience to the table. FGCU played Arkansas, Ohio State and Western Kentucky last year.
“I just want to win; I don’t care about my personal goals,” he said. “I just want to win as a team and win a national championship.
“I have to work on my shooting ability, especially free throws. That will be my main goal. I like to get in the lane, and I love to pass the ball. I want to get guys open, and I know they’re great players.”
That’s just what reigning conference Player of the Year Phillip Brown wanted to hear. He said along with Evan Mobley at the other guard position, GSW should be strong in the backcourt. The Hurricanes also added 6-foot-10 center Lipscomb transfer Milos Kleut in the offseason.
“That’s a good backcourt combination for us, and that will take some attention off the inside people,” he said. “Him, combined with the other players we have coming back, he should be really fun to play with.”
Leeder said he wouldn’t trade Rivera for any other signee in the conference.
“I think he’ll have as big of an impact as anybody else that’s been signed in our league,” he said. “I think he’ll have a tremendous impact in the program and the league. I’m extremely excited with the roster we’ve put together.”
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Senior guard Marlon Rivera brings experience and leadership to Georgia Southwestern. The Hurricanes hope with his presence, they can go further into the NCAA Tournament this season. Florida Gulf Coast University
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