READING, Pa. – Marvin Prochet did a double take when he heard what his Boys & Girls coaches had planned for him.
“He thought I was nuts when I told him to bring the ball up,” Kangaroos assistant Elmer Anderson said.
Despite Prochet’s 6-foot-6 frame, Anderson and head coach Ruth Lovelace knew he was destined to play on the perimeter, and especially at the point guard spot. He had never played there before, but that’s where he went when his freshman year began last season. There were plenty of nerves at first.
“You have to accentuate a kid’s talent and he is just loaded with it,” Anderson said.
Prochet said it took some adjusting to at first. His height does allow him to see over the defense and shoot over smaller defenders. There is still a mix of brilliant passes and unecessary mistakes. The Boys & Girls coaches are willing to live with because of his upside. Anderson referenced Lloyd Daniels as possibly the city’s last 6-foot-6 floor general.
“I feel comfortable now, but before I wasn’t used to it,” said Prochet, who plays his travel ball with the New Rens. “Coach said you have to be comfortable in this position. It’s what I’ll be playing in college.”
The rising sophomore is beginning to show people those talents. He made the Underclassman All-Star game at Hoop Group Elite Camp last week. Over the weekend he ran the point for the Kangaroos at the Hoop Group Team Camp at Albright College, where college coaches got to see him handle the ball.
“I came off the bench [last year],” Prochet said. “I got to show people I can play too. … I got to play a big role.”
His strength makes him a problem on both ends of the floor. Anderson believes Prochet will continue to make a name for himself wherever he goes, like alum Mike Taylor did as a sophomore at Hoop Group. For Prochet, it showed him how much harder he will need to work to realize his potential.
“I think of him as like Kevin Durant because he can shoot over everybody,” Boys High senior Wesley Myers said. “He can get to the basket and on the inside grabs rebounds.”
The Kangaroos hope Prochet can help them grab a fourth straight PSAL Class AA title as part of a strong up and coming group. There is still a maturating process for him to go through, but his upside is high.
“The good out-weighs the inexperience right now,” Anderson said. “The future is bright.”