Marcellus Sommerville

[Da Coach]

I had a chance to talk at length with Marcellus Sommerville last week. He retired from pro basketball recently after 14 years of playing professionally for 16 different pro teams in 6 different countries. He played most of his years for pro teams in France, but also played stints in Turkey, Belgium, Germany, Argentina, and Japan, and he has spent time doing clinics and instruction in several other countries.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcellus_Sommerville#Clubs

He was a star player for most of the teams he played with. 'Cellus says he was fortunate to have his wife and family living with him for most of his years overseas, so he did not miss out on valuale family time for all the years he played abroad. But he is happy now to be back living in Peoria. Though he won a lot of awards and accolades in his playing years overseas, he said his highlight memory was playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2006, and beating Kansas and Pitt. He ended up on the cover of Sports Illustrated...

Marcellus has started Next Generation Academy in Peoria. It is a basketball training academy that teaches basketball and life skills to young kids in the Peoria area. He is also planning to start a new AAU program later this year.
https://nextgenerationacad.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nextgenerationacad/p/BqesCI3nTJU/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/nextgenerationacad/

It is great to see 'Cellus giving back to the community!

By the way, if anyone still wants a Marcellus Sommerville bobblehead, that was a giveaway at a Feb. 14, 2006 game against SIU, or a copy of the Sports Illustrated, I see there are a couple bobbleheads and a Sports Illustrated available on Ebay-
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=marcellus+sommerville&_sacat=0

 

[Dub]

Sommerville is a true professional and a total class act. In addition to that, he was an absolute beast both with his back to the basket as well as facing the basket, which is somewhat rare. I have my Sports Illustrated framed and displayed prominently... someday I hope to have an opportunity to have it very conspicuously autographed as an upgrade.

 

[Tommy]

Glad to know he's back in Peoria! We should be able to track him down to sign those Sports Illustrated covers with that knowledge!

 

[Go_Braves]

Thanks Da Coach - great to know. Of all the places Marcus has been to and lived - he chooses Peoria to settle down in. Awesome - he reminds me of Willie Cager of the 1966 Western Texas team who defeated Adolph Rupp's Kentucky team for the NCAA Championship. Willie settled in El Paso, Texas where he played his college ball.

And Dub and Tommy and "all" - I too have my Marcus Sommerville Sports Illustrated Cover Picture also framed. What a keepsake and what a year. What a great set of memories - especially this week going into the 2020 MVC Tournament. Back in 2006 Bradley was seeded 5th in the 2006 MVC Tournament and first defeated the 4th seed Creighton and in the second game defeated the 1st seed Wichita State and in the final played the 2nd seed Southern Illinois. In my view - Bradley simply ran out of gas after having (again in my view) a tougher time winning their first 2 games than Southern Illinois did for their first 2 games.

3 Teams from the Valley were selected to the 2006 NCAA Tournament (SIU, Wichita State, and Bradley) And 2 of the teams made it to the Sweet 16. Wichita State and Bradley. If everyone recalls - there was a special Sports Illustrated printed for that first week - I believe Sports Illustrated had 5 different covers. I had to ask my friends in Illinois to pick me up a few copies. Out here in Colorado the copies at the news stands were of the Wichita State player. Again - great memories - part of the Bradley magic...

T-minus 3 days and counting till this Fridays March 6th 2020 MVC Tournament second round / Bradley's first game against SIU.

GO BRAVES !!!

 

[Mikovio]

The Valley got 4 teams in that year (SIU, UNI, WSU, BU) and Missouri State got snubbed with one of the highest RPIs ever left out.

 

[Go_Braves]

The Valley got 4 teams in that year (SIU, UNI, WSU, BU) and Missouri State got snubbed with one of the highest RPIs ever left out.

Thank you Mikovio for correcting me. And yes - Missouri State should also have received a NCAA bid. As (I believe) Da Coach pointed out when Barry Hinson was let go - that Missouri State team to date still has the best RPI that was never given a spot in the NCAA tournament.

And remember Billy Packer in 2006. He couldn't believe the number of Valley teams in the tournament and after (I believe) Pat Summerall made a statement to Billy on national tv about Bradley making it to the Sweet 16 - My memory is "dead silence" - no response from Billy. DOUBLE LOL

GO BRAVES !!!

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...289-story.html

 

[Tommy]

Thanks Da Coach - great to know. Of all the places Marcus has been to and lived - he chooses Peoria to settle down in. Awesome - he reminds me of Willie Cager of the 1966 Western Texas team who defeated Adolph Rupp's Kentucky team for the NCAA Championship. Willie settled in El Passo, Texas where he played his college ball.

And Dub and Tommy and "all" - I too have my Marcus Summerville Sports Illustrated Cover Picture also framed. What a keepsake and what a year. What a great set of memories - especially this week going into the 2020 MVC Tournament. Back in 2006 Bradley was seated 5th in the 2006 MVC Tournament and first defeated the 4th seed Creighton and in the second game defeated the 1st seed Wichita State and in the final played the 2nd seed Southern Illinois. In my view - Bradley simply ran out of gas after having (again in my view) a tougher time winning their first 2 games than Southern Illinois did for their first 2 games.

3 Teams from the Valley were selected to the 2006 NCAA Tournament (SIU, Wichita State, and Bradley) And 2 of the teams made it to the Sweet 16. Wichita State and Bradley. If everyone recalls - there was a special Sports Illustrated printed for that first week - I believe Sports Illustrated had 5 different covers. I had to ask my friends in Illinois to pick me up a few copies. Out here in Colorado the copies at the news stands were of the Wichita State player. Again - great memories - part of the Bradley magic...

T-minus 3 days and counting till this Fridays March 6th 2020 MVC Tournament second round / Bradley's first game against SIU.

GO BRAVES !!!

Great memory and breakdown of the 2006 MVC tourney, Go_Braves! That was worth reading, and I especially enjoyed your 2nd post about Billy Packer's silence.

 

[Da Coach]

Marcellus Sommerville named CEO of Peoria Friendship House-
https://www.pjstar.com/sports/20200428/ex-bu-standout-sommerville-named-ceo-of-peoria-friendship-house

The Peoria Friendship House is affiliated with the Heart of Illinois United Way, and does great work-
https://www.friendship.house/
https://volunteer.hoiunitedway.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=79275

I am sure he'll continue to run his own Next Generation Academy for youth basketball. As I mentioned above, I had a chance to talk to him a few weeks ago, and he is planning to develop the Next Generation Program into a travelling AAU-type basketball program eventually.

 

[LittleBrave]

3 Teams from the Valley were selected to the 2006 NCAA Tournament (SIU, Wichita State, and Bradley) And 2 of the teams made it to the Sweet 16. Wichita State and Bradley. If everyone recalls - there was a special Sports Illustrated printed for that first week - I believe Sports Illustrated had 5 different covers. I had to ask my friends in Illinois to pick me up a few copies.

GO BRAVES !!!

There were actually 4 teams that made it from the Valley that incredible season. Creighton or UNI was the 4th? Can't recall off top of my head, but I know only BU and WSU won their 1st round games of the 4.

 

[Da Coach]

There were actually 4 teams that made it from the Valley that incredible season. Creighton or UNI was the 4th? Can't recall off top of my head, but I know only BU and WSU won their 1st round games of the 4.

Yes, it was UNI along with SIU (SIU won the MVCT and had an RPI of 29), WSU (won the regular season and had the third best RPI of 27), Bradley (MVCT runner up and RPI- 33).
UNI had the second best RPI among MVC teams at 25 and was also an at-large team.
Missouri State had the best RPI among MVC teams at 21, but did not get a bid (they should have).
Creighton had an RPI of 39 and probably also should have gotten an at-large bid, but did not.

It would have been incredible if 6 MVC teams made the NCAA Tournament, but they weren't going to allow that many bids to go to a mid-major conference. After that season, the NCAA selection committee began de-emphasizing the RPI, after major college coaches complained that the MVC had "cracked the code" of the RPI, and somehow manipulated their schedules to fool the RPI formula.
Check out this Washington Post article from March 5, 2006- Notice how this article, especially the quotes from some of the butt-hurt BCS coaches, makes it sound as if the MVC cheated and did something unethical to get 6 teams inside the Top 40 RPI in 2006, and "Burst the Bubble Hopes of Some Major Programs"-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...-d2ae3d09969a/

But some coaches, whose teams also are jockeying for tournament bids, suggest privately and publicly that the Valley's RPI credentials are inflated, and that they have outsmarted the computer formula. Doug Elgin, the Valley's commissioner, has heard coaches such as Houston's Tom Penders refer to the Valley's "hype machine" and such analysts as ESPN's Jay Bilas say the selection committee needs to look beyond RPI numbers.

"Any major coach hiding behind that notion that we have cracked the code, tell that coach to come play our teams and see how overrated we are," Elgin said. "That notion that we have somehow outsmarted the system is a bunch of crap. . . . It's easy to make those statements when you're not willing to back it up."