For as long as he can remember, Marcus Colbert has taken pride in staying in the fight.
Whether it’s fighting the pain of an ailing back or battling with his brother, Malcolm, in an ever-present sibling rivalry or enduring the demanding coaching of his father, Marsell, or navigating a Division I basketball career to become the most durable Bobcat of them all, the Montana State senior has been nearly impossible to knock down.
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“He’s like a boxer who stays in the fight,” Montana State second-year head coach Brian Fish of his steady point guard. “He won’t knock anybody out but he will win the fight by points and you sure won’t knock him out. I love him. I’m going to miss him deeply.”
Colbert has battled the lingering affects of the five bulging discs in his back that has afflicted him since he was a high school junior in Post Falls, Idaho. He has persevered through a coaching change that sent the coach that recruited him, Brad Huse, packing and sparked a total rebuilding project for MSU hoops. The 5-foot-11 bulldog has fought through his physical limitations to become one of the most unflappable, clutch point guards in the Big Sky Conference. On Saturday, his durability and talent will be celebrated in a tangible way as he celebrates his final home game as a Bobcat.
When Colbert’s name is announced as a starter for the final time at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, it will mark Colbert’s 121st game as a Bobcat, breaking Bill Salonen’s 60-year-old record.
“I was taught always to fight, always to play my hardest, strive to always be the hardest worker,” Colbert said as he sat in a folding chair on Shroyer Gym floor following Monday’s practice. “I had an older brother I would always fight with. My dad was always my coach until high school. He prepared me, let’s say that. I could play for anybody after playing for him.
“It’s nothing really they can do that’s harder than that. They couldn’t get on me harder than my pops. And no one can fight like my brother. So I was prepared for it.”
Colbert’s most prestigious piece of hardware is the Big Sky Top Reserve honor he earned last season. But the award belies the fact that he is actually a four-year starter. Fish elected to bring Colbert off the bench for the final nine conference games last season in an effort to hedge minutes for his 7-23 squad. Colbert wouldn’t start but once he entered the game, he would play the duration. Colbert has started 102 of his 120 games as a Bobcat and has produced throughout his career.
“He was a warrior,” said former Montana State assistant Shawn Dirden, who worked with Colbert for two years before coaching against him as one of Brian Jones’ assistants at North Dakota the last two seasons. “I think he’s what this league is about. He’s a four-year starter in this league and he’s what this league has always been about: tough, tough-nosed guards who can put the ball in the hole.”
Colbert shook off a slow shooting start to score 24 points, including 14 in the second half of Montana State’s 81-63 win over Northern Colorado on Thursday night. The performance gives Colbert 1,327 points in his career. He moved past Kral Ferch and Ray Willis into 15th on MSU’s all-time scoring list. With 73 more points this season, he could become the 11th Bobcat to score at least 1,400.
“The tough thing with Marcus is he doesn’t have tendencies,” Northern Arizona fourth-year head coach Jack Murphy earlier this season. “His only tendency is he is looking for the play, whether it’s for him to score or for his teammates. He does a great job of penetrating into the paint, sucking the defense in and then finding the open shooters out on the perimeter.
“He’s the head of the snake. Whether he is making shot or distributing the basketball, he’s a tough cover.”
Colbert’s 445 assists are more than any Bobcat other than Scott Hatler, who piled up 608 dimes between 1992 and 1996. Colbert has hit 171 3-pointers, fifth-most in school history and five behind Hatler for fourth. His 150 assists this season are the seventh-best single-season total at MSU and 10 more would give him a top-four mark, something he mentioned coveting following Thursday’s post-game press conference.
“He’s unselfish and he works so hard,” Danny Robison said. “He’s such a fighter. He’s out on the court for almost the whole game. He’s the hardest player every night. I know Coach Fish puts a lot on him and we all do. He’s the best point guard I’ve seen in this league. I can’t say enough about him. I love him and I’m so glad I’ve spent these four years with him.”
During the latter half of Brad Huse’s tenure, the former Montana State head coach favored junior college recruiting, particularly for his guards. But Colbert bucked the trend, catching the eyes of the Bobcat coaching staff with his competitive nature and his noticeable toughness.
Colbert grew up rooting for Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Lonnie Baxter and Maryland, hoping someday to play for Gary Williams’ Terrapins. As a sophomore, Colbert led Post Falls to the Idaho 5A state title. He started receiving interest from some of the top college programs in the Northwest. As he was showing his stuff at Washington State’s elite camp the summer before his junior year, he pulled his groin but continued to play, tweaking his back.
During football camp later that summer — Colbert was a standout running back and strong safety — Colbert took a hard fall. The intense pain instantly seared through his spine. The diagnosis: five bulging discs in his back.
“After that, it was bad for me,” Colbert said. “I lost like 18 pounds. I couldn’t walk. It was brutal.”
Colbert missed his junior football season but returned for a standout season on the hardwood. He averaged 16 points and five assists per game, earning Idaho Statesman first-team All-Idaho Class 5A honors. But his recruitment was almost non-existent.
When Huse called and offered a scholarship along with an official visit, Colbert jumped at the chance. After checking out Bozeman, he signed with the Bobcats.
His senior season, Colbert earned Idaho Class 5A State Player of the Year honors by averaging 17 points and 4.2 assists per game. Once at Montana State, Colbert turned heads right away, earning a starting spot and keeping it for the final 27 games of the season. But the ailing back limited him to 20 minutes a game. When MSU hosted Eastern Washington, a good number of family and friends came to watch Colbert perform. He tweaked his back early and sat the final 30 minutes of the game.
As Colbert has gotten stronger through MSU’s strength program, particularly his added core strength, the back has become less of an issue. During his senior season, he says he barely notices it but his post-game slow strut says otherwise.
Colbert averaged 9.4 points and 3.3 assists as a sophomore and his future looked bright. Following the season, the first in nine campaigns in which MSU missed the Big Sky Tournament, Huse was fired. All of a sudden, Colbert’s future looked murky.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to stay, honestly,” Colbert said. “I talked to my AAU coach and he talked to a couple of schools who would take me. I just waited it out, saw what happened and Fish came in and I really liked his style and how he was. Luckily, he didn’t clear house.”
Not quite. Just six players — Terrell Brown, Eric Norman, Blake Brumwell, Mike Dison, Danny Robison and Colbert — returned from Huse’s last roster. Only Robison and Colbert lasted until Fish’s second season.
Colbert spent most of is junior year trying to earn Fish’s trust. Fish recognized right away that Colbert was the most confident in his skills among the holdovers. After playing for Marsell as a younger and Huse, a demanding coach, Colbert bought into Fish’s intense style instantly.
“First head coaching job, I was trying to figure out if I trusted myself,” Fish said. “I was going through a lot of things. Jobs are open for a reason so you are getting everything thrown at you.
“I’m not sure you can put a value on Marcus because the way he has reacted and bought into me is priceless.”
Colbert’s individual numbers will help his legacy last. But Montana State’s team performance has been a tough pill for Colbert to endure. In his career, the Bobcats are 47-73, including 31-44 in Big Sky games.
“It’s been tough to lose. I hate losing,” Colbert said. “I don’t know how many games I lost in high school but I know I lost more last year (23) than I did all of high school. That part has been tough. But it gives me that much more drive to get better so I can win at this level.”
A win against North Dakota on Saturday would move MSU to 9-9 in league play this season and secure the seventh seed in the Big Sky Tournament, a notable accomplishment for a team that finished in the Big Sky cellar in Fish’s first season.
Colbert said he is squarely focused on his final home game. He does not expect to feel any emotion except competitiveness until after his final game in Bozeman.
The senior is closing in on his degree in history. Managing the heavy reading load, the constant paper writing and his athletic career has been perhaps his biggest challenge as a Bobcat. He acknowledged the ups and downs, the tough days. He admits he questioned he would make it through all four years because of the adversity he’s battled throughout.
Now he stands on the brink of history, the most durable Bobcat to ever perform in blue and gold.
“I will remember the grind,” Colbert said. “You have to be mentally tough. That’s the only way you get through it. That’s the thing I will take from this the most: you can’t ever give up the fight.”
[/restrict]Photos by Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
