Juan Gutierrez/contributing writer
Despite his 6-foot-4-inch frame, it might be easy to overlook Marco Porcher-Jimenez in a large crowd. The guard is quiet and laid back. However on the court, his style of play is quite the contrary; it’s loud and clear.
“Marco is a pretty quiet guy off the court, but on the court, he talks because you can’t be quiet on the court, you have to communicate on the court and he’s been real good for us this year,” Head Coach Richard Pitino said.
Porcher-Jimenez, a red shirt sophomore for the FIU men’s basketball team, began the season as a role player off the bench who didn’t get much playing time. After some time and much practice, he has increased his productivity and has moved up in the rotation seeing more minutes.
Being in a similar situation before when playing high school basketball for powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, Porcher-Jimenez says he didn’t let the lack of playing time bother him this season. He says he would just attend practice and prepare as if he were playing every game.
“It’s all about staying confident and knowing that the season is long and that pretty much anything can happen, opportunities will always come,” said the Spanish native. “When my time came, I was ready because I took that time when I wasn’t playing serious.”
That type of mindset and attitude is what has helped to make a difference for Porcher-Jimenez mid season when coach Pitino began to call his name and trust in him more often.
One of Porcher-Jimenez’s strongest aspects to his game is his accuracy from behind the three-point line. He is shooting 40 percent this season from behind the arc which ties him with Juan Ferrales for the best on the team.
Porcher-Jimenez scored his season high 15 points on Jan. 31 against the top team in the conference in the University of Middle Tennessee on four of five shooting from downtown.
“His ability to shoot the ball has been huge for us, he’s definitely helped win a lot of games for us and he’s been a major part of what we do,” Pitino said. “He does everything we ask, and I think he can contribute in all aspects of the game but his ability to knock down shots is something that’s very important for us.”
Pitino also emphasized that Porcher-Jimenez is probably the team’s best defender. Many usually see him having the assignment of guarding the opposite team’s best offensive player night in and night out.
“I’m not the most athletic player or the quickest or the strongest. I’m just smarter than most guys on defense. You just have to know where to be at the right time,” Porcher-Jimenez said. “I try to use my length to my advantage and always keep my hands active to help force turnovers”.
Porcher-Jimenez’s hard work ethic on defense along with his shooting has helped him earn the trust from Pitino and his teammates.
“I expect Marco to keep doing what he’s been doing this season,” Pitino said. “He’s a major part of what we do. He’s got to keep playing stellar defense, communicate, hitting open shots when he’s open and just continuing to do his job to help our team win.”
