FGCU became 1 of the most famous Cinderellas ever back in 2013 when they upset Georgetown and San Diego State to become the only #15 seed to ever make the Sweet 16. On Sunday the Eagles had a 2-PT OT win over Stetson in the Atlantic Sun tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. Tourney MVP Marc-Eddy Norelia scored 16 PTS against the Hatters while showing how a captain leads by example when the season is on the line. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Marc-Eddy about growing up in Haiti and playing 52 minutes in a 3-OT game back in November.
You grew up in Haiti: how did you 1st get into the sport of basketball? I did not play basketball until I got to the US. I first started playing in 6th grade and it just grew on me.
You began your college career at Tulane: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you pick FGCU? I thought Tulane was a great fit for me at the time but I got homesick, which made the transition from high school to college a lot tougher. I wanted to be closer to my family, FGCU had been recruiting me while I was in high school, and they were a good fit for my type of game.
Last March you scored 12 PTS in a CIT 1st round 6-PT loss to Texas AM-CC: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you in the NCAA tourney next week? I learned that the postseason is competitive and emotions are high. We have to remember what got us here and stick to those same principles.
You served as team captain this season: what is the key to being a good leader? There are a few characteristics: you have to be vocal, you cannot take any days off, you have to always be smart and lead by example.
In November you had 34 PTS/18 REB in 52 minutes of action during a 3-PT 3-OT win over Youngstown State: what are your memories of that incredible game? It was awesome! It was 2 teams fighting hard and neither of us would give up. You do not want to play 52 minutes and lose.
You played several good teams in non-conference play this season including Florida/Texas A&M/South Dakota State: which of these teams impressed you the most? All of them were outstanding.
On Sunday you scored 16 PTS to help clinch a 2-PT OT win over Stetson en route to being named conference tourney MVP: how were you able to hang on for the win, and what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a great win for our team. We have a lot of different pieces and are young but we never give up and believe in the process. I know that MVP is an individual award but I would not have won it without my team: it simply would not have been possible without them.
You led the conference in FTA this year: how are you able to get to the line so much? I just stay aggressive. My coach says that I need to attack in order to get our opponents in foul trouble, which in turn can help us win games. If I just stay outside and shoot then it does not put pressure on the other team.
You are your team’s leading scorer/rebounder by a wide margin: do you feel that you have to play a great game next week in order for your team to pull off an NCAA tourney upset? No: people may think that due to my numbers but even if I have a bad game my teammates will pick me up. If I have a good 1st half and our opponent shifts its focus to me in the 2nd half then my teammates will step up. If you look at the box score it might look like we are a 1-dimensional team but we are not.
What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? Realistically, we blew a lot of nonconference games and that will hurt us. I think we deserve a 15 or 16 seed, but we do not care. We will just go into the tourney with the right attitude and give it all we got.
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