Marandet Starring As Leading Man For Cougars
MISHAWAKA – It’s easy to see why Paul Marandet has the respect and admiration of his teammates.
Not to mention his coach too.
The former Warsaw star is thriving as the do-it-all leader of his Spring Arbor men’s basketball team as he puts together a stellar sophomore season.
Marandet, who helped lead the Tigers to a semistate appearance two years ago, has found quite a fit as arguably the best point guard in the talent-filled Crossroads League.
Need scoring?
Need a lock-down defender?
Need someone to run the show and make his teammates better?
Marandet fills all those requirements and does it all in a humble, yet confident manner for his No. 22 ranked team.
“Paul has absolutely exceeded even our expectations for him this year,” said Spring Arbor coach Ryan Cottingham. “It’s impressive to see where he’s at in just his second year here. He’s made significant strides both mentally and emotionally this season.
“Paul is just passionate about basketball. He’s driven and he loves to compete. The thing is that he has such a high basketball IQ. He’s a student of the game and always wanting to learn. This year he’s learned more about how to prepare and he’s playing consistently at a higher level.”
Marandet, a rock-solid 6-0 guard, entered play at Bethel College Tuesday night averaging a team-high 18.3 points-per-game. He was also averaging 5.9 assists per contest to go with 3.5 rebounds per night. Marandet was shooting 51 percent overall from the field, including 37 percent on 3-pointers, and 79 percent from the free throw line.
“Paul is a team-first guy, but we actually would like him to be more selfish sometimes,” Cottingham explained. “He’s our go-to-guy and we want him to think about scoring. We wanted him to be more of a scorer for us this year because that would only make us better as a team.
“This is Paul’s team this year and everyone knew that and embraced it. He has the ability to make others better.
“Paul is just so crafty. He’s so strong and so good at drawing fouls. His feel for the game is just really good. He can really control the game at both ends of the floor.”
Marandet, who was best known for his lock-down defense and running the show for the Tigers, averaged 13 ppg.his freshman season in earning All-Freshman League honors and Third Team All-Conference accolades in arguably the best small college basketball conference in the country. His game has blossomed even more this season and he relishes his role.
“It’s been different for me this season, but in a good way,” said Marandet following a tough 81-80 loss Tuesday night at No. 16 Bethel in a Crossroads League contest. “I like the role that I’m in for us. I like being the guy.
“It helps so much that I have great teammates and great coaches here. I have to give it to them. It just feels great to be in this situation. I really can’t ask for any more.”
“I have to admit that I’m pretty surprised by how the season has gone for me. But I did put in the work last summer. That was huge for me. But I have exceeded my goals for the season for sure.”
Marandet, who started 29 games last season and made an instant impact on the Cougars, showed off his all-around skill set Tuesday night in the Wiekamp Center. He spent the first half setting up teammates with the pass as he collected five assists. Spring Arbor junior guard Tommy Hamilton was the biggest beneficiary of Marandet’s pinpoint passing skills and great decision making as he scored 16 points, including hitting a trio of treys set up by Marandet.
Marandet, who was the Ink Free News Player of the Year in 2015, showcased his ever improving offense game in the final half versus the Pilots. He scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, staking his team to a 10-point lead with 6:44 left before Bethel used a 22-11 run to close the contest and steal the victory. Spring Arbor is now 19-8 overall and 7-8 in league play with the tough loss.
“I think that I bring the mental game and I also bring grit,” noted Marandet. “I like to mix it up. I bring grit and versatility. The next step for me is to become more consistent. I need to become more consistent shooting the three. I feel like I still have a lot of room to improve my game.
“But I feel extremely blessed to be here and be in this situation.”
Cottingham, who is in his 19th season at Spring Arbor and also serves as the school’s Athletic Director, knows he has a special one in a player who was overlooked by so many colleges.
“Paul is humble and respectful and our guys love him,” said Cottingham. “He’s our best player and he’s all about the team.”
“I absolutely love him.”
It’s easy to see why too.