After a two-year hiatus from the sport, Marco Morency rediscovered himself during a convincing late season spurt at Seward CC last season.
Overcoming early bouts of inconsistency and rust while subsequently establishing himself as the focal point, Morency averaged 22.8 points and shot 58-for-115 (50.4 percent) during a seven-game sequence.
Once the electrifying young guard with the dazzling athleticism and a powerful enough left hand to give defenders fits, the Mount Vernon N.Y. product has this memorable string of games pegged as his return to normalcy.
Morency, who averaged 15.2 points and 5.5 boards on the season, scored 21 points (9-for-10 FG) during a 90-69 win over Garden City CC.
He scored 21 points on 10-for-14 shooting against Northwest Kansas Technical College. There were also irregular performances, including a four-game funk where he didn't eclipse 10 points. It was this stretch run streak, kick-started by a 25-point performance (7-for-15 FG, 3-7 3FG, and 8-for-10 FT) in a win over Colby CC, which ultimately solidified his status as a game-changer.
"I basically saw it as 'I'm back, I'm here now,'" said Morency, who provides a seasoned veteran presence for a Daytona State (FL) program that has reloaded almost entirely since the hiring of Martin McCann in June.
"I was still just getting back to the game from that time off. I was feeling more comfortable on the court. The defining characteristic of my time at Seward was toughness, all around. The whole experience, it just made me tougher. I made something out of nothing. It made me stronger."
Part of the adversity, Morency explained, was being a long ways from home while also being a new father to twin boys and overseeing his family on the road.
At the same time, rediscovering the enticing talent that once lit up gyms across New York State and City has given Morency the motivation to make the game a livelihood.
The product he put out on the floor during the second semester left a sizable impression. It also elicited memories of the promise he once flashed while playing for vaunted Mount Vernon High (NY) and the NY Rens back in 2016.
The high rising, hard attacking, crafty, and prolific scoring Morency hasn't squandered an iota of the game-altering capabilities witnessed prior to the multi-year sabbatical.
The 6-foot-3 guard's well rounded game and ability to prosper in the souped-up attack aligns with the style McCann will look to win with at Daytona.
"I knew I needed a seasoned guy, a guy who played at the highest level, and Marco definitely appealed to us as someone who was experienced in the uptempo style," said McCann, who had four 20-win seasons in five years, including a program record 25 wins during the 2016-17 campaign, at Palm Beach State in Lake Worth, Fla.
"He's a guy that's going to produce late in the shot clock, late in the game, and he's well rounded in all facets of his game, on both sides of the floor. He can guard on the ball. He's scored the most points out of anyone currently in the program."
At traditional New York power Mount Vernon High School, Morency's game developed quickly. He earned an offer from Iona in his first-ever varsity game as a sophomore. As a junior, he became more explosive and developed into more of a facilitator, expanding his passing arsenal.
The most powerful tool he learned under legendary Mount Vernon head coach Bob Cimmino, Morency said, was resiliency.
"Coach Cimmino basically taught me about always keeping your head up even when things aren't going right, he was never the type of coach to panic or get rattled," Morency explained.
"He was always able to keep us going.There was no lying in him. There was no politics with him. It was all about the work you put in. If an unranked player came in and outworked and beat out a ranked player, coach Cimmino is going to go with the non-ranked player."
Mount Vernon's steadfast, one game at a time philosophy now has special resonance with Morency. Last year at Seward, he and his teammates may have become too enamored with the prospect of winning a national championship.
"That was our problem, we were too amped up about that at times," Morency said. "This year, the approach has to be the next man up. My focus is on the next game."
The Falcons feature a formidable frontline in 6-foot-9 Adong Makuoi (multiple games of 7+ blocks while at Palm Beach State last season) and 7-foot Center Marcus Hopkins. They recently pulled off a recruiting coup in landing one of the top freshman on the JUCO market in Issa Muhammed, a versatile 6-foot-9 forward with a wide ranging offensive game and high major caliber talent.