Sean Marshall (6’6, 32 years old), an experienced American swingman native of Rialto, California, talks about his basketball career.
Can you introduce yourself?
Hi my name is Sean Marshall and I am a 32 year old professional basketball player currently playing in Turkish top league.
How did you started playing basketball?
I started playing basketball at the age of 7. I loved American football and during the off season my father told me he wanted me to play basketball. I did not want to play at first but it turned out to be the game I would fall in love with.
What was your basketball path when you were growing up?
When I first started playing I was not very good. But I had good size so I worked really hard and my game started to get better and better. By the time I got to Highschool I was one of the top players in my area. I continued to work really hard and started to receive scholarship offers from a lot of college. I decided to accept to go to Boston College and my senior year I was one of the best players in California. When I got to Boston College I started every game in my career and left there with the most wins ever in school history.
During your pro basketball career overseas, you played through Europe but mostly in Turkey. What do you prefer there?
Yes most of my career I have played in Turkey. It is consider along with Spain as the top league in Europe. The level of play here is really high. Also it is one of the countries that pay very high salaries from top to bottom of the league. For those reasons I have had the opportunity to stay here and build a name for myself.
You also played in Greece, France, Germany and United Arab Emirates. What can you say about each of those experiences?
The other places I played were also great. I have been blessed to have played in some great places. Dijon will forever have a place in my heart seeing I played 2 years there and made some great friends. Playing in Greece was also nice because it was a country I was also interested in visiting and the basketball culture is great. I went to Dubai to play for a month after one season in Turkey. It was an awesome experience and Dubai is like nothing I have ever seen. Germany was a different experience for me because I joined Bonn mid season. They were not doing so well but have a rich tradition so a lot of people were upset. I was brought in to help the situation. I did the best I could and we finished the season with some good wins.
For the first time of your career, you decided last summer to stay in the same team (Eskisehir Basket), with whom you moved up from D2 to D1. Why?
I signed a 2 year contract with Eskisehir 2 summers ago. They built a great team for second division and I was really confident that we could bring the team up to first division. That was the main reason I decided to sign with them after years in first division. We accomplished our goal and it was one of the most memorable seasons of my life.
How your current season is going?
My current season is going great. We are 10-3 and in the third position behind Fenerbahce and Tofas. We have two more games in the first round of the championship and its our goal to finish in the top three.
You are playing pro ball for more than ten years. What are your best and worst memories about playing pro basketball overseas?
My best memory from my 11 year career has to be last season. We won the Turkish Cup and also brought the team up to first division. Every team sets goals in the start of the season and when you can accomplish all of them its a great thing. The worst memory has to be losing the Euro Challenge final at the buzzer. It was really heart breaking for us. Not too many times I have really cried after a game but that for sure was one of them.
What are your goals for the futur?
I want to play ball until I am 35. That is my main goal. So that gives me another two years after this year. I think at that time I will be ready for the next chapter in my life. I’m not 100 percent about what I want to do when returning to the States but I know I want to be involved with basketball.
To conclude, what advices would you give to young basketball hoopers who want to make a career in basketball?
My advice for someone who wants to pursue a long career overseas is to be ready for anything. I have seen somethings that in my mind make absolutely no sense but that doesn’t matter. Its our job to produce and that’s what we get paid to do. Adapt to the culture in the place you are living. If you live here like you are just visiting for 10 months it makes everything that much more difficult. Be open to learning and enjoy it. Always try to be respectful and someone who has integrity. As you can see I am saying so many things that have nothing to do with actually playing. I believe that of course you have to be a good player but also being a good person can allow you to have a profitable career here.
