Marcus Domask (/dəˈmæsk/ duh-MASK;[1] born June 9, 2000) is an American former college basketball player who most recently played for the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to that he played for the Southern Illinois Salukis.

Marcus Domask
No. 3 – Illinois Fighting Illini
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueBig Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2000-06-09) June 9, 2000 (age 23)
Waupun, Wisconsin, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolWaupun Area
(Waupun, Wisconsin)
College
Career highlights and awards

High school career edit

Domask played high school basketball at Waupun Area High School in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he led the team to their first-ever state title as a freshman in 2016, as well as a runner-up state finish as a senior in 2019.[2][3] By the end of high school, he ranked among the top 20 all-time high school scorers in Wisconsin.[2] He was named Wisconsin Mr. Basketball in 2019.[4]

Domask first committed to play college basketball at Northern Kentucky University in September 2018 as a three-star recruit, before decommitting in April 2019, citing a need to "play smart".[5][6] He committed to Southern Illinois University Carbondale on May 8, 2019.[7]

College career edit

Domask spent the first four years of his college career at Southern Illinois, where he was named Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, second-team All-MVC his freshman and junior seasons, and first-team All-MVC his senior season.[8][9] He suffered from injuries his sophomore year, causing him to only play in 10 games that season.[4] Still, by the end of his SIU career, he became the second SIU player in history to reach 1,600 points, 500 rebounds, and 300 assists in their career, after Darren Brooks,[9][10] as well as the ninth-highest all-time scorer for SIU.[4]

After the 2022–23 season, his fourth year playing for SIU, he entered the transfer portal.[11] On April 10, 2023, he announced he would be transferring to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for his fifth and final year of eligibility.[8] Domask was the No. 82 ranked transfer in the portal.[12]

In the 2023–24 season, Domask proved to be a valuable addition to the Illinois team, scoring a career-high 33 points against Florida Atlantic at the Jimmy V Classic on December 5, 2023.[13][14] He was named Big Ten Player of the Week and AP Player of the Week the week of January 8, 2024, after a 32-point performance against Northwestern and a 26-point outing against Purdue.[15][16] Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has nicknamed him "Luka" due to his crafty shooting abilities.[17]

At the end of the 2023–24 regular season, Domask was named to the coaches' and the Associated Press All-Big Ten first team and the media voting panel's All-Big Ten second team.[18][19] AP also named Domask the Big Ten Newcomer of the Year.[19]

On March 21, 2024, Domask recorded his first career triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against Morehead State in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It was the 10th ever triple-double achieved in the NCAA tournament.[20]

After the 2023–24 season ended, Domask sought a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to play in the 2024–25 season.[21] After determining he had exhausted all possible NCAA eligibility, Domask declared for the 2024 NBA draft on April 25, 2024.[22]

Career statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Southern Illinois 32 31 34.8 .469 .397 .825 5.2 2.5 0.9 0.4 13.6
2020–21 Southern Illinois 10 10 33.8 .484 .304 .829 4.5 3.2 0.4 1.0 16.3
2021–22 Southern Illinois 31 31 35.7 .436 .352 .824 5.2 3.9 0.8 0.5 15.1
2022–23 Southern Illinois 33 33 35.4 .447 .348 .876 5.8 3.8 1.0 0.4 16.7
2023–24 Illinois 38 38 34.6 .453 .297 .872 5.0 3.9 0.4 0.3 15.9
Career 144 143 35.0 .453 .345 .851 5.2 3.5 0.7 0.5 15.4

Personal life edit

Domask grew up in Waupun, Wisconsin, with his father being a basketball coach and three of his siblings also playing basketball.[9] He earned a bachelor’s degree in sport administration at Southern Illinois, where he graduated with a near-perfect 3.99 GPA and was named to the 2023 Academic All-America First Team.[23] He is currently enrolled in a master’s program in recreation, sport, and tourism at Illinois.[24]

References edit

  1. ^ Weber, Tom (May 9, 2019). "Salukis sign Wisconsin Mr. Basketball Marcus Domask". Southern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Oleson, Sam (March 20, 2016). "Boys basketball: Waupun holds on to win D3 state title". The Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Marcus Domask - Men's Basketball". Southern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Davis, Sean (March 30, 2023). "Wisconsin's 2019 Mr. Basketball, Marcus Domask, enters transfer portal, pursuing NBA". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  5. ^ Naczek, Margaret (April 15, 2019). "Northern Kentucky commit Marcus Domask of Waupun reopens recruitment". The Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Hatch, Charlie (November 14, 2018). "A look at Northern Kentucky University's recruiting class signed for 2019-20". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Naczek, Margaret (May 9, 2019). "Recruiting: Waupun's Marcus Domask commits to Southern Illinois". The Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Kimball, Anderson (April 12, 2023). "Illinois adds Southern Illinois transfer Marcus Domask". The Pantagraph. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Richey, Scott (January 8, 2024). "Family central to Marcus Domask's basketball success". The News-Gazette. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "An all-time Saluki great basketball player announces his future plans". WSIU. March 29, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  11. ^ Furco, Dante (April 10, 2023). "Illinois lands Southern Illinois' Marcus Domask in transfer portal". WRSP. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Flaherty, Kevin. "College basketball: Top transfers heading to Big Ten in 2023-24". 247Sports. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Richardson, Shandel (December 8, 2023). "The Next Step For Illinois' Marcus Domask Is Producing More Consistently". Sports Illustrated Illinois Fighting Illini News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Fleisher, Larry (December 6, 2023). "Domask and Shannon both score 33 as No. 20 Illinois beats No. 11 Florida Atlantic 98-89 in Jimmy V". Associated Press. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  15. ^ Balthazor, Adeena (January 8, 2024). "Illinois' Marcus Domask named B1G Player of the Week". WAND-TV. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  16. ^ "AP Player of the Week: Marcus Domask keeps No. 10 Illinois rolling along". Associated Press. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Greenberg, Steve (January 6, 2024). "Zach Edey sits as Marcus Domask shines, but No. 1 Purdue holds on 83-78 against No. 9 Illinois". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Schutte, Dustin (March 12, 2024). "Big Ten Men's Basketball: 2023-24 All-Conference Teams, Individual Awards Announced". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Olson, Eric (March 12, 2024). "Edey and Painter give Purdue two of the top AP Big Ten honors. Illini's Domask newcomer of year". Associated Press. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  20. ^ Olson, Eric (March 21, 2024). "Domask gets triple-double as No. 3 seed Illinois beats Morehead State in NCAA tourney". Associated Press. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  21. ^ "Richey | Can the Illini get old again?". April 3, 2024.
  22. ^ Beherns, Bret (April 25, 2024). "Marcus Domask enters NBA Draft after exhausting "all my possible eligibility"". WCIA. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  23. ^ McCaughan, Tim (March 14, 2023). "Marcus Domask Named a First Team Academic All-American". Southern Illinois University Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  24. ^ "Marcus Domask - 2023-24 - Men's Basketball". University of Illinois Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2024.

External links edit