Officiating Helps Former Player See the Game Differently
by Ray Floriani
BAYONNE, N.J. – The assignment chart gave a familiar name. It was May and this city bordering Jersey City and Staten Island was hosting a big AAU tournament. On the Sunday list of games just before my scheduled times was the name Marcus Gaither. And when I got to the Mount Carmel School gym, the suspicions were confirmed. It was the Marcus Gaither who starred for FDU in the early Eighties.
Marcus, as noted, had a great career at FDU. He later went on to play overseas, mostly in France where he enjoyed a productive career. Today the playing days are over and he is taking to another part of the game.
“I had some back problems so it was time (to end the competitive days),” he said before taking the floor. “I decided to go into officiating, it keeps you in the game.”
Gaither took the Board 33 cadet course taught by Edgar Cartotto. He enjoyed the classes and even after playing at a high level for years, was surprised to learn roles and nuances he never realized existed.
Gaither gives a noticeable presence at 6’7″. The thing that has helped smooth or accelerate his learning curve is the Division I and international experience. Having played at a high level, he understands the game very well.
Given that FDU coach Tom Green has been at the Northeast Conference school 25 years, it’s hard to remember that Gaither wasn’t recruited by Green. He signed on with Don Feeley, who took over from the legendary and late Al LoBalbo in 1980. Feeley promised to build a significant program using his fast-paced offensive style. He spent three years at the school before exiting in favor of Green.
Gaither played one year, his senior campaign, under Green but harbors good memories of both coaches. “I actually had my worst scoring year under (Tom) Green,” Gaither says with a laugh. “(Don) Feeley pushed the ball and I was scoring in the high twenties, Green came in and had more of a set offense and slower pace. My scoring went down, but Tom was more disciplined and got us to be more team-oriented.”
Timing was not on Gaither’s side either. FDU made progress in Green’s first year which was Gaither’s final. The next season FDU won the NEC title and was in the NCAA tournament. They proceeded to give top-ranked Michigan a scare before dropping a closely contested contest.
Today Gaither, who scored over 1,800 points at his alma mater, follows the Knights and enjoys his new avocation. “You see the game from a different perspective,” Gaither said of officiating. “As a player you have a certain job to do, in officiating a lot of what you do is based on the angles. Angles and positioning are very big.”
Gaither makes his home these days in West Caldwell, New Jersey. He operates a mortgage company but is looking to other business ventures given the extremely expensive housing market in the Garden State. On the basketball side he’s changed a career course as well. And working with the whistle has added a whole new perspective to Marcus Gaither’s love of the game.
Signs of Summer
The Hamilton Park Summer league has begun and on the boy’s side some of the better teams include East Orange, Bayonne, Union, Create Charter and St. Anthony’s. A good early season contest saw St. Anthony’s stop Create 40-26. Neither team scored the first six and a half minutes, and the game was even until the Friars went on a late first-half run.
The final half saw St. Anthony’s hold a double-digit lead. Create made a few runs but the Friars kept a safe distance. Noah McCoy and Derrick Williams scored six each for St. Anthony’s but both players were a strong inside presence. Joshua Hemingway notched 8 to pace Create.
A Jersey City-based school, Create, has built a strong program and relishes the challenge of facing St. Anthony’s, in the regular season as well as Hamilton Park.
