Shortly after the brackets for the 2016 NCAA Tournament were announced, it became evident No. 2 MSU would be headed to St. Louis for the tournament's first weekend.
For sophomore MSU forward Marvin Clark Jr., it meant he would be would be going back to his home state to play basketball.
First Round In St.Louis! Basically at the crib for me! KC come show some love to the kid...
— Marvin Clark Jr. (@Marv_Time15) March 14, 2016
Clark grew up in Kansas City, Mo., about a 3-hour-and-45-minute drive from St. Louis.
Seeing as Clark plays in East Lansing at MSU, he said it's not often many of his family and friends are able to see him play live, so he's excited for the opportunity at this weekend's games.
"I couldn’t really ask for much more, unless the game was at the Sprint Center in Kansas City," Clark said. "Other than that, though, it’s pretty sweet. ... A lot of people are also coming up, some of my teachers, people that just watched me grow. ... People that really kind of put something into me for me to become the man that I am today, so it’s going to be pretty sweet for them. I’m happy for them because they get to get to see me play live.”
Clark said pretty much his entire family is coming to see him play this weekend, including his two younger sisters and three younger brothers, his mom, as well as other friends, teachers, coaches and mentors from his youth.
Growing up in Kansas City, Clark was forced to overcome more adversity than some do in an entire lifetime. Clark's father passed away when he was 3-years-old and from there, he and his family endured homeless shelters and bouncing around from school to school.
With the help of mentor Bertram "Buzzy" Caruthers, Clark was able to find his niche on and off the basketball court with MOKAN Basketball, before eventually attending Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, and accepting a scholarship to play at MSU.
His journey is told through a documentary titled "I am Marvin Clark."
“It’s very surreal, just looking back where I’ve come from and how far I’ve come," Clark said of his journey and returning to Missouri for the NCAA Tournament. "But at the same time, all the people that are coming to watch me play tomorrow, those are the people that saw that in me and invested that in me and it’s crazy they’ve helped me kind of make it a reality.”
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