Marcos Leite

Marcos Leite

Leite as a junior at Pepperdine
Personal information
Born	(1952-03-23) March 23, 1952 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	Pepperdine (1973–1976)
NBA draft	1976: 10th round, 162nd overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career	1967–1989
Position	Center
Career history
1967–1974	Fluminense
1976–1978	Athletic Genova
1978–1980	E.C. Sírio
1980–1981	Virtus Bologna
1981–1984	E.C. Sírio
1984	C.R. Flamengo
1985	E.C. Bradesco
1986–1989	E.C. Sírio
Career highlights and awards
FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (1979) 2× South American Club champion (1978, 1979) 3× Brazilian champion (1979, 1983, 1989) 3× São Paulo State champion (1978, 1979) 6× Rio de Janeiro State champion (1970–1974, 1984) 3× All-American Honorable Mention (1974–1976) WCAC Player of the Year (1976) 2× First-team All-WCAC (1975, 1976) Second-team All-WCAC (1974) WCAC Freshman of the Year (1974)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals Representing Brazil Men's Basketball FIBA World Cup 1970 Yugoslavia 1978 Philippines FIBA AmeriCup 1984 Brazil Pan American Games 1971 Cali 1975 Mexico City 1979 San Juan 1983 Caracas FIBA South American Championship 1971 Uruguay 1973 Colombia 1983 Brazil 1979 Argentina 1981 Uruguay

Marcos Antônio Abdalla Leite, also commonly known as Marquinhos Leite (born March 23, 1952) is a retired Brazilian professional basketball player and coach. He represented the senior Brazilian national basketball team at three Summer Olympics and four FIBA World Cup competitions. At a height of 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) tall, he played at the center position.

Early career

Leite, originally from Rio de Janeiro, began playing club basketball with the Brazilian team Fluminense (1967–1974). In addition, he played on loan at E.C. Sírio in some championships between 1971 and 1973.

College career

In 1972, Leite averaged 16 points per game, at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. Pepperdine University's American head coach, Gary Colson, recruited Leite to the California school, based on his performance at the Olympics. Leite later went on to play college basketball at the school, where he starred with the Pepperdine Waves, from 1974 to 1976. He made an immediate impact in the West Coast Athletic Conference, earning All-WCAC Second Team honors as a freshman, and All-WCAC First Team honors as a sophomore.

As a junior, in the 1975–76 season, Leite and junior college transfer Dennis Johnson, led the Waves to a conference title, the school's second Division I NCAA Tournament appearance, and first NCAA Tournament win. The Waves beat Memphis State, in the first round, before losing to defending national champion UCLA, in the Sweet 16. Leite was named the WCAC Player of the Year, and an Honorable Mention All-American. Following the season, Leite informed Colson that he would forgo his final year of college eligibility, in order to play professionally.

During his college career, Leite scored 1,119 points (18.7 points per game), and grabbed 638 rebounds (10.6 per game). He was inducted into Pepperdine's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

Professional career

After college, Leite was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 1976 NBA draft, in the 10th round, with the 162nd overall pick. However, he never played in the NBA. During his pro career, Leite played club basketball in his native Brazil, with Fluminense, E.C. Sírio, C.R. Flamengo, and E.C. Bradesco. He also played in the Italian League, with Athletic Genova and Virtus Bologna. He retired in 1989.

National team career

Leite first suited up with Brazil's senior national team at the age of 18, at the 1970 FIBA World Cup. "Marquinhos" played sparingly during that tournament, as he scored 6 points in 4 games, as Brazil won the tournament's silver medal. Leite remained on the Brazilian national team, and was one of the team's top players, as they won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games, a year later.

Leite averaged 16 points per game, at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. He also represented Brazil at the 1974 FIBA World Cup, and the 1975 Pan American Games. In later years, he was also a part of Brazil's 1978 and 1982 FIBA World Cup squads, and their 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics teams.

External links

• FIBA Profiles
• Italian League Profile (in Italian)
• NCAA Stats