Three years ago, Marcel Boyd was an exceptionally tall junior varsity football player, and his coaches at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine knew the 6-foot-5 ninth-grader was out of place.

“My coaches were, like, ‘we got to get you on the basketball team,’” Boyd said.

As a sophomore, Boyd played organized basketball for the first time. Now standing 6-9 in his senior year, Boyd recently gave a verbal commitment to accept a basketball scholarship at Howard University.

“Basically it came down to me and my family sitting down and discussing it, and I really wanted to get my college decision out of the way so I could focus on the season,” Boyd said. “It also came down to Howard because [2011 Gwynn Park graduate] Brandon Ford is on the team, and that’s a person I know. Also Howard is not too far from home and my parents can come to all of my games. The education offered there is also top-tier.”

Boyd also drew interest from Robert Morris University, Mount Saint Mary’s and St. Francis.

“It’s perfect for him,” said Gwynn Park coach Mike Glick. “It is the classic win-win position. First of all, Howard is getting a kid who’s going to end up being much better than his level. When Marcel is 20, 21 years old people are going to say that was a great recruit. They’re getting a kid with tremendous upside that does not have to step in and win right away.”

Boyd now turns his attention to preparing for his senior season. He will play a key role for the Yellow Jackets, who are the 2A South Region title the past two years. Last season, Boyd averaged 7 points, 6.5 rebounds and a team-high 2.5 blocked shots per game.

Glick said Boyd’s progress from novice to an NCAA Division I scholarship in three years is impressive.

“I think Marcel has made remarkable improvement since I first got him, and all the credit goes to him and his work ethic and the hard work he put in,” Glick said. “I think Gwynn Park was an ideal situation for him because gave an opportunity to play a lot and learn from his mistakes. Playing on good teams really helped him where he didn’t have to shoulder the load.”

Boyd has spent a lot of time playing the past two summers with club teams, which he said has helped him immensely.

“I’ve been working on my footwork and all of that stuff for two years now,” Boyd said. “I played with Team Takeover my sophomore year. They helped me tremendously with my footwork. They played so many games. Then I joined Dynamic Disciples and they helped me tremendously with my coordination.”

Boyd’s conditioning has improved massively over the years, Glick said.

“Athletically, his stamina has gotten much better. Strength and coordination is much better,” he said. “In his first year, he played weak physically. He’s gotten some offensive moves where he can score consistently with a turnaround jumper and jump hook.”

In Glick’s six seasons at Gwynn Park, Boyd is the fourth Division I college player the Yellow Jackets have produced: Sean Thomas (Morgan State), Harold Washington (Canisius) and Ford (Howard).

“I’m just blessed to get the opportunity to play high school basketball and get a scholarship to a good school,” Boyd said.

thampton@gazette.net