Ligonier Valley graduate Marrek Paola grows into key player for Seton Hill

Marrek Paola’s height is up for debate.

At Ligonier Valley, Paola was listed at 6-foot-6. Seton Hill’s basketball roster says the junior forward is 6-foot-10. His actual height?

“On a good day, 6-9, 6-10,” Paola said with a laugh. “I grew about an inch since I got to college. I feel like (Ligonier Valley) definitely listed (6-6) as my height freshman year, and it just stayed the same throughout all four years and they never changed it.”

What’s not up for debate is the growth of Paola’s game. He has expanded his range to the 3-point line this season, making 5 of 9 (56%). As a freshman in 2019-20, he made four 3s the entire season. The Griffins did not play last season because of the covid pandemic.

“I feel like I have more of a complete game than I did in high school,” said Paola, who estimated he attempted fewer than 10 3-pointers at Ligonier Valley. “I feel like I was more one-sided in high school, just staying in the paint. Maybe that was because I was the only big guy on the team.”

Paola is averaging 7.2 points — fourth on the team — along with 3.6 rebounds this season in 18 minutes per game for the Griffins (0-5). He has started every game. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.6 rebounds as a freshman, starting 16 of 25 games.

“When he came in as a freshman, he had a great, great, feathery touch around the rim,” Seton Hill coach Kendrick Saunders said. “He can score in bunches. He has great footwork. When he came back (after the year off), his 3-point shooting has been fantastic.

“If he shoots 10 3s, he’s probably going to make five or six of them.”

Paola, the 2019 Westmoreland Tribune-Review Player of the Year, set Ligonier Valley school records for points (1,912), rebounds (1,059) and blocks (204). He averaged 26.8 points and 16.9 rebounds as senior to help the Rams reach the state playoffs. Going from putting up those gaudy numbers against District 6 competition to playing NCAA Division II opponents was a significant change.

“I think the biggest thing is knowing what your role is and doing everything you can to help your team win in any way possible,” he said. “The biggest thing was being able to slow the game down when I got to this level. Once you do that, it’s easier to understand what’s going on.”

Added Saunders: “He’s a big focal point of what we do. He does a lot of great things for us on both sides of the ball. He gets great touches inside. He makes guys better because of his ability to pass. His adjustment as far as fitting into our program and buying in has been great. I’m just blessed that we have him.”

And although Paola is listed as a forward, the Griffins find ways to get him the ball everywhere.

“With our guys, we talk about positionless basketball,” Saunders said. “If you’re a good player, it’s important for you to be on the floor. … He’s so skilled at his size. We have to make sure we use him at all positions.”