Marcos Antônio Abdalla Leite, also commonly known as Marquinhos Leite (born March 23, 1952) is a retired Brazilian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He represented the senior

Brazilian national basketball team The Brazil national basketball team is governed by the Brazilian Basketball Confederation (), abbreviated as CBB. They have been a member of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), since 1935. Brazil's national basketball team remain ...

at three

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

and four

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition between the senior men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport's global governing body. It takes place every four ye ...

competitions. At a height of tall, he played at the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position.

Early career

Leite, originally from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, began playing

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

basketball with the Brazilian team

Fluminense Fluminense Football Club () is a Brazilian sports club based in the neighbourhood of Laranjeiras, in Rio de Janeiro, being the oldest football club in the state since its foundation in 1902. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, th ...

(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.Profile, Basketball Brasil (Portuguese)
, accessed September 14, 2011

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

's American head coach, Gary Colson, recruited Leite to the

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

school, based on his performance at the Olympics. Leite later went on to play

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at the school, where he starred with the

Pepperdine Waves The Pepperdine Waves are the athletics teams of Pepperdine University, located outside the city of Malibu, California. They compete at the NCAA Division I, Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA. The school is a me ...

, from 1974 to 1976. He made an immediate impact in the

West Coast Athletic Conference The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCA ...

, 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 A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

transfer

Dennis Johnson Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...

, 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 The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, in the Sweet 16. Leite was named the WCAC Player of the Year, and an Honorable Mention

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. 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 2013.2013 Hall of Fame Inductee: Marcos Leite.
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Professional career

After college, Leite was drafted by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

, in the

1976 NBA draft The 1976 NBA draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on June 8, 1976, before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players ...

, in the 10th round, with the 162nd overall pick. However, he never played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

. During his pro career, Leite played

basketball in his native Brazil, with

, E.C. Sírio, C.R. Flamengo, and E.C. Bradesco. He also played in the Italian League, with

Athletic Genova Athletic Genova is an Italian basketball club from Genoa. History Athletic was founded in 1968 in the premises of the parish in San Pio X avenue, where there was also the registered office, at the hands of Gino Negro, Elio Fertonani and Don Gian ...

and

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

. 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 The 1971 Pan American Games, officially known as the VI Pan American Games () and commonly known as Cali 1971, were held in Cali, Colombia, from 30 July to 13 August 1971. (One source dates the Games from July 25 to August 8.) A total of 2,935 ...

, 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 The 1975 Pan American Games, officially known as the VII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mexico 1975 (), were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games ...

. In later years, he was also a part of Brazil's

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

and

1982 FIBA World Cup The 1982 FIBA World Championship was the 9th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Colombia from 15 to 28 August 1982. Qualification Venues Competin ...

squads, and their

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

teams.

References

External links

FIBA ProfilesItalian League Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leite, Marcos 1952 births Living people Athletic Genova basketball players Basketball players at the 1971 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1975 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1979 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1980 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 1983 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1984 Summer Olympics Brazilian basketball coaches Brazilian expatriate basketball people in the United States Brazilian expatriate basketball people in Italy Brazilian men's basketball players 1970 FIBA World Championship players 1974 FIBA World Championship players 1978 FIBA World Championship players 1982 FIBA World Championship players Centers (basketball) Esporte Clube Sírio basketball players Expatriate basketball people in Italy Flamengo basketball players Franca Basquetebol Clube players Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1979 Pan American Games Olympic basketball players for Brazil Pan American Games bronze medalists for Brazil Pan American Games gold medalists for Brazil Pan American Games gold medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists in basketball Pan American Games bronze medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for Brazil Pepperdine Waves men's basketball players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Power forwards Sport Club Corinthians Paulista basketball players Vila Nova Basquete Clube players Virtus Bologna players Basketball players from Rio de Janeiro (city) 20th-century Brazilian sportsmen