Marcus Knight is a MM legend - no question.  A 4-time champion who's represented the MM UK men's travel team in international competitions all over America (New York, LA, Chicago, Miami) and Europe (Paris, Milan), 'Knight Rider' has been one of the most successful players we've ever had come through MM competitions.  For those who don't know, Marcus' calling card is without a doubt his scoring ability, which quickly earned him another nickname at MM events, 'Machine Gun' because once he starts hitting, he does so again and again and again.  He's nice.  He's proven he can score against anyone on any level, on any continent!  However, as a 6'1" scorer, his professional career has not been as blessed as his talent deserves -largely due to his height, which has caused many coaches and scouts to simply overlook him and label him as 'undersized' without even watching him play.

I caught up with him to talk about a new program he's launching next week and he had this to say: "I've played overseas in Germany and of course at home in the BBL, but it's been a lot harder to get the type of exposure and looks as a professional than it should be.  I've seen a lot of players over the years with less ability get jobs that a lot of British players should have gotten if teams were looking for the better player, but they are never in consideration for those jobs because the teams just don't know enough about them and what they can do".

In an effort to try to make things better for the next generation of potential British pro's, Marcus has launched a new initiative called 'The Pro Classic', which is aimed at giving professional and semi-professional players an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of as many professional teams as possible. I asked him what it was all about and he said: "The Pro Classic is about trying provide an opportunity for pro-level guys to show their talents to as many pro teams and coaches as possible.  We're running a professional summer league in London from 22nd-27th August at Brunel, where guys will get to play multiple games per day in front of scouts from pro teams.  We're taping all the games and will be keeping stats so players who need some form of resume can get that from coming to play in the Classic.  The aim is, after playing in this, you should be in a position to be able to market yourself to pro teams worldwide as you'll have game tape and stats to give to any coach who asks about you".

It always pleases me to see former MM players reaching back to help the next generation so their journey is a little easier, that's at the core of why we do what we do at MM, so we wish Marcus and his team the best of luck with the Pro Classic and hope it develops into a program that really makes a difference for aspiring professionals across the UK.    

For more details on the Pro Classic please visit: The Pro Classic  Or alternatively email them at: info@theproclassic.com

Please note: The Pro Classic is and independently run event and organisation and is not affiliated or associated to Midnight Madness in any way.