Marinko Announces Transfer To Southwestern Illinois College for 2020-21 Season, Will Add Much To Blue Storm Program

EDWARDSVILLE - Former Edwardsville High School basketball point guard Jack Marinko will be transferring to Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville and play for one of the state's best junior college programs for the 2020-21 season.

Marinko, a key part of the 2017-18 Edwardsville team that finished 18-9 in his senior year, will be playing for a Blue Storm that went 17-15 last season, falling in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association regional to Vincennes, Ind. 79-63.

Marinko made the announcement on his Twitter page on Sunday.

"Extremely blessed to announce my commitment to Southwestern Illinois College for the upcoming season," Marinko said in his tweet announcing the transfer. "Can't wait to take on this next chapter with a great program."

Marinko had announced on Twitter on April 7 that he would reopen his recruitment after playing the 2018-19 season at Milliken University in Decatur, a NCAA Division-III school. Marinko left the school, and is currently attending SIU-Edwardsville, but did not play on the men's basketball team this past season.

In his only year playing for the Big Blue, Marinko averaged 7.7 points and 1.5 rebounds-per-game, while picking up 42 assists, nine steals and having one blocked shot. He shot 46 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range, and shot 78 percent from the free-throw line. His best performance came at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Ia., where he scored 20 points on Nov. 13, 2018, hitting a season-high five threes that night.

In his senior year at Edwardsville, Marinko was considered one the St. Louis area's best players, averaging 26 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.4 steals-per-game. He teamed up with Caleb Strohmeier as one of the area's best one-two combinations in helping the Tigers win the regional title before losing to eventual IHSA Class 4A state champion Belleville West in the sectional semifinal at O'Fallon.

Marinko will play for legendary SWIC head coach Jay Harrington, who's won over 900 games in his 41-year career with the Blue Storm. Harrington has coached the team to several NJCAA District 16 and Region 24 championships and runners-up, and also to several National Championship tournaments, the Storm's best finishes being a fourth and sixth place. Harrington has also been the school's athletic director since 1980, has coached 13 NJCAA All-American players since 2000, and was elected to the organization's Hall of Fame in 2002, among other honors.

Marinko, who will have one season of eligibility at SWIC, will be joining Triad's Luke Cox, one of the area's leading scorers last season, on the Blue Storm for the 2020-21 season.

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