Marcel Elicagaray Will be Taking His Talents to Whitman College This Upcoming Season
By: Dylan Tehada
Marcel Elicagaray, 19, has been hooping for as long as he can remember. His love for basketball started by simply shooting around his backyard at his house growing up and has only grown ever since. Once he entered 3rd grade, he began to play ball competitively playing for his local elementary school in Pacifica. He then went on to play for several AAU and club teams as he prepared for high school hoops. He took his talents to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, where his game grew leaps and bounds both mentally and physically. After his senior season, he took a gap year to continue working on his game, and just recently committed to Whitman College in Washington where he will be making his collegiate debut.
During his tenure at Junipero Serra High School, Marcel embodied the hard work ethic that is necessary to realize one’s unlimited potential. He quickly rose through the ranks from playing on the freshman and JV teams in his first two years to making varsity during his junior year. His dedication to the game was tested after suffering an ACL tear during his junior season, but his passion for the game was on full display as he was determined to come back stronger.
His hard work and positive mindset fueled a breakout senior year where he made a substantial impact on varsity winning All-WCAL honors for the Serra Padres. During his high school career, Elicagaray showed his commitment to hoops, training in the gym almost everyday and working on his physical and mental skill sets. The key to his success especially after his injury: relentless work ethic and a team oriented attitude.
“[My] ACL injury taught me a lot and gave me a reason to step back and really focus on the physical side of basketball…it made me focus on the team and our success and build on that success to have a good senior year,” Elicagaray said.
A big turning point in Elicagaray’s development in high school was when he started training at UPBasketball Training Facility during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the very first time he stepped foot in the gym, he embraced the UPB community whether it be the coaches he trained with or the players he saw everyday training alongside him.
“I started training with Coach Oderah and we built a good relationship. And then I was in the gym pretty much every day and getting to know all the people that train consistently,” Elicagaray said.
Elicagaray continues to be a regular in the gym to this day and primarily trains with Coach Joey Hewitt along with Coach Packie in small groups and private sessions. During these training sessions, he has honed the mental side of the game and developed new perspectives on how he can build on his strengths and improve on areas of his game.
“[Coach Packie] gives me ways to think about the game in different ways or ways that I haven't thought about before and helps me to best understand what my strengths are and what I could still be working on,” Elicagaray stated.
A strong work ethic has defined Elicagaray’s basketball journey and has led him to eventually achieving his dream of playing college hoops. As he prepares for the upcoming season and reflects on his journey he seeks to continue building his game and showcasing his dedication to basketball with everyone he encounters at Whitman College. We wish Elicagaray the best of luck during his first collegiate season and cannot wait to see the impact he will make for the Blues.
