Yesterday, Austin Toros’ Marcus Cousin received news he will be joining the Utah Jazz of the NBA making him the first Toro to get an NBA call-up.
In an interview with sltrib.com, here is what Cousin said about how he found out the news, playing in the D-League and more:
Cousin on how things are going: I just found out yesterday and then I [had] to leave in like two and a half hours. It was a quick turnaround.
How he found out: I was at a restaurant. My agent called me. I was like, ‘For real?’ He was serious, though.
First real shot in the NBA: It’s real exciting. I was thrilled when I heard the opportunity. I thank the Jazz for giving me this opportunity to show what I can do.
Background: … I went overseas to Turkey. And half the year, since January, I’ve been in Israel. Israel was cool. I didn’t play a lot the whole year. But in Israel we won the championship, so that was cool. After I worked out with the [San Antonio] Spurs … I was there the whole training camp. I played five games in the preseason. … I was cut the last day. I felt I was pretty close. It was [tough]. … They asked me to come to the Austin Toros, the D-League team. So I went there; I felt as though I was close, and I can get a chance to get called up.
D-League: It’s a grind. Just trying to play as hard as you can every night. You don’t know when or if you’re going to get that phone call. You’ve just got to grind out every game and play as hard as you can.
