Decatur standout basketball player Marcus Tibbs, a two-year, first team all-league 6-foot-1 guard who was the Gators’ go-to guy at the Class 4A state tournament each of the past two seasons in helping his team take sixth place at state last February, obviously knows the game of basketball like the palm of his hands.

But let’s look at that inside of Tibbs’ hands a little closer, and see what and why this fifth year senior with a stunning smile and big whites in his eyes was on Oct. 24, 2008 granted eligibility by the WIAA to play hoops an extra season in high school for the Gators.

The wrinkles in Tibbs’ hands show deep, uncontrollable, pain of a life suddenly changed.

“My parents separated when I was three, but they never were married,” said Tibbs, 19, who shot down 20 points against now-University of Washington freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas, then at Curtis when Tibbs was a sophomore at Decatur.

So what did Tibbs, who averaged 10 points per game and led his team in scoring at least a few games as a sophomore and has led the Gators in scoring his junior and senior seasons, do? What did Tibbs do as a freshman on the basketball court?

Nothing. Tibbs in fact didn’t play basketball his first year in high school. Really, he couldn’t think of such a thing when the person that was the only one person really there for him through his beginning teen years died.

Grandpa.

“He was my primary care-giver,” said Tibbs.

Dad was where?

“He would go to work long shifts at three ‘o clock in the morning,” said Tibbs.

Mom?

“She met a boyfriend and they moved to Tacoma,” said Tibbs, who said he loves his mom and his dad and they do get together now. “I miss my mom now. She’s in Spanaway, but I try to call her.”

But that is now, speaking of then,’ back when Tibbs’ was in his freshman year at Decatur was tough on him without mom there, and dad working so much. And then, suddenly, the one person in Tibbs’ life was in declining health and slowly, painfully being watched go from Tibbs’ life. This is not saying that other kids don’t experience hardships of this sort, too, but this was unique with Tibbs’ status as a D-1 level ballplayer unable to think straight because of grandpa’s extreme presence in life and lack of mom in his life and dad away more than there. It all caused Tibbs mind to crash.

“I think I passed only two classes my freshman year,” said Tibbs. “It was so bad.”

A kid who was a basketball star wherever he went started playing AAU top-flight basketball when he was in sixth grade -- just tanked to the point of not even trying out for the Gators’ team his freshman year.

“I went to him (grandpa) for everything,” said Tibbs of his grandpa, who died with declining health during his freshman year so his dad worked less to try and help.

“I went to him (grandpa) for answers, learning how to cook, to clean, he helped me with growing up,” said Tibbs. “And he helped raise me since no one else was there.”

That was the seventh and eighth grade time frame that grandpa raised Tibbs. Then in ninth grade his dad was back in his life but it was just different with suddenly that void of grandpa’s health declining and him passing away.

“That freshman year was the first time grandpa wasn’t around and I was learning to grow up myself,” said Tibbs. “I had a lot on me that most ninth graders don’t have.”

Yes.

And, then, his sophomore year, something changed, something clicked. Someone helped.

“I passed all my classes,” said Tibbs. “I found someone else to talk to, Barbara Tost. I opened up to her.”

And, things have been perfect on the court and the classroom for Tibbs, but for one road bump failure of civics last spring his senior year, even though this is also his senior year, his fifth year.

He is different in the classroom now, literally different. He is taking freshman classes that were not passed before. He has much different goals now than when his goal was just to survive his family problems and death of his grandpa four years ago.

“My goals are to pass all my classes, raising my g.p.a. and going to college,” said Tibbs.

He has a good support network of friends like teammates, including 6-6 senior captain Cam Schilling.

“He’s like my brother,” said Tibbs. “We disagree some times but we work it out and are fine after that.”

“Me and Marcus are really close,” said Schilling. “He has been like my brother. He will spend weeks at my place. Getting to spend another year with him on the court is awesome. A lot of times he will get that ball through that crack. I wonder if he is going to squeeze it through and he does.”

Marcus being granted another year to play ball?

“Those things are kind of crazy, subjective,” said Schilling. “But I knew he had a valid reason. He had a hardship. He definitely deserved it. You won’t find a nicer person than Marcus.”

Probably not a better ballplayer either shooting the three or driving the lane and going above the rim. Tibbs was running the point his sophomore year, against Curtis, in one big game (Curtis took third in the state in ‘06, Thomas set the single-game scoring mark of 51 points that year, too). And, although the Gators lost to Curtis, 74-71, that game back on Jan. 20, 2006, Tibbs maturation going head to head evenly against SPSL MVP Thomas showed loads of potential and gameness. Tibbs has been a load for foes to handle ever since, on both sides of the ball.

“He’s an impact player,” said Kevin Olson, Tibbs’ coach at Decatur. “He can make a great defensive play and get to the board for points on the other end.”

Good to have Tibbs back for other reasons too, like speedy point guard Michael Hale transferring to Federal Way.

“When your point guard transfers to another school, it is nice to have someone take over that role,” said Olson.

Looks like the transition at the point of Hale to Tibbs at Decatur will be seamless.

“He relishes that role,” said Olson of Tibbs, who mostly played the (shooting guard) last season. “He is almost too unselfish. He will have no problem making the transition to point.”

Leader?

“He is a leader by example and with talk verbally,” said Olson. “He works hard. He is an extreme competitor, but at the same time keeps things in perspective very well.”

“I ran the point for my AAU team (Friends of Hoop summer league team that plays against top high school and incoming college talent, including Thomas, around the country). I like to take control of the game. If the other team is slower, we can go faster, and taking it slower if the other team is faster.”

Is losing Hale, a buddy of yours the last two years, tough?

“I treated that kid like a brother,” said Tibbs. “We are still close. I still hang out with him. He said he needed to do what he needed to do.”

Hale did good things in your sixth place state finish last year, losing in the semifinals to rival Federal Way?

“Mike could run the team as well,” said Tibbs, humbly sharing the credit. “He was the key to the team. When he played well, everyone played well.”

And now the job falls to Tibbs.