Lucas Gebhart
Sports Editor
ISU’s Ethan Telfair comes from a basketball family. His older brother Sebastian Telfair and older cousin Stephon Marbury both were valuable assets to many NBA teams over the course of their long careers.
Sebastian Telfair was a first round draft pick in 2004 by the Portland Trail Blazers where he played two seasons. Last season, Sebastian played for the Oklahoma City Thunder where he averaged 8.4 points per game coming off the bench.
Sebastian bounced around in the league over his 12 year career, playing for the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, the Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ethan’s older cousin, Stephon Marbury, played 15 seasons. Five of those with the New York Knicks, three each with the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Jersey Nets and one with the Boston Celtics. He averaged almost 20 points a game over his career.
“We live, eat, sleep and dream basketball,” said Ethan, the youngest of the trio who leads the Bengals in scoring, averaging 17.8 point per contest through 17 games.
“We played some pick up and one-on-one,” Telfair recalled. “I beat him two years ago in Las Vegas. It was hard but I finally got one.”
The age difference between the two brothers is nine years.
“Sebastian is more of a scoring point guard whereas I’m more of a facilitator,” Telfair said. “People are always saying that I have great court vision, so I use that to the best of my ability.”
Sebastian went straight from high school to the NBA.
Drafted by Portland with the 13th overall pick, Sebastian was expected to be a star, a dream the brothers have had since childhood.
“We have both been saying that we are going to be playing in the NBA since we were kids,” Telfair said. “It is the way God set it up for him. All he had to do was work hard and everything was there for him. There were scouts at the games and coaches were always at my house. I got to see it all. It made me realize that anything is possible, all you have to do is work hard and keep your faith strong.”
With new eligibility rules for the NBA draft, requiring players to be 19 years of age during the drafting calendar year, and the passing of at least one season after high school graduation, Telfair’s journey to the NBA is different from his brother’s.
“I’ve been serious since day one,” Telfair said. “God had a different path and journey for me because I went to community college. It is a lot different than Sebastian but I know that [God] still has a plan for me. I just have to be patient, keep working hard and dream big.”
Ethan has high aspirations for his future with basketball.
“I don’t like to talk about it too much,” Telfair explained. “I want to show it rather the just talk about it. I don’t want to just play in the NBA, I want to be able to lead a team. I want people to remember the name Ethan Telfair.”
As his older brother Sebastian lived his dream playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, Ethan attended Redlands Community College located just outside Oklahoma City. Ethan saw first-hand what it takes to make it to the NBA.
“I was there every game, in the locker room, and at practice. I got to see everything,” Telfair said.
Telfair has brought that same mentality to Idaho State.
Leading by example, Telfair has fit right into Bill Evans’ system.
“I lead by example,” Telfair said. “I don’t say very much but when I do I want my teammates to feed off of it. Stephon always told me that if you work hard and practice then the game is going to come easy.”
Cool, calm and collected is how Telfair plays. When Telfair runs the point, it makes everybody else on the floor better.
“Life is hard, basketball is easy,” said Telfair. “When things start clicking, people start to see how much I enjoy the game, how much I love the game and how easy it is for me. I try to make the easy plays. I try to make the game easier for my teammates and calm them down. Sometimes there is a lot going on in their head and I just tell them to enjoy it because it goes by fast.”
The family legacy doesn’t stop with just Sebastian and Stephon.
“Sebastian and Stephon are just the guys that everybody knows because they had the long NBA careers,” Telfair said.
Stephon’s older brother Zach Marbury played college basketball at Rhode Island and Ethan’s older brother Jamel Thomas played at Providence where he led the Big East in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per game over the course of his college career.
“I have nephews and cousins coming that are just as good as us,” Telfair said. “We are all working and hopefully we can use the game of basketball to glorify the Lord.”
The Telfair family knows there are no off days.
“You can’t say that you are going to turn it on on Monday and go through the motions on Saturday and Sunday. That is not going to work,” Telfair explained. “You have to bring it every day.”
Although the Telfair’s are undersized, they have heart, something that cannot be taught.
“You have to have that dog,” Telfair said. “If you don’t have a dog then you aren’t going to be able to get too far.”
Size is not something that is in the front of Telfair’s mind. After all, his brother, 6 feet tall and 170 pounds, has managed a successful NBA career with a similar build, both being around 6 feet and 170 pounds.
“I have to get up under guys and make them play faster than they want to play,” Telfair said.
During his first season at ISU Ethan Telfair has shown he is more than ready to continue on with the family tradition on the hardwood, emerging as a star for the Bengals.
