Hall of Fame
Johnstown native and Greater Johnstown High School graduate Mr. Marcus Tullis, a four-year starter for Head Coach Bob Rukavina’s Mountain Cats, earned Honorable Mention All-America Division II Bulletin honors following his senior season in 2008-09 and finished his career ranked third on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Scoring List and seventh on the all-time rebounding list.
After red-shirting as a true freshman in 2004-05, Mr. Tullis joined the Mountain Cats’ starting line-up as a red-shirt freshman the following season and averaged 9.1 points on 50.9% field goal percentage, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 27 games played. He answered that by averaging 9.6 points (57.1 FG%) and 4.3 rebounds per game as a red-shirt sophomore in 2006-07. Mr. Tullis was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2007 National Independent Tournament in Fort Myers, Fla.
Mr. Tullis’s numbers continued to climb in 2007-08. He started all 31 Mountain Cat games and finished as the team’s second leading scorer (14.3 ppg.) and third leading rebounder (5.1 rpg.) on his way to being named Second-Team All-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), earning a spot on the WVIAC All-Tournament Team, and guiding Pitt-Johnstown to a spot in the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament. Mr. Tullis’ 62.1% (192-309) field goal percentage ranked third in the WVIAC and 18th in NCAA Division II.
However, it was his senior season in 2008-09 when Mr. Tullis dominated the WVIAC and the Atlantic Region. The Co-WVIAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week on Feb. 9, 2009, Mr. Tullis averaged 18.4 points and 6.2 rebounds in 32-games-played and was tabbed Honorable Mention Division II Bulletin All-American, Second-Team National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Atlantic Region, and First-Team All-WVIAC. His 57.6% (247-429) field goal percentage ranked fourth in the WVIAC and 30th nationally, while his 18.4 points per game were 57th nationally.
On March 7, 2009, Mr. Tullis earned WVIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player honors after pouring in 30 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead Pitt-Johnstown to a dramatic, 74-73, overtime victory over Alderson-Broaddus (WV) College in the conference tournament title game. The victory gave Pitt-Johnstown an automatic bid to its second consecutive NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament.
Mr. Tullis recorded single-game highs of 30 points against the University of the District of Columbia on Feb. 2, 2009 and 30 points against Alderson-Broaddus in the WVIAC Tournament Championship game. He also posted highs of 12 rebounds against West Liberty State (WV) College on Nov. 19, 2005 and eight assists against Penn State-Harrisburg on Dec. 9, 2006.
Mr. Tullis currently ranks sixth on the Mountain Cats All-Time Scoring List (1,570 points) and 11 on the all-time rebounding list (604 rebounds).
After earning his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Humanities in 2009, Mr. Tullis, a member of the Dean’s List, played professionally in Luxembourg for one year and in England for two seasons where he averaged 18.0 points per game on 60% shooting from the field and 37% from 3-point range. He also averaged 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game.
Mr. Tullis also served as an assistant coach for Pitt-Johnstown in 2013-14 and as an assistant coach at Mount Aloysius College in 2021-22. He recently finished his sixth season as an assistant coach at Greater Johnstown High School.
Today, Mr. Tullis, who still resides in Johnstown, owns and operates his own business, “Be Great Basketball Group”, where he trains and provides private basketball lessons, including for several college athletes.
“I can’t say I ever dreamed of being in anyone’s basketball hall of fame, if I’m being honest, Mr. Tullis said. “I just always loved the game and through my passion for basketball it landed me here! Going from using a metal clothes hanger as a hoop and rolled up socks as a ball in the projects to being inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame is pretty dope for me. I just feel grateful, thankful, humble, and honored!”
