(c) The Associated Press, 1995
ATLANTA (04-24-95) -- Stephon Marbury, the nation's top-rated prep point guard, says he will sign a grant-in-aid with Georgia Tech this week, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today.
"I don't know exactly when I'm going to do it, but I am going to do it this week," Marbury told the newspaper Sunday night in a telephone interview from his home in Brooklyn, N.Y.
"I'm going to sign with Georgia Tech. I'll get with Gary (Saunders) maybe tonight and we'll decide. We want to do it at the Gauchos gym."
Marbury, who attended Lincoln High in Brooklyn, said Jan. 6 he would sign with Georgia Tech, but on April 15, the first day of the spring signing period, he left for a trip to France with his AAU team, the Gauchos. Marbury, the MVP in the French tournament, returned with the team Saturday.
Saunders, a shooting guard from Rice High in New York, is a good friend of Marbury's and also a Georgia Tech recruit. He said they will sign together this week at their AAU gymnasium in Brooklyn.
"Wednesday is the day, but I've got to talk to Stephon and I haven't spoken with him today," Saunders said. "We had planned to do it together at the gym."
Rumors surfaced during the past few weeks that Marbury might renege on his commitment to Georgia Tech and sign with new Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian. High school coach Bob Hartstein said there was never any trouble.
"He didn't know (not signing) was going to create such a turmoil," Hartstein said. "I told him then he was going to see some headlines. I tried to explain to him that everything he does is news. He doesn't understand that.
"There was never another school involved. He asked me, 'Where is Fresno State, anyway?"'