Marley Zeller gets ‘perfect ending’ to high school basketball story with Central Catholic’s 6A state title

The Mt. Hood Conference player of the year will head to Pepperdine with a championship ring — and memories to last a lifetime

Dan Brood | Mar 14, 2024

Marley Zeller, along with his teammates on the Central Catholic boys basketball team, had just been through a battle.

The Rams emerged victorious in an intense back-and-forth contest, coming away with a draining, hard-fought 73-67 win over two-time defending champion Tualatin in a Class 6A state tournament semifinal Friday at the University of Portland’s Chiles Center.

The 6-foot-5 Zeller, a senior, played a key role for the Rams in the victory. He scored 12 points with seven rebounds, two assists and two steals to help Central Catholic triumph against the Timberwolves.

Zeller and his teammates seemed to be physically and emotionally drained after the victory. But before heading back to the locker room, Zeller looked up at the Central Catholic student section, smiled and pointed to the ring finger on his right hand.

“It’s just confidence,” Zeller said of the moment. “That’s what it is — confidence.”

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He was confident the Rams were going to win a state championship, and he was going to realize a longtime dream of getting a championship ring.

“I knew right from the start that I was going for that ring,” Zeller said. “It’s been a goal since I was a kid. It feels so good.”

That good feeling came Saturday, when Zeller helped the Rams earn an 85-76 come-from-behind win over Roosevelt in and up-tempo Class 6A state championship game.

“It means a lot to me because this is the perfect ending to my high school basketball story,” Zeller said as he celebrated with his teammates on the Chiles Center court. “It feels amazing.”

Zeller’s high school basketball story didn’t start at Central Catholic. He played his freshman season at Catlin Gabel and transferred to Central Catholic before his sophomore season.

“Coming in his sophomore year, he had some struggles at times,” Central Catholic head coach David Blue said. “But as soon as he figured out how good and talented he is and he trusted himself, he took off.”

He certainly did.

In his sophomore season at Central Catholic, Zeller was an all-Mt. Hood Conference honorable mention pick. As a junior, he earned first-team all-conference accolades as he helped the Rams reach the Class 6A state tournament.

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This season, he was tabbed the Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year after he helped lead Central Catholic to a 14-0 record in conference play.

“Marley’s growth over the last three years has just been astronomical,” Blue said. “I think once he got confident, his game skyrocketed.”

“Marley means a lot to us,” assistant coach Shawn Malloy said. “Marley came in his sophomore year from Catlin Gabel, and to see him grow and become what he is now is because of how consistent he stayed with the work. He just kept working.”

That hard work continued in the state championship game despite the fact he was dealing with a knee injury.

He sank key 3-pointers on back-to-back Central Catholic possessions in the first quarter, giving the Rams a 13-10 lead.

“That felt great,” Zeller said. “I wasn’t shooting super good during the first part of the state tournament, but I know I’m a shooter, so I kept shooting.”

He connected on another 3-pointer, coming from the left corner, and he scored on a layup off a pass from junior Duce Paschal in a big third quarter that saw the Rams turn a 43-36 deficit into a 66-51 lead going to the fourth quarter.

“Marley Zeller gave an incredible effort tonight,” Blue said after the game. “He was playing hurt. Our trainer, Erin LeRoy, she was on him, keeping him healthy and upright the whole time.”

For Zeller, who earned first-team all-state tournament honors, it was all about getting that ring and being a part of Central Catholic history.

“It means a lot to me,” he said of the championship. “It’s history. I forget when the last time a school won state in both football and basketball in the same year, and let alone when the last time Central won a state championship in basketball.”

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In addition to helping the 2023-24 Central Catholic basketball team claim a spot in school history, Zeller also earned the respect and admiration of his Rams teammates.

“Marley is my best friend. I love Marley,” senior Miles Berry said. “He’s a great guy, and he’s super humble. He’s spent a lot of time playing basketball, and I’m glad that it’s paid off for him.”

“That guy, he’s a sharpshooter,” senior Tony Angelo said. “He brings so much effort. He’s battled with knee injuries throughout the year, but the entire time, he’s stayed consistent. He’s a great player and a great teammate.”

“He’s a super talented player, and he’s got a super future ahead of him,” junior Isaac Carr said.

That certainly appears to be true.

While Zeller’s high school basketball story has come to an end, his college basketball story is soon to start, as he’s signed to play at Pepperdine University.

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Blue sees big things ahead for Zeller at the next level.

“He’s a professional scorer,” Blue said. “At college, it’s all about how you can impact them winning at their level, and not too many people have his skill set. I’m excited. They’re going to work on his body. When he’s 20 years old, he’s going to be a monster — he’s a monster now. He’s going to get paid for this one day.”