CAPTION: Northern Michigan University basketball player Marco "CoShyne" Volcy stars in the Hip Hop Coalition's "Piecing it Together" concert in the Great Lakes Rooms of the University in Marquette Wednesday. (Journal file photo)

By KURT MENSCHING, Journal Sports Writer

MARQUETTE — Ask anyone associated with the Wildcats what makes Marco Volcy a great basketball player and, at first, they don’t use words to tell you.

You see a smile and a tap to the temple. It’s his intelligence.

That’s why, from the Berry Events Center stands, the former Northern Michigan University forward lacked some of the star power had by his younger brother, Ricky.

For four years at NMU, Marco was the quiet one. You saw him point, maybe direct a few of his teammates in their defensive positioning then set himself up for a rebound or the chance to swat away a shot.

On the offensive, Marco never strayed far from the paint. He was there for a rebound to kick the ball back out. Maybe he put a missed shot back for two points. At times, he showed off a beautiful turnaround jump shot. But Ricky was the Volcy brother people came away talking about.

Marco Volcy scored 1,179 points in his career, but they weren’t the kind of points easily recalled. They were points his coach, Dean Ellis, liked to see, points that his teammates relished. But not many were flashy.

Still, there was always more to Volcy than could be seen. He’s a cerebral player, and a hard worker. Those don’t always stand out as much as they should to the casual viewer, it made him a team leader on the court and off.



That changes when Marco Volcy takes the stage as his alter ego,

CoShyne, as he did in the Great Lakes Rooms Wednesday at NMU in a concert presented by the Hip Hop Coalition.

All eyes were on CoShyne. He had star power, a commanding presence on the stage.

But Volcy is not just some basketball player moonlighting as an R&B singer. He’s already released several albums and two videos in his native Canada. This is a man using a gifted voice to pursue his dream.

And yet, not all of Volcy’s work is done in front of a crowd. Behind the scenes, he produces for other artists and hopes to create music videos of his own, making use of his education in media production at NMU.



“It was unbelievable,” Volcy said.

But he didn’t feel any pressure or nerves. “I was so sure of myself. I just

wanted to go up there, have fun, and do what I do,” he said. “I think that the audience really understood the message, really liked the music. And I think they also understood this was a great four years for me, and this was their way to thank me, also. I’m really thankful that everybody participated.”

The concert meant a lot to Volcy, a 27-year-old from Montreal, Quebec, who when asked always reiterates how much he wants to give back to the people of Marquette and NMU, who says he wants people to know the other side of Marco Volcy.

He sang his nation’s national anthem — the proper way with half the verses in French — before his final home basketball game in February, then again that same night before the final home NMU hockey game.

The preparation leading up the to the CoShyne concert was intense, childhood friend and former NMU teammate Keder “K.J.” Hyppolite said.

“For real, I never seen him like that before, it was like when he put the second album together,” Hyppolite said. “All day – we always talk on the Internet – he didn’t IM (instant message) me all day. He was listening to his music, focusing. Everywhere he was, he had this beat with him, rehearsing and rehearsing.”

Hyppolite danced near the stage during the performance, then came on stage for the final song.

“If he’s in Marquette, I’ll be there. If he’s in Montreal, I’m always going to be there,” Hyppolite continued. “That’s the only reason I went on stage, I’m not an artist. I just love music, I love what he does. I’ve got his back.

“The boy is nice.”



And here is another image of Marco: On a cold winter day in Erie, Pa., the Wildcats and travel partner Michigan Tech Huskies were on the road to face Gannon University and Mercyhurst College. There was a piano in the lobby of the hotel. Volcy sat at it, entertaining his teammates by playing every song they requested.

The Michigan Tech women’s team arrived back at the hotel.

“Now they were requesting songs,” Ellis said. “Now I didn’t see it, but the people who saw it said it was the neatest thing. They were all singing. He played all the music. Just to tie Northern and Tech together, little lone guys and girls from opposite schools. That was one the neatest things.”



That Volcy was able to grow into such a success was no surprise to the people who have known him the longest, and it started with his parents.

“Since I was born, he’s always been in music,” Ricky Volcy said. “He’s always been doing music, working with my father, working on personal stuff, working with my other brother. You see him playing the piano, playing the guitar, all sorts of other instruments.”

The Volcy’s parents – immigrants from Haiti – are artistic, his father a musician and his mother a poet, comedian and performer on the stage.

And he grew up watching his father at the piano, wanting to be the guy sitting on the bench creating those sounds.

“He taught us what we know today, what we know about music.”

They didn’t push him toward the arts, but when Volcy showed an interest an aptitude, his parents were there to help him develop it.

But, every bit as important, his parents raised sons who were of good character.

So while in Marquette, Volcy helped his teammates make good decisions as well.

Closer in age, Ricky Volcy and Hyppolite were tighter friends, but Marco Volcy was the one who kept them out of trouble.

“We’d be like, ‘Hey, lets go do this!’ and turn to Marco and ask him, and he’d be like, ‘Ah, I would not do it,’” Hyppolite said. “He’s like an extension of our parents in Marquette.”

Ellis credits the Volcy family structure, stable and disciplined and supportive, for the success of all three of the sons.

“His mother and father are great people,” Ellis said. “They taught he and Ricky right from wrong, how to respect people, how to respect different types of people. And what a difficult thing for (the Volcy brothers) to come from basically a Haitian background to the Upper Peninsula, and they’ve basically done everything right. A big part of that was their parents.”



And the Haitian culture remains a strong influence in Volcy’s music today. Even if he could, he would never think of removing the Creole, Haitian flavor from his music, as that would be akin to being something he’s not.

He said he was one of the earlier musicians to release a French R&B album, a musical styling still in its early years.

“It’s at a stage where it’s pretty much open right now,” Volcy said. “ I had an album out in 2000 and it worked pretty well. I was already one of the first one to perform French R&B. I did this for two years and then I had the opportunity to play basketball and had my education. While I was here, there was other artists also, other good ones that came out and opened up even more doors than I and other artists opened. But there’s a lot of work to be done, and I’m going back to do that, to open more doors as the French R&B being a great style of music.”

Volcy describes his music as R&B with a hip-hop flavor. His influences are wide ranging, naturally beginning with French and Creole music, adding familiar names in the United States like Michael Jackson, Grammy award winner John Legend or Babyface, but also including lesser known but every bit as successful artists such as producer and singer Teddy Riley.



Before returning to basketball, Volcy took a few years to work on his music career. But he always knew he would return to the court.

“Once I did my music thing and everything went great, and I had the experience I wanted to, as soon as I saw the opportunity to come to NMU to play basketball again, I saw the opportunity and I had to jump.”

When recruiting in Montreal, Ellis said he was told repeatedly, he had to see that Volcy guy on the court.

He wasn’t scared off by Volcy’s time away from the game. In fact, Ellis credited it for allowing him to recruit such a good basketball player without a whole lot of competition.

It turned out great for all involved.



Volcy’s basketball career, and that of fellow seniors Hyppolite, David Noel and Randy Alexandre and Nick Buck, was recently celebrated.

It’s not hard to see Volcy’s career was a great success.

To go with his 1,179 points, he had 579 rebounds, almost half of those this season alone. He trailed only his brother in points scored this season, sinking about 11 points per game.

His intelligence on the defensive end of the court earned him the Top Defender award, but his mental makeup earned him an honor just as meaningful: the Kip Taylor Leadership and Courage Awards.

On the court, he was unquestioned as a leader, “vocally and by his actions,” Hyppolite said. “You know, he talks to every different people on this team, makes them feel good. He’s really smart mentally. He’s good. He’s good. The boy is nice.”

The coach said Volcy wanted to learn the game, to get better every day, and Volcy’s ability to understand the game was as good as anyone who’s ever put on the Wildcats’ uniform.

“His ability to understand the game, especially on the defensive end, but also on the offensive end, was just something special,” Ellis said.

Noticed around the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Volcy earned Second Team All-Conference and North Division all-defensive team honors.

After so many years playing organized basketball, not having that rigidity as part of his life is a bit strange.

Volcy still loves and plays the sport. This weekend, he can be seen playing for Rookies Sports Bar at the Negaunee Invitational Tournament, along side well-known faces such as Negaunee High School coach Mike O’Donnell, Westwood coach Dan Waterman or former NHS and NMU standout Billy Hill.

“I work out and play as much as I can, even though with my classes and schedule, I don’t have a lot of time,” Volcy said. “But it does feel weird without having basketball in my life. I’m still thinking basketball is going to be a part of my life. I’m going to keep on playing just because I love the game.”



As for his music future, Volcy will remain in Marquette for the summer months, at least through July.

Long term, he hopes to start his own business to work with other artists on the production side of things.

“When I produce hip hop music and I produce R&B music for people, that’s where the CoShyne, the man behind the man comes in,” Volcy said. “He’s the entrepreneur behind Marco Volcy. He’s the business man.”

His future seems bright, and those around him all believed Volcy can do whatever he sets his mind to.

But first, Volcy wanted to give his thanks. He is constantly grateful for having spent four years here.

“I want to thank the Marquette community, the coaches, the staff, everyone for giving us (Volcy and his senior teammates) four years of greatness.”



You can tell Volcy made a difference in people he was around while at NMU.

When asked for memories about him, people first stop and think, smile to themselves, nod their heads and then start talking.

Volcy’s contributions weren’t always on the surface, but they were always important.

“We’re going to miss him,” Ellis said. “I know that much.”

And he didn’t mean on the basketball court.