McCullough dreams big in Mexico

Mexico is a popular vacation destination for many Americans.

For Louis McCullough, it’s a place to continue playing basketball.

The former Francis Marion standout is in his second stint playing in the country, this time for the Queretaro Libertadores of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional League.

Playing in Mexico definitely wasn’t what McCullough envisioned when his playing days at FMU ended in 2005. He had bigger dreams, and still wants to play in the NBA where his cousin and Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett has shined for more than a decade.

“I was confident that I would be playing at a higher level,” McCullough said recently. “But I was and am humble and modest about the whole situation in the matter about me playing basketball professionally.

“Eventually I will get a workout in the NBA, but if I don’t, it’s not the end of world and I say this because I get paid to play basketball.”

McCullough was the leading scorer on the FMU team that went 27-4 and advanced within one game of the Division II Elite Eight. He remains close to several members of the team including Jaquan Bracy, who lives in Orlando, Fla., where McCullough stays in the offseason.

“I wouldn’t trade that experience for nothing in the world. I have stories for days and years because everyday was something new and exciting,” McCullough said. “Just the fun we had as a basketball team and as a family was great.”

After an up-and-down senior season, McCullough played a year in Mexico before spending time in the British basketball league and ABA before returning to the LNBP this season.

The 6-foot-7, 227-pounder, who plays shooting guard and small forward, is averaging a team-high 18.6 points and 5.2 rebounds and shooting 40.9 percent from the three-point line for the Libertadoros, who play a 40-game schedule from September through the end of January.

About the only downside to playing in Mexico, McCullough said, is being away from his family and learning Spanish; especially when his coach Luis Manuel is talking to the team.

“He understands a fair amount of English and he has guys on he team that can speak good English to translate some things,” McCullough said. “… for the most part I understand what he’s saying if he doesn’t speak too fast.”

As far as the competition on the court, McCullough compares the style and physical nature of playing in Mexico to playing pick-up games in the summer at FMU where the defense was responsible for calling fouls. But McCullough said that just motivates him to work harder and become stronger to be able to take the contact he faces.

And working on his game and his future is something McCullough continues to do.

In the summers, McCullough works with children and would like to get into coaching down the road after his playing days are over.

But McCullough says he hopes to play another 10 or 12 seasons.

“I’m truly blessed because I’m living the dream through the eyes of so many that would love or like to be in my situation,” McCullough said. “It’s a work in progress, but the progress is steady and increasing everyday. But I’m not satisfied yet.”