PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's basketball program is thrilled to welcome an exciting guard from Sherman Oaks, California to The Knighthood.
Angelino "Lino" Mark is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard, known for his speed and explosiveness on the court. Mark brings a winning pedigree to Piscataway next fall. Mark ultimately decided on Rutgers over finalists West Virginia, Seton Hall, and USC.
"Lino comes from a great family and is another high-energy, high-flying guard who knows how to play," Rutgers head coach
Steve Pikiell said. "Lino competed for a terrific AAU program in the Oakland Soldiers and led Notre Dame High School in California. He sees the floor, can finish at the rim and Rutgers fans are going to love his energy and his toughness."
Lino verbally committed to Rutgers on Oct. 9 at his high school in front of his teammates, coaches, friends, and family and now has made it official on National Signing Day this week.
"It feels amazing to commit to Rutgers," Mark said. "It's always a process to get to this next level and I feel like I'm playing for a great program, a great opportunity, and to fit into a new environment. I have the opportunity to get better and play the game I love, and it's a blessing. It was a no-brainer that Rutgers was the school for me."
Mark played for Notre Dame High School in California and competed for the prestigious Oakland Soldiers AAU program that thrived on the EYBL scene last season. Mark averaged 15.9 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 2.0 steals over 33 games his junior year. Mark's AAU squad finished second in their conference with a 14-1 record. NBA stars LeBron James, Kendrick Perkins, Chauncey Billups, and Brandon Jennings played for Oakland Soldiers.
"Lino is an absolute competitor," Rutgers assistant coach
Marlon Williamson said. "He plays hard like current Scarlet Knight
Jamichael Davis. He can play on the ball, or off the ball and is a complete guard. Lino is a leader, a competitor, and has come from winning programs in high school and on the AAU level."
His longtime AAU coach and founder of the Oakland Soldiers Mark Olivier spoke about the success that Mark had on and off the court since he was a child.
"Since he was in sixth grade, I think the biggest thing about him is that he loves to win," Olivier said. "When I recruited him, I was looking for straight winners. I spoke to his mom, and she had that mentality. Like that's the way she runs her house. It's about leaders, real dominant personalities, and that's why Lino was like our glue."
Mark said that his heritage being a Filipino basketball player is very important to him and that he looks up to the current Scarlet Knight's point guard
Dylan Harper who shares the same heritage.
"Just taking after Dylan, I feel like he's going to carry the program, leave a great legacy, and for me to come in, hopefully, wear No. 2, and carry on the Filipino nationality, that's it for me," Mark said. "We're family. We connect from being half-African American, half-Filipino, and to carry that on the court and off the court, it's fun to me and I can't wait for it."
Gallery: (11-13-2024) Lino Mark Joins 2025 Class
Mark shares a special relationship with his mother Jocelle Maliwanag who specifically enjoyed the connection with the campus during the family visit and loved how diverse the campus was. She was thrilled watching Mark's connection with Harper and ironically shares her birthday with Dylan's mom, Maria Harper.
The Mark family's connections with Rutgers run deep, as they have relatives in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Newark, New Jersey. Mark's uncle is actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, a Rutgers alum. Lino grew up around basketball with his father, Anthony Mark.
His brother, Christopher, and uncle, Jhonny, both played professional basketball internationally. Mark's mother recalled a story about Lino carrying the basketball everywhere as if it were his third limb since he was a child.
Lino shared a special message to Rutgers Nation for next season.
"I plan on winning," Mark said. "It's going to be a winning program this year, same with next year, and the years after that. The last thing to say is right now, I'm at Notre Dame High School, our mascot is the Knights, and then I'll be a Scarlet Knight, so I'm a Knight for life."
