Kansas State University Athletics
“I’m Blessed I’m Still Here”
May 17, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The white Ford Explorer flipped five and a half times down Interstate-10 between Hattiesburg and New Orleans. Had it flipped six times it would've been hit by an 18-wheeler barreling down in the opposite direction. Doctors said that the coach in the passenger seat would've lived had he been wearing a seatbelt. Instead, he flew out of the passenger side window. Doctors said that Marco Borne, the driver of the vehicle, would've died had he been wearing his seatbelt. Instead, the steering wheel, which would've crushed Borne's insides, mashed his legs before he flew into the backseat. It was February 14, 1998. A holiday reserved for love could forever mark a dark day, the darkest of days — a day that one life ended, and another one changed forever.
Instead, Borne, who had his right leg amputated right below the knee, chooses to celebrate his blessings.
"When I first got back on my feet, I used to take that drive on February 14 just to pass the spot and reminisce," Borne says. "I'd think about the coach who didn't make it. I haven't been that way in a while, but I'm almost sure if I drove it, I could find the exact spot where the accident happened. I used to take that ride and remember the blessing of what happened."
Cause of the accident: A tire blowout.
"I was told I'd never walk again," he says. "Then I was told I might stand but would be paralyzed on my right side. Then I was told I might lose my left leg and keep my right leg. Then I found out they were going to amputate right leg below the knee."
Ten months in the hospital. Then back-and-forth trips to the hospital over the next few months. A year and a half recovery in all. Then, once everything stabilized, came the leg amputation.
"One thing about me, I stay positive about everything," Borne says. "The coach who was with me didn't make it. Who am I to complain? All I did was lose my leg. I was sad that he didn't make it. He had a newborn baby. His family lost a loved one due to a freak accident.
"There's never been a day where I've been like, 'Why?' I always say, 'Man, I'm blessed I'm still here.'"
Today, Borne serves on the K-State men's basketball team as assistant coach and chief of staff — a position he's held since he joined head coach Jerome Tang on staff in April 2022. It's been quite the impressive climb by Borne, who brought 21 years of coaching experience, including 14 as head coach at both the high school and NAIA levels, to Manhattan.
He is in the Hall of Fame of his alma mater, Dillard University (2000-04), in which he became the first coach in program history to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament in three consecutive seasons. He served as assistant coach at West Jefferson High School in New Orleans (2005-06) and interim head coach at Southern University-New Orleans (2006-07) during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He bounced around, collecting titles and helping six different programs to historical record-breaking seasons in his career. He even served as head coach of the Haitian Junior National Team, guiding the under-16 squad to a second-place finish at the FIBA Centrobasket Championship in Hermosillo, Mexico in 2019. He also assisted with the Haitian National Team as they attempted to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
"The proudest part of my career is having a 100% college graduation rate as a head coach, especially on the level of which I coached," he says. "All the guys who played at least two years of high school ball went onto college for free. Those are my two proudest things."
And now after spending the 2021-22 season as the associate head coach at Alcorn State, where he helped the program to its first conference championship in 20 years and its first postseason appearance in 35 seasons, he's spent two years here in the Little Apple as assistant coach and chief of staff.
"Basically, the duties of chief of staff range from just being available to doing whatever is needed to ensure the program is running smoothly," he says. "I do my best to keep things off Coach Tang's plate so he can focus. I'm a liaison for academics and compliance and with the community. I help set up recruiting visits and ensure we have everything in order with travel — everything.
"As far as being an assistant coach, being on the court is something I've always done. I appreciate the opportunity. Coming here I already knew the deal and told Coach Tang whatever he needs, I just want him to be successful."
Borne in his own right has become a recognizable face among the K-State family in Manhattan.
"I was in Dillons and somebody paid for my groceries," he says. "There are just kind-hearted people. The good thing is you don't have to pretend to be anybody else, I can just be myself and they accept me, and love me for who I am. You just try to return that love with hard work and passion."
Borne's passion began early in life. A native of New Orleans, he immersed himself in athletics. He played 17-year-old summer basketball and was on a trip and the coach quit on the 15-year-old team. Borne moved over and coached the 15-year-olds. Then he coached the team the remainder of the summer.
"That's when I started thinking this is what I want to do," he says. "My grandmother was an educator, and she was happy because I wanted to go into education. With the education came coaching. That's when I started thinking about it."
He was introduced to basketball head coach Jerry Loyd while attending Dillard University.
"Five miles from my house, I played at Dillard, got blessed my last year to play under Jerry Loyd, and he basically introduced me to coaching," Borne says. "I went to school for five years and he allowed me to be a student assistant my fifth year. That was a true example that when you think something bad is happening really it's God opening another door. I was supposed to graduate college and I didn't. I was frustrated, mad, had to go back to school for another year, and that allowed — I don't even know if I am who I am today if I didn't spend that extra year with Coach Loyd, learning the ins and outs, and being able to establish my foundation for being a coach."
He's carried a philosophy with him throughout his career, which he refers to as "The Three D's" — discipline, dedication and determination.
"When you're disciplined, you're going to do all the things to be successful," he says. "If you're determined, you're not going to allow anything to stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. If you're dedicated to the task, you're going to do everything you need to do. Basically, (the philosophy) comes from my 8-year-old AAU basketball coach. The things that he taught me are the things that my grandmother taught me, which led me to the coaching profession.
"The things that he poured into me are things that I wanted to pour into other people. Those are things that you can take onto the basketball court and into life."
Borne continues to make the most of every day, pouring into players, and helping Tang and a men's basketball program that he loves. It's been 26 years since his life changed forever.
In helping others, he helps himself.
"I've never looked at it like, 'Man, I can't believe this.' I look at it like, 'You have to make the most of this situation,'" Borne says, reflecting on the car accident.
"There's a reason God kept me here."
The white Ford Explorer flipped five and a half times down Interstate-10 between Hattiesburg and New Orleans. Had it flipped six times it would've been hit by an 18-wheeler barreling down in the opposite direction. Doctors said that the coach in the passenger seat would've lived had he been wearing a seatbelt. Instead, he flew out of the passenger side window. Doctors said that Marco Borne, the driver of the vehicle, would've died had he been wearing his seatbelt. Instead, the steering wheel, which would've crushed Borne's insides, mashed his legs before he flew into the backseat. It was February 14, 1998. A holiday reserved for love could forever mark a dark day, the darkest of days — a day that one life ended, and another one changed forever.
Instead, Borne, who had his right leg amputated right below the knee, chooses to celebrate his blessings.
"When I first got back on my feet, I used to take that drive on February 14 just to pass the spot and reminisce," Borne says. "I'd think about the coach who didn't make it. I haven't been that way in a while, but I'm almost sure if I drove it, I could find the exact spot where the accident happened. I used to take that ride and remember the blessing of what happened."
Cause of the accident: A tire blowout.
"I was told I'd never walk again," he says. "Then I was told I might stand but would be paralyzed on my right side. Then I was told I might lose my left leg and keep my right leg. Then I found out they were going to amputate right leg below the knee."
Ten months in the hospital. Then back-and-forth trips to the hospital over the next few months. A year and a half recovery in all. Then, once everything stabilized, came the leg amputation.
"One thing about me, I stay positive about everything," Borne says. "The coach who was with me didn't make it. Who am I to complain? All I did was lose my leg. I was sad that he didn't make it. He had a newborn baby. His family lost a loved one due to a freak accident.
"There's never been a day where I've been like, 'Why?' I always say, 'Man, I'm blessed I'm still here.'"
Today, Borne serves on the K-State men's basketball team as assistant coach and chief of staff — a position he's held since he joined head coach Jerome Tang on staff in April 2022. It's been quite the impressive climb by Borne, who brought 21 years of coaching experience, including 14 as head coach at both the high school and NAIA levels, to Manhattan.
He is in the Hall of Fame of his alma mater, Dillard University (2000-04), in which he became the first coach in program history to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament in three consecutive seasons. He served as assistant coach at West Jefferson High School in New Orleans (2005-06) and interim head coach at Southern University-New Orleans (2006-07) during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He bounced around, collecting titles and helping six different programs to historical record-breaking seasons in his career. He even served as head coach of the Haitian Junior National Team, guiding the under-16 squad to a second-place finish at the FIBA Centrobasket Championship in Hermosillo, Mexico in 2019. He also assisted with the Haitian National Team as they attempted to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
"The proudest part of my career is having a 100% college graduation rate as a head coach, especially on the level of which I coached," he says. "All the guys who played at least two years of high school ball went onto college for free. Those are my two proudest things."
And now after spending the 2021-22 season as the associate head coach at Alcorn State, where he helped the program to its first conference championship in 20 years and its first postseason appearance in 35 seasons, he's spent two years here in the Little Apple as assistant coach and chief of staff.
"Basically, the duties of chief of staff range from just being available to doing whatever is needed to ensure the program is running smoothly," he says. "I do my best to keep things off Coach Tang's plate so he can focus. I'm a liaison for academics and compliance and with the community. I help set up recruiting visits and ensure we have everything in order with travel — everything.
"As far as being an assistant coach, being on the court is something I've always done. I appreciate the opportunity. Coming here I already knew the deal and told Coach Tang whatever he needs, I just want him to be successful."
Borne in his own right has become a recognizable face among the K-State family in Manhattan.
"I was in Dillons and somebody paid for my groceries," he says. "There are just kind-hearted people. The good thing is you don't have to pretend to be anybody else, I can just be myself and they accept me, and love me for who I am. You just try to return that love with hard work and passion."
Borne's passion began early in life. A native of New Orleans, he immersed himself in athletics. He played 17-year-old summer basketball and was on a trip and the coach quit on the 15-year-old team. Borne moved over and coached the 15-year-olds. Then he coached the team the remainder of the summer.
"That's when I started thinking this is what I want to do," he says. "My grandmother was an educator, and she was happy because I wanted to go into education. With the education came coaching. That's when I started thinking about it."
He was introduced to basketball head coach Jerry Loyd while attending Dillard University.
"Five miles from my house, I played at Dillard, got blessed my last year to play under Jerry Loyd, and he basically introduced me to coaching," Borne says. "I went to school for five years and he allowed me to be a student assistant my fifth year. That was a true example that when you think something bad is happening really it's God opening another door. I was supposed to graduate college and I didn't. I was frustrated, mad, had to go back to school for another year, and that allowed — I don't even know if I am who I am today if I didn't spend that extra year with Coach Loyd, learning the ins and outs, and being able to establish my foundation for being a coach."
He's carried a philosophy with him throughout his career, which he refers to as "The Three D's" — discipline, dedication and determination.
"When you're disciplined, you're going to do all the things to be successful," he says. "If you're determined, you're not going to allow anything to stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. If you're dedicated to the task, you're going to do everything you need to do. Basically, (the philosophy) comes from my 8-year-old AAU basketball coach. The things that he taught me are the things that my grandmother taught me, which led me to the coaching profession.
"The things that he poured into me are things that I wanted to pour into other people. Those are things that you can take onto the basketball court and into life."
Borne continues to make the most of every day, pouring into players, and helping Tang and a men's basketball program that he loves. It's been 26 years since his life changed forever.
In helping others, he helps himself.
"I've never looked at it like, 'Man, I can't believe this.' I look at it like, 'You have to make the most of this situation,'" Borne says, reflecting on the car accident.
"There's a reason God kept me here."
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