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THE WOODLANDS — There was once a time when Marcus Jordan felt immense pressure when he stepped on the basketball floor. Considering that his father is a six-time NBA champion, that's understandable.

Now, as a 17-year-old junior, Michael Jordan's youngest son is busy establishing his own identity — as perhaps one of the top prep guard prospects in the class of 2009.

"There was pressure on me when I was in seventh and eighth grade because I thought that I had to be my dad," Marcus said. "Now that I've gotten older, I'm making my own name."

Marcus, a 6-3, 180-pound guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, is in town playing in one of the premier basketball recruiting events in the nation, the 14th annual Houston Kingwood Classic. He's here with his Amateur Athletic Union squad, the Rising Stars, while trying to make a positive impression on the hundreds of college coaches in attendance for the three-day event, which is headquartered at Legends Sports Complex.

Rising stock
The event has 681 teams playing on 66 courts across the area in a 48-hour span. The 17-and-under platinum division will play its championship game at 3:15 p.m. today at Legends.

Marcus, who isn't nationally ranked but was rated as one of the top 10 prospects in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com, thinks he has plenty to offer to Division I schools. He describes his game as "solid," and some recruiting analysts think he could emerge as a major college prospect.

"I want to get everyone involved but I score when there's an opportunity," Marcus said. "I just try to run the team."

Madison junior guard Tommy Mason-Griffin, whose AAU squad Houston Hoops defeated the Rising Stars on Friday night, had good things to say about Marcus.

"He's a pretty good player," Mason-Griffin said. "He's quick and he has a solid midrange game."

Not quite like Mike
As he and his Rising Stars teammates played a Saturday morning game against the Alabama Challenge, his skills were on full display. At first glance, it isn't easy to tell he's Jordan's son. He has a goatee and headband as well as goggles and he dons the No. 5 on his jersey.

"I just go and play my game," he said. "I'm sure people look at me and say 'Oh, that's Michael Jordan's son,' but I don't even think about that. I just play."

He might not feel much pressure these days, but there always is a lot of attention focused on him.

"The attention is crazy," said John Hicks, who chaperones Marcus when he's traveling with the team.

Marcus said he's not sure who's actively recruiting him because his parents handle the recruiting process. But he does hope to continue playing basketball.

"I definitely want to play Division I basketball," he said.

sam.khan@chron.com