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Fortuna’s Macee Marquez will continue her playing career on the college basketball courts after signing her letter of intent to play at Butte College earlier this week.

On Tuesday afternoon, the two-time Big 5 all-league honorable mention committed her future to the Roadrunners in front of family, friends, coaches and teammates at Fortuna High.

And the senior standout is excited about what the future holds and looking forward to the challenge of continuing her playing career after graduation, as well as the big move away this summer.

“I am excited,” she said. “I was born and raised here in Humboldt County and I’ve never live anywhere else, and I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”

Marquez certainly left her mark on Huskies basketball.

This past winter she led her team in minutes played (609) and 3-pointers (49), averaging 8.9 points a game and giving the Huskies a dangerous option from downtown.

She also was a team leader on and off the court, setting the example for her younger teammates as they adjusted to the varsity level.

“Macee has been an important part of our program as a floor leader who understands how to control the game,” Fortuna head coach Tom Chapman said. “She’s a shooter who can really get going and change the momentum of a game.”

All of that will help her adjust to the next level.

And she will have some time to adjust, while red-shirting this coming season on a Roadrunners team that featured all freshmen in 2025/26.

“I’ll take the year to get bigger and stronger to be better for next year,” she said.

Marquez says she made a lot of great memories while playing for the Huskies and will miss her time at Fortuna High.

She received an all-league honorable mention in both her junior and senior seasons, as the Huskies enjoyed a memorable playoff run in 2024/25, going further in the postseason than any Fortuna team since 1981 and qualifying for the NorCal playoffs.

But the success is not the only thing she’ll remember from her time as a Husky.

Asked what she enjoyed most about the past few years, she responded emphatically.

“Definitely my teammates,” she said. “They made my experience just so memorable, and traveling for tournaments and just riding in the van with them.

“And definitely my senior year was my favorite.”

She says several people have had an impact on her career, including her coaches, but one person has played a bigger role than anyone else on her journey.

“I just want to thank my teachers and my coaches for pushing me. I wouldn’t be here without them,” she said. “And my dad (Mark Marquez), he’s been my coach ever since rec league in every sport I’ve played.”

Marquez also competed in golf for two seasons at Fortuna, while also playing soccer and volleyball before high school, but basketball has always been her favorite and continuing on the court has long been her goal for college.

“Basketball has always been my passion,” she said. “I’m very passionate about it.”

Marquez will join a Butte program that has enjoyed plenty of success in recent years, including edging College of the Redwoods for this past year’s Golden valley Conference championship.

The Roadrunners finished 9-1 in conference play and 23-6 overall.

But it wasn’t just the program’s success that put the Roadrunners’ on Marquez’s radar.

“I’ve been in contact with their coach (Phillip Thomas) since I was a junior, just back and forth to let him know I was interested,” she said. “And I went for a visit and I watched the team practice, and from the moment I went there they were welcoming and it felt like home.”

Marquez also has family in the Chico area, which will help with the transition.

And Chapman believes she has the talent and drive to be a success at the JC level.

“I think the junior college level will be a great fit for her to continue developing,” he said. “And she has the tools to succeed.”

Marquez says she wants to major in Health Occupations and Kinesiology and added that “definitely, yes” she would like to continue her playing career with a four-year program after her time at Butte.