In recent weeks I've heard more and more complaining about Gregg Marshall from Shocker fans. I'm a little confused by this. People do realize that this was his first season, right? How long do fans need to follow college sports before they realize that it takes longer than a year to rebuild? Granted, you'd like to avoid 20-loss seasons like the one WSU just had along the way; but it happens.
There have been recent rumblings that Marshall just might not be "the right fit" for the Wichita State program. Let me tell you something: it's not "the Wichita State program"... it's Gregg Marshall's program. Universities don't look at a coaching opening and say, "well, we need to hire somebody. Let's go out and find a person who will run OUR system". That's not how it works. It's up to the coach to put HIS imprint on the program and win HIS way. That's why transition years are so tough: it's difficult to balance new players who are brought in specifically to run your system with the guys who come back from the previous regime and have to adapt. It's an inexact science and unless you have extraordinarily talented players it usually doesn't turn out well. You have to give it some time and be patient. And what's so hard about that? It's up to YOU to decide if you're going to quit being a fan of the team. If you're not going to jump ship as a fan, then you've got all the time in the world to wait for winning. It's not like you're going anywhere, right?
I also keep hearing people say that they don't think Marshall is that great of a coach. Excuse me? There's a player on this team right now named Ramon Clemente. When Ramon got to WSU he was a former street-baller from New York with one year of Juco ball in Texas who never played on an organized team in high school. By the end of the year, he was routinely racking up double-doubles in one of the most physical leagues in all of Division One basketball.... and you're going to tell me that Marshall can't coach? Really? REALLY? That sounds like pretty good player development to me. It's also not Gregg Marshall's fault that this team flat-out could not shoot. When you add their inability to consistently knock down outside shots with a spotty inside game, it's tough to compete.
Trust me, Marshall is a good coach. More importantly, he's a good guy. I know he may come off as a bit abrasive at times but he's simply adjusting. It takes a year or so to get used to a new place; especially when you're coming from a place like Winthrop. It takes a while to get used to all of the attention and post-game news conferences and outside interview requests.... and the PRESSURE of needing to win. Marshall is a nice guy with an amazing and entertaining wit and sense of humor. As he gets more comfortable around here, you'll get to see more and more of it. Remember that next year when Clevin Hannah, AJ Hawkins, Aaron Ellis and Ramon Clemente are leading the Shox back towards the top of the Valley and Gregg Marshall is the most popular guy in town.
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