:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28431195/164460603.0.jpg)
NEWS FLASH... Gregg Marshall doesn't care what you think.
It seems like after every Wichita State win vitriol is released by the media and some fans in the way that Marshall carries himself and how he talks about his team and the game. It's gone far enough now that colleagues have started to defend the 16 year head coach:
Really getting tired of hearing people take shots at Gregg Marshall.Take time to Get to know him first.He is fighting loyal, openly honest,
— Barclay Radebaugh (@CoachBRadebaugh) February 11, 2014
Passionately loves his family. but because he wins big people search for flaws??I repeat get to know him before being critical.
— Barclay Radebaugh (@CoachBRadebaugh) February 11, 2014
Eric Prisbell recently had a piece in USA Today entitled "Wichita State's Gregg Marshall puts teeth into coaching". That title could not describe the approach that Marshall takes any better.
Marshall may be a new name to a lot of casual basketball fans but he's a guy that has been around a long time and has come up the hard way. While opportunities for guys like Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens seemed to come out of nowhere, Marshall has been coaching for almost 30 years and climbed as an assistant from the Division III ranks to Division II and eventually to Division I Charleston.
What Marshall did at Winthrop was nothing short of spectacular and he doesn't seem to get enough credit for it and is seemingly labeled by some as a "flash in the pan". That could not be further from the truth.
Simply put, Gregg Marshall is the type of guy that everyone wants running their program. He's calm, cool, and collected but still has a "come at me bro" mentality that I think a lot of non-power conference fans can relate with. When a program like Wichita State flourishes fans and media will point at the schedule, Marshall's response:
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall, moments ago on our airwaves "To anyone complaining about our schedule - call us. We'll put you on it."
— 100.3 The Team (@1003TheTeam) February 7, 2014
Marshall is a guy that is going to bleed your programs colors and aggressively defend the program you love so much at every turn. He's doesn't have the flash of a Shaka Smart, but he gets the job done his own way.
People keep asking, "what major program is Marshall going to head to?", the answer should be "none". Marshall is happy and when he's at Wichita State he'll always have a chip on his shoulder because of the detractors and his team certainly takes on that mentality as well.
What people should be asking is, "who is the next Gregg Marshall?". Oddly enough it might be a guy like Mike Rhoades at VCU, but that's a conversation to be had when the coaching carousel starts spinning again in about a month. For now let's all simmer down a bit and enjoy what Marshall and his Shockers are doing. I don't care what conference you're in and who you're playing, what's going on in Wichita right now is nothing short of amazing. This team was supposed to be worse than the Final Four product last year and here they are...25-0.
