VITALS: 6-7, 190, Oakland OVERVIEW: Marshall averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds in earning MVP honors in the Mid-Continent Conference tournament and leading Oakland to the NCAA Tournament. After playing in 13 games as a freshman at Ball State, Marshall transferred and made two first-team All Conference teams in three years for Oakland. The 23-year-old finished his career second in school history with 1,671 points and second with 229 steals. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Middle of the second round. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Eddie Robinson COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Quinton Ross ROLE PROJECTION: Reserve small forward. POSITIVES: Marshall has a very quick first step to the basket; once he is on his way, his acceleration is excellent. He has shown some ability to create shots for others after he drives to the basket, although in college his main responsibility was to score. He is extremely athletic and is one of those rare players who appears to cover a lot of ground without running that hard. He seems to be gliding but is actually moving around well. SHORTCOMINGS: Marshall has some wiry strength, a la Reggie Miller, but will need to increase his overall body strength to survive in the NBA. Even small forwards in the NBA are bigger than his 187 pounds, and he will have to fight through being posted up by the Jerry Stackhouses of the NBA. If he is lucky, Marshall can stick on a roster.
Ive only seen this cat play a couple of times including the game against UNC in the NCAAs. I was impressed with his ability to handle the UNC pressure. You could see if he had a better team around him, he would be a much better player. Even though UNC blew Oakland out, Marshall showcased enough skill to be given some consideration by a team in the second round. I believe that he is better of signing as a free agent in order to go to team that may better suit his style. Phoenix would be ideal for him.
