By Jennifer Eder
When Donyell Marshall walks into a high school gym on a recruiting trip, the players take notice.
That's because GW's newest assistant basketball coach had a distinguished career in the NBA, playing 15 seasons for eight different teams.
“I know my NBA experience helps when it comes to recruiting. When kids see me in the gym, they’ll turn and say, ‘No way! Look that’s Donyell Marshall. What school is he with?’” he said. “I’m going to use my NBA roots as much as I have to in order to turn this program around.”
The former college basketball star joined the Colonials’ men’s basketball team coaching staff last July after retiring from the NBA in the summer of 2009.
“Everywhere we go he’s recognized and so well-respected throughout the country that just by the mention of his name, he gives us instant credibility with recruiting,” said Karl Hobbs, GW men’s basketball head coach.
Growing up in Reading, Pa., a small town about an hour outside of Philadelphia, Mr. Marshall played football, basketball and baseball. His first dream however was to be an NFL quarterback. But when he went from 6-foot to 6-foot-8 in just 18 months, he decided to focus solely on basketball, leading his high school team to a 29-2 record for his senior year.
His height, strength and talent got him a full scholarship to the University of Connecticut, where he first met Mr. Hobbs, who became an assistant coach for the Huskies during Mr. Marshall’s junior year.
During his three seasons with the Huskies, he was selected for the All-America First Team in 1994 and voted the Big East Conference Player of the Year in 1994. He led the Huskies to a 29-5 record in 1994 – clinching a Big East regular season championship. Today, Mr. Marshall still holds the school’s record for the most points in a single season (855), the most field goals (307) and the most free throws made (200).
In 1994, he became the first player to leave UConn early for the NBA draft.
“It was a really hard decision,” Mr. Marshall said. “Obviously growing up in the projects, I didn’t have any money so that was a big factor to leave early and start getting an NBA paycheck.”
He was the fourth draft pick overall, starting his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He went on to play for the Golden State Warriors, the Utah Jazz, the Chicago Bulls, the Toronto Raptors, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Seattle SuperSonics and finally the Philadelphia 76ers.
Mr. Marshall said one of his favorite teams to play for was the Utah Jazz because it was a turning point in his career.
“When I was with Golden State, we were a losing team, but when I got to Utah, I learned how to win. I learned how to play right, eat right, get the proper sleep and take care of my body,” he said. “Being in Utah really helped me become a man.”
In 2005, he hit 12 out of 19 three-pointers, tying Kobe Bryant’s record for the highest number of three-pointers in a single game. In 2007, he helped the Cavaliers advance to the NBA finals. And when he retired in 2009, he had scored 10,716 points.
But what he’s most proud of is fulfilling his dream and having such a long career.
“I set out as a kid to make it, and I made it. Every time I stepped out onto the court was a great memory,” he said.
After spending a year as a pre-game and post-game analyst for the 76ers on Comcast SportsNet, Mr. Marshall heard Mr. Hobbs had an opening and was immediately interested in the position.
“Anytime you can get a guy who’s a 15-year NBA veteran, you want that person on your staff,” said Mr. Hobbs. “His basketball knowledge and his ability to develop our players have been invaluable.”
David Pellom, a sophomore forward, said it’s great to have an NBA veteran pushing him in practice every day.
“Coach Marshall’s experience can definitely help me reach my goal of playing at the next level,” he said.
Coming into this season, Mr. Marshall knew the team was pretty young and would face a challenge after Lasan Kromah, the team’s returning top scorer from last season, sprained his foot in October, sidelining him for the season.
“I know the fans might not necessarily want to hear this, but this year was our team’s learning year. Next year, however, is going to be our year. I hope the fans and the school and everybody is patient with us,” Mr. Marshall said. “I see the growth in these kids every day.”
So far the Colonials have a 15-13 record with two more games to go in the regular season.
Mr. Marshall said he’s really enjoyed getting back to the college basketball environment because it’s all about the “love for the game.”
“In the NBA, basketball is a business, and there’s become more of a focus on the entertainment value,” he said.
Whether it’s because of his age, his experience or just his lighthearted personality, the players almost think of Mr. Marshall as one of them.
“He has walked in our footsteps at one time, and he knows what it takes to reach the next level,” said Mr. Pellom.
Mr. Marshall ended up earning his bachelor’s degree from UConn last summer before coming to GW. Although having a college degree was a requirement for the assistant coaching job, Mr. Marshall said his real motivation came from not wanting to see his daughter, Taylor, who’s a junior at UConn, earn her degree before he did.
“I also knew that I couldn’t tell the players here to go to class and that their degrees are important if I haven’t gotten a degree myself,” he said.
His wife, Leea, and his youngest children, Devynn and Donyell Jr., still live in Cleveland. His son, Terancce, is a red-shirt freshman on Walsh University’s men’s basketball team while his sons Marquis and Paryss play high school basketball in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Marshall admits it’s hard to be away from his family but knew that a coaching position at GW was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“George Washington is a great job to have. A lot of coaches would kill for this job,” he said.
While Mr. Marshall’s career aspiration is to become a head coach one day, he wants the Colonials to know that he plans to be at GW for a while.
“I don’t want people to think that this is just a stepping stone for me, and I’m just going to be here for a year or two and then go somewhere bigger. I want to be here for a long time, and I’m hoping I can be here for 10 years,” he said. “I hope that I can turn this thing around and get back to where GW was when they were sixth in the country.”