Former Mojave star Marshall spurns other schools to take shot with Rebels
A quick drive across town from his parents’ home, Anthony Marshall has settled in at UNLV. He sleeps in a dorm room on campus and, for now, has the normal life of a college freshman.
The only road trips Marshall takes will come during the Rebels’ basketball season.
While at Mojave High School and being recruited by colleges all over the map, Marshall was considering leaving Las Vegas.
"There was a time when I was thinking like I probably would want to leave home and experience new things," he said.
Family values, and the loyalty he felt from UNLV’s Lon Kruger and his assistant coaches, swayed Marshall to cancel his travel planning.
"My family members wanted me to stay, but it was totally up to me. Whatever I decided to do, they were going to support me," he said. "When it came down to it, I wanted to stay home and play in front of them and help bring UNLV back to the glory days."
Marshall was born in March 1991, during the Rebels’ last Final Four run. He has two brothers and two sisters, between the ages of 3 and 14, and is finding inspiration at home.
"I have younger brothers and sisters, a lot of kids who look up to me, so I wanted to stay home (and) be like a role model for them," he said.
"In the past, there have been a lot of things that happened with hometown kids with distractions. I wanted to show them you don’t have to get in trouble while staying at home. You can be a good kid while staying at home, so that’s something I wanted to do.
"I’ve got a pretty big responsibility on my back, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m focused, so I know I’m going to do the right thing. Any time I get distracted or discouraged, I think about that to keep me on track."
A 6-foot-3-inch guard, Marshall is competing for playing time in a Rebels backcourt that is deep with experienced players. Juniors Derrick Jasper and Tre’Von Willis and sophomore Oscar Bellfield lead the way, and somewhere behind them Marshall will follow.
Early this month, Marshall strained his right hamstring running sprints in conditioning. He has been limited in practice the past two weeks but said he’s "pretty close" to going full speed again.
"Anthony’s going to do things that are going to make us want him out there," assistant coach Steve Henson said, describing Marshall as a smooth, versatile athlete capable of handling every guard spot. "He can do so many different things. Honestly, I don’t know what he does best.
"He’s got a great feel for the game, and he can see the floor and make plays. Sometimes it looks like he’s coasting, just because he’s kind of a smooth player. It looks like he’s picking up things pretty easily, so I think we can throw him out there at any perimeter position right now."
Henson, a former NBA point guard, sees point instincts in Marshall and said he can defend small and big guards with no problems.
"He’s really athletic. I think he plays a lot bigger than what we list him in the program. He plays a lot bigger than he’s 6-3," Henson said.
"He’ll surprise people when he goes up to pin shots on the glass, and he’ll jump up and rebound it in traffic. We often joke about it. There are times when I stand next to him and you can’t believe that he’s not taller, because you watch him out on the court and the way he’ll get blocked shots.
"It doesn’t even look like he’s close to a guy and he’ll go block his shot, and then he’ll go help from the weakside and go up above the rim and block the shot."
Marshall’s strength on the offensive end is how he aggressively drives by defenders to the basket, and he also has shooting range.
"He can really get on a roll," Henson said. "When he’s feeling it, he can get on a streak and knock down 3s in bunches."
Kruger and his UNLV staff have seen plenty of Marshall, starting to recruit him as a sophomore and continuing to make him a priority as a top local prospect.
Marshall, who averaged 25 points per game as a senior, appreciated the omnipresence of the Rebels’ coaches.
"I built a relationship with them. UNLV was the first school to recruit me. I felt like they were the most loyal coaches, and they didn’t just like me because I played basketball or I was a highly recruited athlete in the country," he said. "They liked me as a person and as a student.
"No matter where my games were, if the rules permitted them to be there, they were there. If one coach wasn’t there, there was another one there. I got to see all their faces frequently. So when it came down to my decision, I wanted to stay home and play for them."
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.
