Illinois Basketball: The case for Gregg Marshall as next Illini head coach
Despite a nice little winning run the Illinois basketball team has been on the last week or so, there is still a call for a coaching change. This isn’t changing in my books unless the Illini make the NCAA Tournament second round.
The amount of coaching options for Illinois is exciting because there are some good candidates to fill the role for next season. These coaches can recruit and have a history of winning on the basketball court. The next Illini coaching candidate I want to look at is Gregg Marshall.
Marshall is currently the head coach of the Wichita State Shockers and has been highly regarded as a top-notch head coach over the last few decades.
There are many pros you can take away when looking at Marshall’s resume. He took over a Winthrop program back in 1998 and in nine seasons with the Eagles, he went to seven NCAA Tournaments. In his final season with Winthrop, the team was a No. 11 seed and upset No. 6 Notre Dame in the first round.
The record Marshall racked up during his time with the Eagles helped him score the job with Wichita State. He made a great decision to take over the Shockers program because he continued his great performances.
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Before Marshall took over at Wichita State the program had only made the NCAA Tournament one time in the previous 19 seasons. This makes Marshall’s feat even more impressive. He has elevated this program to making the postseason the last five years.
In 2012-13 the Shockers were slotted at a No. 9 seed and made it all the way to the Final 4. The next season they were the No. 1 seed and got to the second round. The following year Wichita State got back to the Sweet 16 as a No. 7 seed. And last year they were Sweet 16 bound once again.
This is an impressive resume on the court. Marshall clearly knows how to get the best out of his players and given a platform like the one in Champaign would elevate his coaching abilities even higher. He has the ability to win without the greatest talents and I think he would do wonders with the Illini.
Marshall has helped develop his players into NBA type talents. He has had players like Cleanthony Early, Ron Baker, and Fred VanVleet all play NBA minutes. Marshall got everything out of his players and is a great coach.
Next: The Case for Monty Williams as Next Illini Head Coach
I think he would be a great fit for the Illini and I hope they approach him after the current regime is finished.