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I enjoyed the dialogue from SN regarding Part 1 of the Mike Kennedy interview. Let's look at another topic I discussed with Mike.
We all feel blessed to have the best coach for us in college basketball. Ten years ago we weren't sure what to expect in this coach from a smaller profile school in Winthrop. Coach Marshall has brought WSU a long way since his frustrating exit, via two technical fouls at the MVC Tournament, his first year at the helm. An NIT championship, six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, a final four, going undefeated in the 2013-14 regular season has elevated Marshall as a nationally recognized coach on a yearly basis. Marshall recently passed the great Ralph Miller as the all-time winningest coach in Shocker history. Here is our conversation about coach Marshall.
SHOXMVC: "Mike, history says Gregg Marshall is the best coach of all-time at Wichita State. Why was Marshall the right fit 10 years ago, and why has he been so successful at WSU?"
Mike Kennedy: "I always believed that for WSU basketball to return to a high position in national basketball circles, it would take a coach who could recognize and understand the unique opportunities that are available here, and for that person to stay long enough to take full advantage of those opportunities. I will always be grateful to Mark Turgeon for getting this program back on track, and when the 2006 team reached the Sweet 16, it reinforced the hope and belief that that sort of thing could still happen here. I believe that given his background at Kansas and Oregon, etc, Coach Turgeon felt he had probably taken the program about as far as it could go. Having come from a background at Marshall, and College of Charleston, and Winthrop, Gregg Marshall saw that Wichita State could be even more, that there are resources here far beyond anything he had ever had at his disposal previously. He is an extremely hard worker, an intense competitor, has an eye for talent, especially in those that may have been overlooked by bigger schools, and he is an exceptional teacher of the game, planner and strategist, and heat-of-the-moment game coach. He has an ability to recognize coaching talent as well, and is not afraid to have strong people around him and to listen to their input. He and his staff have done a tremendous job of recruiting to a program which was hardly on the radar of any top 100 players a few years ago, and with the success the program has experienced, they have been able to continue to raise the level of their recruitment. Above all, regardless of whatever success the program continues to experience, he never backs off from the work ethic, standards, and culture which have brought this program to where it is, things like toughness, teamwork, selflessness, and humility."
We are very unique in that each of the past several years our coach is a coveted commodity in college basketball. Many bigger profile schools have tried, in vein, to pry Marshall away from Wichita, Kansas. As Marshall has said many times..."don't mess with happy." Please share your thoughts SN!!!
We all feel blessed to have the best coach for us in college basketball. Ten years ago we weren't sure what to expect in this coach from a smaller profile school in Winthrop. Coach Marshall has brought WSU a long way since his frustrating exit, via two technical fouls at the MVC Tournament, his first year at the helm. An NIT championship, six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, a final four, going undefeated in the 2013-14 regular season has elevated Marshall as a nationally recognized coach on a yearly basis. Marshall recently passed the great Ralph Miller as the all-time winningest coach in Shocker history. Here is our conversation about coach Marshall.
SHOXMVC: "Mike, history says Gregg Marshall is the best coach of all-time at Wichita State. Why was Marshall the right fit 10 years ago, and why has he been so successful at WSU?"
Mike Kennedy: "I always believed that for WSU basketball to return to a high position in national basketball circles, it would take a coach who could recognize and understand the unique opportunities that are available here, and for that person to stay long enough to take full advantage of those opportunities. I will always be grateful to Mark Turgeon for getting this program back on track, and when the 2006 team reached the Sweet 16, it reinforced the hope and belief that that sort of thing could still happen here. I believe that given his background at Kansas and Oregon, etc, Coach Turgeon felt he had probably taken the program about as far as it could go. Having come from a background at Marshall, and College of Charleston, and Winthrop, Gregg Marshall saw that Wichita State could be even more, that there are resources here far beyond anything he had ever had at his disposal previously. He is an extremely hard worker, an intense competitor, has an eye for talent, especially in those that may have been overlooked by bigger schools, and he is an exceptional teacher of the game, planner and strategist, and heat-of-the-moment game coach. He has an ability to recognize coaching talent as well, and is not afraid to have strong people around him and to listen to their input. He and his staff have done a tremendous job of recruiting to a program which was hardly on the radar of any top 100 players a few years ago, and with the success the program has experienced, they have been able to continue to raise the level of their recruitment. Above all, regardless of whatever success the program continues to experience, he never backs off from the work ethic, standards, and culture which have brought this program to where it is, things like toughness, teamwork, selflessness, and humility."
We are very unique in that each of the past several years our coach is a coveted commodity in college basketball. Many bigger profile schools have tried, in vein, to pry Marshall away from Wichita, Kansas. As Marshall has said many times..."don't mess with happy." Please share your thoughts SN!!!
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