City of Basketball Love

Varun Kumar (@vrkumar8)
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Though he has spent most of his professional career far away from his hometown of Philadelphia, Marshall is still a Philly guy through-and-through.

Marshall, 30, was a star over a decade ago for Martin Luther King High School, blossoming into one of the region’s top recruits in 2003. He decided to stay close to home and play for the legendary John Chaney at Temple, though he was required to sit out the 2003-04 season, because he was ruled academically ineligible to play as a freshman due to Proposition 48 guidelines.

He eventually made it to campus, and was an effective big man for the Owls for the following two seasons, which coincided with Chaney’s last two on North Broad. Marshall averaged 6.9 ppg and 4.6 rpg in the legendary coach’s slow-tempo and guard-controlled scheme.

Marshall was set to play his senior season in 2006-07, but shortly before the season began, he decided to take time off to focus on recurring health issues that had been plaguing him for almost a year. Those health issues, which included dizzy spells and occasional blackouts, forced him to step away from basketball for a period of time as he exhausted his collegiate eligibility.

He began to re-enter the basketball world in 2009, first playing in the Premier Basketball League in the United States, before deciding to head across the Pacific to play in Japan’s BJ League in the city of Osaka.

“It was a difficult transition at first, being out of the country for the first time,” he said. “But I adjusted pretty well. I got established to the coaches. The people there are nice, the league is nice. After I got used to it, it was an easy transition.”

Marshall’s play has been consistently strong ever since he arrived in Japan. He played a big role on Osaka team that was a Division Finalist and league semifinal participant in 2011.

In all but one of his six seasons in the Pacific nation, he has averaged double digits in scoring. He has also averaged over one blocked shot per game and six rebounds per game in his time there. His shooting range has also improved from his amateur days, as he now has the capability of hitting the occasional 3-point shot, even with defender’s hand in his face.

Despite his successes in a country halfway across the world, Philadelphia is still home for Marshall. Being in the city and taking part in events like the Rumph Classic is enjoyable for him—as long as his body cooperates.

Though he played in the Rumph Classic during its early years, this week was actually the first time he’d participated in the event in quite some time. He has instead spent last few summers trying to rest up a knee that hadn’t fully healed since he injured it several years ago.

“It’s not 100 percent, but it’s good enough to be able to perform and play,” he said. ““I’ve been itching to play [in Rumph] for a long time. I had to rehab my knee and get it right. I was able to play this year, and it was a fun experience.”