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LOCATION: Huntington, WV
CONFERENCE: Mid-American (East)
LAST SEASON: 16-11 (.593)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 11-7 (6th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 0/5
NICKNAME: Thundering Herd
COLORS: Kelly Green & White
HOMECOURT: Cam Henderson Center (9,043)
COACH: Greg White (Marshall '82)
record at school 47-36 (3 years)
career record 166-190 (13 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Steve Snell (Radford '88)
Jeff Burkhamer (Alderson Broaddus '84)
Jeff Boals (Ohio '95)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 18-17-20-11-16
RPI (last 5 years) 177-148-98-213-134
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference first round.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Marshall coach Greg White said he was never worried, despite rampant rumors throughout the early summer that his franchise player, 6-foot-10, 240-pound sophomore J.R. VanHoose, was being lured away by the University of Kentucky. Even VanHoose heard the rumors, and wondered how they got started. The rumor mill began churning after VanHoose, a former Kentucky Mr. Basketball from Paintsville, had a great freshman season (14.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 59.4 FG). VanHoose led Marshall in scoring and rebounding the first Marshall freshman ever to do that while taking the Mid-American Conference shooting crown. Once spurned by Kentucky in the recruiting process, VanHoose wasn't about to turn his back on the school that wanted him. "Once you pick a school, you need to honor your commitment," VanHoose said. "There's no way I'd leave Marshall. I've got too much going for me. I've got a great coach, coaching staff, teammates and friends. I'm happy." White is able to joke about the summer soap opera now, but he's also extremely happy that VanHoose is an honorable young man. Other MAC coaches might wish he'd left.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT B+ BENCH/DEPTH B
FRONTCOURT B+ INTANGIBLES C+
Greg White likes to measure his teams against the competition. With this year's squad, he sees a solid group of returning players who gained valuable experience in the MAC. The Herd played Miami (Ohio) tough twice, losing by two in overtime on the road and by five at home, and lost at Kent by only three in the MAC Tournament. Outside the league, Marshall lost by five at Georgia and whipped Massachusetts by 20 at home. "I think about where we were and where we are," White said. "People wondered if we'd be competitive in the MAC. Now we know we are. If Miami and Kent were the best, we're not that far away." White's biggest obstacle might be finding enough playing time for everyone. "I prefer that to three years ago when we were looking for players," he said. The MAC gets stronger each year, but so does the Herd. This team should be in the hunt. |
VanHoose is totally committed to basketball and school. So much that he attended a semester of summer school just to get ahead. When he wasn't attending classes, he drove the 60 miles from Paintsville to Huntington three days a week to lift weights. Although Central Michigan forward Mike Manciel was chosen MAC Freshman of the Year in voting by the media, VanHoose was equally qualified. More so in the minds of some Thundering Herd fans who thought their freshman was robbed of the award. VanHoose, however, put it in proper perspective, comparing himself to the MAC Player of the Year and NBA first-round draft pick, Wally Szczerbiak of Miami (Ohio). "Wally didn't get freshman of the year either," said VanHoose, who did receive MAC All-Freshman team and honorable mention all-league honors. "Hopefully I can turn out like him." The recruiting experts deemed VanHoose not athletic enough to play in a major program, but because of his court savvy and awareness, he usually was the first player downcourt on Herd fast breaks. When he catches the ball down low, it's usually in the basket before the defense reacts. His nine double-doubles included 34 points and 17 rebounds in a victory at Buffalo. He had 30 points and 17 rebounds in a MAC tournament first-round defeat at Kent. "He's a keeper," said Kent coach Gary Waters. Marshall returns all five starters for its third season in the MAC. Forward Derrick Wright (4.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) is a 6-7, 240-pound senior expected to shed his tag of inconsistency and join with VanHoose to give the Herd a strong inside presence. "This is the year Derrick needs to play like he's capable of playing," White said. Junior-college transfer Sean Wuller is an interesting story. Marshall needed to sign Wuller twice before finally getting him in the program. The 6-10, 240-pound center originally signed a letter of intent in 1998, but didn't graduate from Belleville Area (Ill.) Community College. Wuller was re-signed in the spring while completing his two-year degree. A junior, Wuller averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in his final season at Belleville. "Sean is big and very athletic and certainly fills a need for us," White said. "He can play either post position and is extremely long and mobile. You can't teach what he brings to the table." Marshall also brought in 6-8, 235-pound junior forward Marques Evans (8.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg) from Paris (Texas) Junior College. Evans has deceiving statistics because Paris coach Bill Foy used a lot of players. The leading scorer for the Dragons scored only 11.0 points per game. The coaching staff at Iowa contacted Evans the day he signed with the Herd. "Marques will give Marshall strength at the forward position," Foy said. "He is a strong rebounder, excellent defender and can score in the paint. He simply helps you win." White said Evans is a big, strong workhorse who "rebounds, screens and plays power basketball very well." Redshirt freshman Edwin Johnson has a ton of potential. Johnson spent a year at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, averaging 18 points, and will be 22 years old when he plays in his first college game. He has great shooting range for a 6-9, 210-pound forward. Hometown product Josh Perkey (1.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg) is a 6-7, 210-pound junior who appeared in only five games last season. Marshall is deep in the backcourt, where 6-0 junior Travis Young (13.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) leads the way. Young was an honorable-mention All-MAC selection a year after picking up the Freshman of the Year award. Steady 6-4 junior point guard Cornelius Jackson (10.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg) led the MAC in assists per game (5.37) and has the league's best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.91). Jackson has other skills, too. He finished fourth in the league in three-point shooting, hitting 42 of 106 shots from behind the arc (.396 percent). He's also the Herd's best defender. Jackson transferred to Marshall from Tennessee, where he was a part-time starter as a freshman. "Some guys you classify as shooters, some you classify as defenders, some you classify as rebounders. Corny Jackson you classify as a player," White said. Marshall opened the 1998-1999 season with 6-8, 170-pound freshman Tamar Slay (6.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg) at the small forward position. Slay played his way out of the lineup, then returned and finished the season strong. He returns as a 6-9, 200-pound sophomore after logging many hours in the weight room. Slay presents a tough matchup defensively because of his height and quickness. Backup guard Joda Burgess (5.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg) needs to regain the shooting touch he lost last year. Burgess is a 6-6, 205-pound sophomore who was 29 of 89 on three-point attempts (.326 percent). As a freshman he averaged 10.3 ppg and connected on 63 of 153 (.412 percent) from three-point range. Senior Deon Dobbs (3.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg) is a 6-5, 200-pound big guard who appeared in 20 games and started five, but played only an average of 9.5 minutes. Monty Wright, Jackson's cousin, joins the Herd after sitting out last season as a Prop 16. Wright is a 6-4, 190-pound sophomore shooting guard who played a season at Fork Union Military Academy and averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds. As a high school senior in Oak Hill, W.Va., he averaged 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and was recruited by Marshall, Rutgers, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Xavier and Virginia Tech. "Monty is a very athletic wing player who is an excellent shooter and has great leaping ability. He has great potential to contribute considerably," White said. An invited walk-on who might have an impact is 6-8 freshman Jon Bentley of Hazard (Ky.) High School, where he posted impressive numbers. Bentley (26.9 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 4.5 blocks) shot .780 percent from the floor, leading the state of Kentucky. He finished high school with 2,180 points and 1,143 rebounds. White wants to redshirt Bentley, but he might be too good to hold out of action as a freshman. Walk-on guard Brian Faulknier (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg), a 6-3 senior, played sparingly in four games. Recruit William Butler of Santa Fe Community College in Gainseville, Fla., is at Marshall but academically ineligible this year. Butler, a 6-7, 200-pound forward, averaged 19 points and 4.0 rebounds at Santa Fe.
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