In the world of recruiting, everyone wants to put a label on a player. Maybe he is a SG, or he is a big man, or he is a shooter, but it seems that every player has some sort of label. However, there is one player in the class of 09 that seems impossible to put a label on. Anthony Marshall, a 6'3 basketball player from Las Vegas, Nevada, does not seem to fit the model of the typical highly rated high school player. He does not focus solely on scoring, he loves to play defense, and he is great at getting his teammates involved in the game. Marshall has also been described as a model for his peers, and is a 3.5 student. With Anthony Marshall, you are not getting a player who can do one thing, but instead a player who can do literally everything on the basketball court, and do it exceptionally well.
Scholarship offers: Marshall holds offers from numerous schools across the nation. At this point, he holds offers from Gonzaga, UNLV, Washington, Colorado State, Baylor, SMU, Miami, Marquette, Virginia, Washington State, James Madison, and Detroit.
Rankings: Rivals- 67th ranked player overall/ 17th at his position
Scout- 4 star recruit/ 68th ranked player overall/ 13th ranked at his position
Scouts. Inc- 79 scout grade/ 92nd ranked player overall/ 17th ranked at his position
Teams: Marshall plays his high school ball for Mojave High school in Las Vegas, and is coached by Tony Hopkins
Marshall plays his AAU ball for the Las Vegas Prospects, and is coached by Anthony Brown
High School Stats: This past season, Marshall averaged 19.0 pts, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists.
Strengths: What makes Marshall such a unique player is the versatility that he demonstrates on the court. Marshall is an exceptional playmaker that has the strength and athleticism to not only get to the basket and score, but to also make plays for the teammates around him. Marshall has the strength, and a flat footed 35 inch vertical leap, that allows him to finish very well when he is in among the bigs. This great athleticism also allows for him to be a fantastic rebounder for his size, as demonstrated with the 9 rebounds he averaged per game last season. Although he is a great offensive player, Marshall is better known for his shutdown defensive abilities. Because of his length, Marshall can guard any of the wing positions, as well as the point guard. He has the strength to really bother and opposite 3, and also has the length to really bother any 1's or 2's. But what makes Marshall so unique, is that he really loves playing defense. In the Las Vegas tourney last month, there was a description of Marshall working so hard on defense and rebounding that he nearly passed out from exhaustion. This is so rare to hear about during an AAU event, and really helps you understand how special of a talent he is.
Weaknesses: The one area of his game that Anthony need to improve the most is his shooting. Because he has the strength and athleticism to blow by his defender off the dribble, he needs to develop a consistent jump shot to continue to dominate offensively at the DI level. Although he gets great lift and arc on his shot, he does not yet hit it consistently enough to keep the defense honest. However, this is something that can be improved with hours spent in the gym, and it seems that Anthony is willing to put in the hard work to take his game to the next level.
Recruiting Forecast: Marshall is one of the more difficult recruits to forecast. He has continually said that he is open to any schools, and still has not decided on any official visits at this point. It has been mentioned, that a long standing relationship with Marshall will be important towards his recruiting. If that is indeed the case, then look for Gonzaga, UNLV, and Washington to be in the Marshall recruitment until the end. However, he has been getting lots of interest recently from UCLA, which could prove to be tough to beat. Marshall has stated that he will make his decision when the feeling is right, so we should know after he has taken his 5 official visits.
Interview with Coach Brown: Earlier today, our correspondent was able to catch up with Coach Anthony Brown of the Las Vegas Prospects. We would like to thank Coach Brown and our correspondent for getting TKR this quick interview.
TKR: How would you describe Anthony's performance in Las Vegas and Los Angeles
Coach Brown: Anthony was exceptional. He did everything possible on the court and he was exceptional. He did a great job getting his teammates involved. You don't know what to expect from kids his age, he could have just showed up and laid an egg. But he played like I thought he would play, he played really well.
TKR: What schools were at his games, and what schools have been in contact the most?
Coach Brown: Honestly, I don't know what coaches were at his games. I am focused on coaching, and you can't really see the logos on the shirts, and I dont know the faces. UNLV, UCLA, Baylor, SMU, Marquette, Creighton, and Kentucky have been in contact the most.
TKR: Why should a school recruit Anthony Marshall
Coach Brown: Because he does everything on the court. He rebounds, he defends, he scores, he is a great student and a good teammate. I have been really blessed to coach Anthony. If you want to win, you recruit Anthony Marshall. Everybody talks about wanting to win, but Anthony does whatever it takes to win.
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