Big news for Missouri State

[tornado]

Bad news however...
their best player, top scorer, and star point guard Marcus Marshall is leaving the team

http://thecatchandshoot.com/missouri-state-announces-departure-of-leading-scorer-marcus-marshall/

Interestingly - this all came about after a big loss on their home floor to Illinois State after which head coach Paul Lusk called out some of his
upperclassmen and asked for MORE LEADERSHIP. Marshall reportedly was upset with the process of being demoted to a non-starter and argued with the coach then walking off the parctice court and out of the gym - and has not returned.
So - I guess this is the risk you take when coaches & media publicly criticize the players.

http://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/2015/01/15/upon-review-thoughts-marshall-msu-separation/21804947/

The public statement says some transgression lead to a suspension of Marshall for
"conduct detrimental to the team"...
but instead of serving his suspension and returning - he has left the team and rumors are he will transfer...
Strong likelihood he's already getting contact from other programs since he really is a quality player...
averaging almost 20 ppg, 3 rebs, 2 asst, and 46% from 3-pt range..as a freshman he was the MVC Freshman of the Year
He is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota but only got mid-major recruitment and chose Missouri State over UNI & Indiana State

My guess - he lands at Iowa State...

[bigjimmy]

I guess we found our 4th Thursday night dance partner, along with us, Drake and SIU.

[tornado]

was reading a few other message boards and a lot of people think this means Lusk is going to be fired at the end of this season...
I am really surprised.....plus I think anyone with that opinion hasn't bothered to think through the facts...


Less than a year ago he was given a NICE salary boost and extension by Missouri State - LINK
..and he not only got votes in the Coach of the Year balloting each of the PAST TWO springs...
he even got a FIRST PLACE VOTE just last year!!!
So he is signed all the way through spring of 2019!!!
That means if they fire him this spring - they'd owe him FOUR YEARS' salary - only a year downstream from an outstanding season - plus you can't hold Lusk responsible for the immaturity of one of his players who's probably got some outsider in his ear talking Rayvonte-Rice-type-transfer.

Just a year or two ago - people right here on this board were lauding the rebuilding job he had done and openly wishing we had landed him as head coach!!!



BTW - one source says Marcus Marshall will stay at Missouri State until the end of the semester before transferring...so
we might not know where he's heading until June...
However - players have said this kind of thing before...
-Rayvonte Rice answered reporters questions about transferring by saying he was staying at Drake & even getting a DRAKE tattoo - then transferred to Illinois
-the year before Drake's Aaron Hawley said he was burned out & leaving the team but staying at Drake and would not be returning to play basketball.
...a year later he went back on that statement and returned to the team - LINK - now he plays on a pro team in Germany.

[tornado]

watch Marcus Marshall's replacement go off for 30 pts against us - I sure hope we prepare for them...

http://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/college/msu/2015/01/23/bears-rookie-roundtree-sees-role-expand/22247841/

Looks like our failure to prepare and guard the SIU guys have them salivating for a 10 game win streak now...

http://thesouthern.com/sports/another-run-salukis-began---stretch-last-year-around/article_49e4f6a5-a662-55f1-8e83-9b80d7d49477.html

[Da Coach]

Marcus Marshall is planning on transferring and reportedly has interest from "Tulsa, Texas Tech, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern."

https://twitter.com/jeffborzello/status/561229930932219905