Louisiana Tech was once the standard in NCAA women's basketball. After winning the inaugural NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in 1982, the Textors went on a 25-season run, qualifying for the annual national tournament. That included winning another title in 1988 and appearing in the NCAA national finals a total of six times.
It's been 13 years since the last trip to March Madness, but the future of college basketball in Ruston, Louisiana is bright. Part of that is thanks to freshman forward Jordan Marshall.
go to ESPN's Top 100 Players in the 2024 Prospect Class and her name doesn't appear next to Sarah Strong of U.C. or Gialloni Cambridge of Ohio State University. I didn't see her play at the McDonald's national game. There was no hype around her when she became a freshman.
No, Marshall isn't the player talked about all over college basketball social media, but she should be. She deserves attention and will continue to do so as her college career grows.
The 6-foot forward already has a history of being ignored. As a high school senior, Marshall played in his hometown of Central Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock Tigers entered the 2024 6A Playoffs as a No. 4 seed, but experienced significant struggles against teams ranked higher in the tournament bracket.
After shocking No. 1 seed Northside to advance through the second round, the Marshalls and Tigers faced teams Central had already faced in the regular season, an undefeated 0-5 team, in the semifinals and finals. fought a battle.
What happened next was not expected around Little Rock. Marshall led the Tigers to the 6A state championship, the first title in school history.
In the state final against Conway, the reigning state champions who defeated Central twice in the regular season (once by 18 points), Marshall led the Tigers with nine points and 12 rebounds. He contributed to winning the championship and winning the tournament MVP.
After Central's Cinderella season, Marshall left home for Louisiana Tech, where the forward is already making a splash. Marshall averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in the first week of the season, leading the Techsters to three straight wins. This earned Marshall his first Conference USA Rookie of the Week award.
In the next two games against Stephen F. Austin and Mississippi Valley State, Marshall achieved two double-doubles with performances of 14 rebounds, 16 points and 18 points, respectively.
Marshall became the first Techstar University freshman to score 20 points in a game since 2014. She also became the first Los Angeles Tech freshman to score in double digits since 1996, matching Tamicha Jackson, who scored 20 points the next six years. WNBA career.
The forward excels inside and sometimes takes on multiple defenders for basket opportunities. Marshall accomplished this through athletic moves typically reserved for shorter players, like this move against UT Arlington.
Marshall's play has worked in the non-conference season thus far, but her scoring hasn't had a particular focus.
Beyond the arc, Marshall is starting to grow in confidence. After missing five 3-point shots in the first three games, the freshman started two consecutive games and made one.
In terms of court vision, Marshall also has that and is not a score-first style player. Although the Techsters lost the game against Stephen F. Austin, there were several moments where Marshall proved to be damaging on the offensive side of the ball without taking shots.
On the inbounds pass Marshall sent on the play, the freshman received the pass and SFA applied full-court pressure. Marshall caught the pass and used a chest pass to send the ball to the top corner of the court for an open 3-point shot.
Rather than a quarterback-style toss, he uses precision and balanced upper-body strength to chest-pass past the opposing defense and into the hands of his teammates.
In the same game, Marshall showed a magnetic connection by getting the ball, attacking the rim, and scoring extra points from the free throw line.
Passing isn't the only thing that expands the court. Marshall's physicality and inside speed allowed her to find outlets and begin to hand the ball over to her teammates. One of those teammates is Ira Airey, another standout big man in Conference USA.
The two are starting to play well with each other, and both have shown the aptitude to adapt quickly to the NCAA.
“I thought they played great when it mattered,” head coach Brenda Stahr said of Marshall and Airey. “But I think they have a lot more to do and find the consistency to take care of the basketball, get stronger, go and crash every time, work hard every time and post up, keep doing things like that. That’s it.”
So far this season, Marshall leads Los Angeles Tech in points with 14.5 points per game, which ranks sixth in the conference. Her 9.8 rebounds are tops not only for the Techsters but also for Conference USA.
Playing in a mid-major league like Louisiana Tech means a tough non-conference schedule. During the week of Thanksgiving, the Textors competed in ranked play. baylor bears on Waco's home court.
Although the Textors struggled, losing 98-54, Marshall found a way to counter the stiff competition presented by playing a Big 12 team. Marshall led Los Angeles Tech with 14 points and seven rebounds. Marshall has changed into a player who can consistently produce results even when the difficulty of his opponents increases.
Adding to Marshall's early accolades is the classroom element of his title as student-athlete. In the first quarter, Marshall earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average and made smart moves on and off the court.
Marshall is an example of college basketball's growth. The level of talent is rising and the bar that female pioneers have set for decades is lowering.
Broadly speaking, Marshall is still a freshman getting used to college athletics, and with that comes room for improvement. Players grow in their system, further developing their strengths and further developing their on-court abilities.
It's true that Marshall leads the team with 14.4 points and 9.4 rebounds, but he also leads the Techsters with 39 turnovers in seven games.
The person passing the ball is area coach Mr. Shuter, who is watching both Marshall and Ailey, also a freshman. Coach Schutter isn't trying to overhype his freshman starters. Instead, she helps Marshall and her teammates grow by tackling arenas that take them to another level.
“I thought they played great when it mattered,” Coach Suter said. “But I think they have a lot more to do and find the consistency to take care of the basketball, get stronger, go and crash every time, work hard every time and post up, keep doing things like that. That’s it.”
As Marshall's game slows down, there will be fewer turnovers and even fewer turnovers. Even with some early mistakes along with a learning curve, Marshall is a player to watch not just this season, but for the next four years.
