Bill Self: If He Left, Who Could Replace Him?
By Ryan Noel
Gregg Marshall – Wichita State
Probably the name that would be the most divisive among the fanbase and donors, Marshall’s ability to win anywhere puts him on the list. Marshall has proven at Winthrop and Wichita State that he can coach as well as anyone.
Pros
Marshall’s resume is almost as good as it can get without coaching at a high major school. Since 1998, Marshall has won 10 regular season conference titles and 4 conference tournament titles. He has a 71% winning percentage as a head coach, and only one losing season to his name (his first year in Wichita).
His ability to find and maximize talent is well-documented. At Wichita, he has produced Ron Baker, Fred Van Vleet, and Cleanthony Early. Baker is a local Kansas recruit, as well as current Shockers Conner Frankamp (formerly at Kansas) and Evan Wessel.
Cons
The current state of Kansas basketball politics probably prohibits this from going to far. Marshall has been dismissive of the Jayhawks program, if not openly hostile, and there exists some resentment from the Kansas fanbase toward Marshall.
On top of that, Marshall’s personality and ability to handle the spotlight of a blue-blood program would be a big question mark. He has a history of, well, flakiness, having once taken the head coach position at College of Charleston – where he then backed out of the job after the school announced the hire. Given the pressures and publicity that come with being only the 8th coach in Jayhawks history, the reservations about how Marshall would handle the position are real.
Verdict
While there would be some strong pushes for Kansas to pursue Marshall, it’s hard to imagine the fit being right at all for either party.
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