Harry Marshall
by Tony Harper
I’m originally from Louisville, Kentucky, a lot of people think I was born and raised in Bowling Green. Moved to Owen Valley, Spencer, whenever, I was 10. Loved the quietness. Loved the peacefulness. Real quiet out there Bowling Green, Indiana. Great place to live. People are nice. People welcomed me.
Family of course Mom and Dad –love them both. Dad’s probably one the most hardest working guys or man I’ve seen ever in my life. I have three brothers Antonio, Jordan, Brandon and one older sister, Carolyn. All of us played basketball. Three of us still play basketball now. So a very competitive family and you know… we learned from each other and we back up each other. I think without family I really wouldn’t be here. I really wouldn’t be anything in life.
I played tennis in high school, ran track in high school. Ran the 100, 4 by 1, high jump and long jump. Those are just things after basketball season to keep some shape, jumping and any thing involving jumping back in high school I loved to do. Tennis, I played with my brother just to play with him so he would have someone to play with. Played football in middle school into my freshman year concentrating on basketball and just keeping in shape and working hard at that.
Tennis is a very delicate and really I think the key is finesse. You got to be light on your feet. Got to be able to move, cut and be in shape. Tennis is a really hard sport. Tennis definitely helped on my footwork and track helped on conditioning my legs.
My younger brother, 1 year younger than me, Antonio plays basketball at Olivet Nazarene up in Kankakee Illinois, he is a sophomore starting there. Younger brother, Jordan plays at Terre Haute North, senior graduating and also is looking to play somewhere next year as he graduates high school.
After the Pizza Hut Tournament I started getting letters to small junior colleges… nothing big, nothing Division-1 nothing Division-2, just small junior college letters. It was one of those cases where you feel like your good enough to play, you feel like you should be looked at, you should be getting recruited by somebody. And when you come over to Terre Haute, Indiana and there is a Division-1 within 4 miles of where you’re playing and you play like that and really nobody is recruiting you it makes you feel like you are trying to show somebody something or prove something to somebody. Before that tournament (Pizza Hut Classic) I was playing and I was playing well but I don’t know what that tournament did but after that first game, exposure just it came out of nowhere. It made me a better person. It made me feel like a better person. It made things back at home better. My family was happy for me because finally out of all the work I have put in, my dad helping me, my brothers being competitive with me and me being competitive with them it was really rewarding for me and not just me my whole town back in Bowling Green and Spencer. And for my family it was really rewarding.
Funny story… we had won our first sectional in, I think, 21 years at Owen Valley, we were going down to the Washington Regional. I’m sure people remember Norman Wells freshman year here, he was being recruited and I think he had signed with Indiana State and Coach Stan Garrard that use to coach here was down there watching him play, but he was playing the game after me. Coach Garrard was down there early. I played Evansville in our first regional game. We lost by 4 but I had 31 points and 10 rebounds. I didn’t know he was in the gym, I got out of the locker room and there was over 15-20 people telling me an Indiana State coach was here, an Indiana State coach was here. I heard of the guy, I didn’t know Norman at the time, I heard he was playing after me so I thought he was just really here to watch Norman and maybe he just happened to see me play.
After I got back home I just wanted to play somewhere so bad I started to write my own personal letters. I sent them out. I sent to IUPUI, I sent them out to, I remember one team, Dane Fife was the coach. I sent them out to Butler. I sent them to Indiana, I sent them out to Indiana State, I sent them out to Louisville, I sent them out to any in state Division-1…any Division-1 that was around here. Just asking to walk on …asking for a chance. I got a letter back from juco Kelly Community College all the way down in Kansas. They were recruiting me. They were the only one that was really spending time coming to see me, took a visit down there (Spencer, Owen Valley High School). I was about to sign with them, I think the next day after I came home from a visit. Then I got a call from Coach Waltman to my high school coach saying he was going to come down to my school and watch open gym. Watch me play and I had to sit up some guys and ask some guys to come in and play cause this was after season. I had to ask them to come in and play because a Division-1 coach was coming to watch me play. I just want guys to come in and play …and play me hard so he could see me play. He came in, didn’t introduce himself, I was a nervous wreck. I think we played for about 20 minutes I just look over and he’s gone. So, I’m thinking maybe I am not Division-1 or maybe he didn’t like me. So I’m nervous and go home …can’t sleep.
The next day, I get a call saying he wants me to come up and play with the team. They were having open gym that day. So I came up here and played open gym. I think I did very well. He asked several guys that was on the team, Trent was still here and Gabe was still here,… and to their credit they told Coach Waltman I would be a steal to get me as a walk on. Coach Waltman walked up to me and offered me a walk on spot. I would definitely be a practice player not guaranteeing any playing time not guaranteeing any dress time. Everything from that moment on I earned. I just remember that day Coach Garrard was down at our regional. I had one of those games that I can’t even explain… the rim was huge, the crowd in Washington was huge, it was one of the best high school games I ever played in. It was Coach Stan Garrard who spotted me.
Freshman year we made that Canada trip. First time ever going outside of probably 2 states. First time leaving the country. First time going on any type road trip. I’m 18. I remember being so nervous, so scared. I went over there and I played in maybe 2 of the games. I think I played a couple of minutes. I did terrible.. -did terrible. The whole ride back home, all the way-back from Canada, I’m thinking I made a mistake. I’m thinking I made a big mistake. Something, I don’t know what it was, something inside of me just clicked. Freshman year Gabe is guarding me everyday in practice. I can’t bring the ball up the court. I’m guarding him for 2½ hours everyday ,cause I can’t play on offense, cause Coach Waltman can’t trust men with the ball. Well, you know that’s what made me a better player and that’s really what earned me my position my freshman year… playing defense. I think I started a game my freshman year and played in every game back here after the Canada tournament. I just worked hard.
My major was elementary education I changed it to criminology. I should be graduating this summer before I leave to go over seas or before I start my basketball professional career. Hopefully, after all my basketball is said and done I can come back and get a minor in education. Be a teacher, be a coach. After school there is scouts out there for overseas basketball then there is a slight chance I could get into the camps here and try to stay in America and play. If that would work out that would be really fortunate I would be really blessed. There has been a Pacers scout and an Atlantic Hawks scout here a couple of times so maybe, maybe so… I hope so.
On the basketball court I am aggressive. I kind of play with a sense of I’m angry… kind of mad at the world…that’s because of the way I am off the court. Off the court I am very outgoing, laid back, relaxed. I like to laugh, like to have fun, never really have an attitude problem. Very emotional, I am very emotional. I use to be real shy when I was younger. I use to cry all the time whenever I was younger. Like my Dad use to tell me… I have a real big heart. Sometimes when you have a big heart people try to take advantage of you. Take your kindness for a weakness. How I get that out of me? I step inside the four lines of the court and I play basketball. Off the court I think I am a loveable person. A lot of people, I think, look at me different because of the troubles I have been through these last couple of years. The things that’s been going on off the court the last couple of years people think maybe I’m a bad person, a bad influence on other people or maybe other people are being a bad influence on me. I don’t think that’s necessary the case. I was born and raised pretty much in Spencer. My family, they raised me right. I have manners. I’m polite. Anybody you ask back home… I am a well-mannered kid yes sir, no sir. That’s because my parents wouldn’t have it any other way. My Dad was a Marine for a little bit so things are definitely strict back at home. You aren’t going to get away with anything.
My Mom she is a little bit of the sensitive kind but she will still get after you when she needs to. My brothers, we love each other to death. We’ll fight with each other and we’ll fight for each other. I think that’s pretty much like how I would bundle myself and wrap myself up as a whole. Family oriented. I’ll do anything to help anybody who is willing to help me. What it all boils down to is, kind of like, if you take a bullet for me I will take a bullet for you. If you are willing to take something for me and shield me a little bit whenever I need you to help me, when I need to lean on you, you can always lean on me… no matter what the circumstances. No matter what’s going on.
Back home,I hang out with my real close friend… he plays down at Oakland City right now, Jarret Manners. He played with me in high school. Back home I really don’t get out too much. I hang out with him and couple other old teammates. Here at Indiana State I hang out with my teammates. You always have to hang out with them… create that team bonding, team chemistry. I hang out with Gabe Moore as people know. That’s only because my freshman year with Gabe Moore. Me and him are a similar type person. I know this interview is about me buy people have a real bad image of Gabe. He’s not what people think. He is not what people make him out to be.
My freshman year, I came in not knowing anything about being a point guard. I played small forward and power forward in high school. I might have dribbled the ball up every once in a while in high school but I couldn’t bring the ball up the court. I couldn’t bring the ball up against a true point guard for my life. Gabe not only made me a better person on the court… in here everyday for the 2 years he played with me but he made me a better person off the court in seeing things in general. His family background once again a Mom that’s in the Army, he’s got a Dad that works everyday and 3 loving brothers just like I do. They fight for each other. They fight with each other. Just the same as I do, I just think, he along with my dad and my brothers, he is a big key to me being the player that I am on the court today and me being the person I am off the court today. I hang out with him pretty much. But I’ve made a lot of friends this year. I don’t know how it happened this year. I have opened up and people have opened up to me… so just hanging out with the right people the right group. Staying true to the people who know me and not straying too far outside my circle.
Outside of my family, outside of my teammates I would say half a dozen people. I just started hanging out with most of them. Besides my teammates one person is a true friend, true absolute friend, that’s Gabe Moore. If we’re not playing basketball we’re either one having fun, you can ask anybody on campus we’re going to talk to everybody on campus weather we’re dancing, we’re joking, we’re singing to you, making jokes, laughing, going to parties every once in a while… just having fun, watching TV, even like to play poker every once in awhile. Then whenever you just need to step away from the game of basketball you just go to a movie. You go to Boogey’s… is a nice place. Just arcade games maybe ride the go-carts, play a game of miniature golf.
Superstitions in life? Black cats and broken mirrors. In basketball, I don’t have to wear the same socks. I don’t have to wear any of the same stuff.
The one and only superstition I have and that’s not really a superstition that’s just a routine… is to pray while the Star Spangle Banner is being played. I pray for myself. I pray for my family. I pray for both teams. For everybody that’s in the arena and I pray for the world as a whole.
In the conference, the team I like to play would have to be Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois… they kind of test your manhood. If you are going to back down from them you’re most likely going to get beat. If you’re going to stand up to them you are going to be in a fight for 40 minutes. So as a team they are going to play defense. They are going to get after you and their coach is a great coach. I like coach Ligherty and I think his personality and his aggression is what his players do out on the court. So, I like playing against Southern and guys I really like playing against are Josh Young and Osias Eldridge. We all came in as freshmen. The last two years we most likely guarded each other. With those two guys, we are competitors. We go against each other. After the game and before the game it’s friendship with them… in between the four lines it’s something where nobody wants to lose. We’re going to be competitive and play hard against each other.
The time (in school) it’s been a roller coaster. The four years I have been here have been a roller coaster that I thought would be a slow uphill grind. With the ups and downs of this roller coaster its been anywhere between us losing and us beating Butler here, us beating Purdue here and just the simple fact of basketball being a hard sport to play day in and day out. You got to come in every single day ready to play basketball every single day. The big key is if you’re not ready to play every single day then it gets hard and it gets to be a grind on you. With the ups and downs its just been a real big roller coaster. My freshman year it was mostly good for me. I played all the time. I started when I never thought nor media people thought I would ever be able to play.
My sophomore year, we got a new coach and things were different the system was different. I still came in and worked hard earned my spot. Earned the scholarship that I always wanted. That was another up to the roller coaster. We had a bad ending to our season. Never had a winning season until this season now. My junior year, I had struggles with not playing the first half. That was one of the lowest moments not only my life but basketball career and that was probably one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Just sit on the bench and watch. Watch basketball. Last year another up was us going to Illinois State and me hitting a game winning shot. Us winning 7 games in a row. Our 7 games out of 8 ending the season well… even thought it was a bad season.
This season, the guys are so much different than the first three teams I have been with. This group is kind of… you can’t explain it cause you have so many different personalities, you have so many different looks, all types of ways people go about things. This year is just different. I stepped up as a leader, I stepped up as a player, I stepped up as a person I think this season has made me do that. This season we have already clinched our first winning season since 2001. The feeling is a great feeling because we have always been one game or two games under 500. Whenever you can be apart of a winning season to turn around a program… you put your stamp on it and me, as a person, I feel good and I feel great about that. To put a stamp on it and be a leader on this team. I hope people will remember me, I hope people will remember how hard I play and I hope people will remember this team.
I would not only like to beat the number one team which is Kansas I would pick them because I would want to beat the number one team in basketball right now… and then I would want to beat and play who I think is number one or one of the top 3 guards in college basketball today. Its just a competitive thing with me I want to play the best, I want to beat the best and I want to compare myself to the guys and to the people that NBA scouts are looking at and see what I can do against them.
I can’t say this team is more of a team… because our previous years we have been a group, we’ve been a team. This team, I think, is most likely the most athletic team and the most sporadic team. You normally have guys that act the same, guys that tend to do the same thing but with this team you really and truly, even the twins, have 15 different personalities. You have 15 different ways. You have 15 different looks. You have 15 different ways of going about things. That makes us as a team, us as a whole, a unique bunch you don’t always have. This group is just different. They are going to play hard. They’re going to compete and its just mind boggling how when you get 15 different people how they can come together as one person, as one big family. I think that’s the biggest key to us being and having a winning season this year… is that at the beginning, we talked about family and it slowly has become a true family.
I want a ring so bad. We came close last year. I think whenever we step in St. Louis that’s when I will remind my team about it… of how close we were last year. I said it and I am going to say it again, cause I said it in the newspaper at the beginning of the year and I feel this exact same way, anything short of a championship is a disappointment. I feel with the group we have, with the talent we have, with the players we have and how we have come together, throughout this whole season… with injuries, with suspensions, with anything going on the court, off the court… we should have and we do have the toughness to play 110 percent in St. Louis.
