The 2007-08 basketball campaign at Marshall University breeds a season of change and excitement for the Thundering Herd men's program. A new coaching staff and several new faces will grace the sideline and hardwood in the Green & White this season as the Herd prepares for a difficult path ahead both in and out of Conference USA play. The challenges will be met head on by a mix of a young and old, familiar and new group of players and coaches hungry to make their mark at MU.
The biggest splash made this off-season was the hiring of former Florida assistant coach and two-time national champion Donnie Jones as head coach. Jones, a former graduate assistant and assistant coach with the Thundering Herd, spent the last 11 seasons with Billy Donovan and the Gators forging together a legendary college basketball program.
Jones now returns to his home state to revitalize a Marshall program that owns a proud history. It is his hope that the basketball values that made him one of the most successful assistant coaches in the country over the last decade-plus can put the Herd back on the road to national prominence.
Jones' basketball philosophy is simple: push the tempo on both ends of the floor to force your opponent to play fast. Since assuming the reins of the Marshall program in April, Jones inherited some talent to accomplish this goal, but he also moved quickly to lure late signees and transfers to join his cast.
"This team brings very good athleticism and speed to the floor," Jones said. "The unknown is their ability to pick up the system quickly. The off-season has been highly competitive with mental and physical conditioning in effort to accomplish our goals." The Herd returns three starters and eight letterwinners from last year's team. Junior forward Markel Humphrey and senior guard Mark Dorris, the top two leading scorers from a year ago, return to lead the Herd into the fast-paced Jones era. Humphrey, an All-Conference USA Third Team selection, and Dorris give Jones on- and off-the-floor leaders, while several others have made significant improvement in the off-season.
"Mark and Markel have provided leadership for the new guys and the returnees," Jones said, "and Robbie Jackson has shown great strides by really committing to his off-season workout regimen. Robbie lost 52 pounds and continues to improve each day.
"It's that type of commitment that can really rub off on the other guys and get us going in the direction we want to head, which is toward postseason basketball."
As Jones enters his first season as a head coach at the school where he got his coaching chops, the Thundering Herd and its fans look to the future with optimism as a new era of basketball is ready to launch.
BACKCOURT
Marshall lost its starting point guard from 2006-07, departed senior Chris Ross, but Darryl Merthie returns after averaging 15.6 minutes per game at the point in his first collegiate season. Merthie, a junior, will share time at the position with a non-traditional newcomer with tremendous experience at the highest levels of college basketball. Pierre-Marie Altidor Cespedes transferred to Marshall from Gonzaga after a three-year career with the Bulldogs in which he served as a starter on a team that played in several NCAA Tournaments. Altidor Cespedes earned his degree from Gonzaga in three years, giving him the option to transfer without surrendering a year off the court per NCAA rules.
Altidor Cespedes, who started 49 of the 98 games he appeared in at Gonzaga, will challenge Merthie for the starting point guard role, although in Jones' style of play, both guards will be called upon often. Both point guards possess deft speed and a great motor, highly coveted by Jones at that position, but Altidor Cespedes also brings certain intangibles to the conversation.
"Pierre has great experience and energy," Jones said. "He has been in three NCAA Tournaments and understands what it takes to play at that level." Merthie showed signs of his potential last season, finishing second on the team in assists after appearing in all 32 games.
"Darryl is a solid combo guard that we feel can be effective in our style of play," Jones said. "He's been showing great progress since our arrival."
Mark Dorris has been and will continue to be a sturdy presence at the shooting guard position. The senior has started 52-of-60 games at Marshall and is the type of character player on- and off-the-court that any new coach would love to have on his team. After averaging 13.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game as a junior, including an 18.4 ppg average in the last five games of the season, Dorris is poised for a strong senior sendoff in 2007-08.
"Mark brings great experience in the backcourt and possesses an excellent work ethic," Jones said. "He is a terrific athlete that will have the chance to create more in the up-tempo style of play."
Dorris, the team's leading 3-point shooter last season at 35.6 percent, has enjoyed a tremendous off-season and is one of four seniors that Jones will count on throughout the long season. Another senior, Taurean Marshall, joins Dorris and Merthie as the lone returnees in the Herd backcourt. Marshall adds depth to the backcourt after playing his first full season at the collegiate level last year. Knee injuries limited him to only seven games during his first two seasons as a walk-on at MU, but his perseverance allowed him to appear in 25 contests last season.
The final two guards are a pair of newcomers that enjoyed tremendous high school careers within striking distance of Huntington. St. Albans, W.Va., native Adam Williams is ready to tip-off the season after sitting out last year following his transfer from the University of Kentucky. Williams, son of Marshall Hall of Fame inductee Tex Williams, is a guard-forward hybrid that will log minutes at multiple positions.
"After sitting out last year, Adam is very excited for the season," Jones said. "With him being able to play multiple positions, I believe our system will be great for him. He's a good athlete with good basketball knowledge."
Matt Walls, the runner-up for Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky last season, is fresh off a state championship at Scott County High School. His shooting proficiency from beyond the arc and overall basketball skill gives the freshman a chance to immediately contribute this season.
"Matt is an outstanding 3-point shooter with a very high basketball IQ," Jones said. "He will give us minutes off the bench at both the one and the two (positions)."
FRONTCOURT
Marshall gets the most returning experience from its frontcourt, where five of the eight returnees play. That is where Markel Humphrey, the Herd's top returning scorer and rebounder, calls home and is hoping to continue to add to his already impressive list of accolades. The Atlanta, Ga., native earned Conference USA All-Freshman recognition in 2006 and an all-conference third team nod in 2007. As the Herd's do-everything forward, Humphrey is the type of player that Jones can build around in his up-tempo style around.
"Markel had a great off-season," Jones said. "He's a hard worker that will play multiple positions. He brings great versatility and will be asked to be a team leader this season."
Humphrey's 14.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game paced the Herd and served notice to the rest of the league that his talents are continuing to blossom. After setting a career-high total with 25 points versus UCF in mid January of 2007, Humphrey went on a scoring tear the rest of the season, the momentum of which may spark him to a hot start to the second half of the junior's career.
Marshall's senior class is rounded out by power forward Jean Francois Bro Grebe, whose 65 blocks last season ranks second in Marshall single-season history. Bro Grebe, an Ivory Coast native, played in his first full season after succumbing to knee injuries at the outset of his career. He started in 26-of-32 contests and averaged 18.8 minutes per game.
"Jean Francois will bring great energy in the press with his shot-blocking ability and he can be very effective with his athleticism in our style of play," Jones said.
Bro Grebe's 2.0 blocked shots per game average was the third highest in C-USA a year ago and he also sank 49.1 percent of his field goal attempts. Sophomore power forwards Robbie Jackson and Tyler Wilkerson experienced a solid first year of college hoops in 2006-07 and, after a successful off-season of conditioning, are ready to take the next step in their respective careers.
Jackson, after the aforementioned weight loss and skill work in the off-season, may be called upon to add to his minutes per game total of a year ago (10.1). The 7-footer sank 52.1 percent of his field goal attempts as a freshman and is developing as a force in the paint.
"Robbie has a great attitude and we're looking for good things out of him this season," Jones said.
Jones hopes that Wilkerson, at 6-foot-8, can continue to develop his game as he sees a mountain of potential in the Lexington native.
"Tyler is a very versatile player that will slip out and play on the perimeter as well as inside on the post," Jones said. "He's a good shooter and has the chance to become an excellent rebounder."
Wilkerson was fourth on the team in rebounding last season (3.8/game), with 43.8 percent of his rebounds coming on the offensive glass. He was also second on the team in blocked shots with 24 on the season.
Jesse Oglesby returns for his junior campaign after appearing in 16 games a year ago. The 6-foot-10 Oglesby provides depth in the frontcourt and continues to improve through hard off-season work.
"Jesse has a good work ethic and he is a good runner that can contribute when called upon," Jones said.
Tirrell Baines was a highly-recruited talent out of The Patterson School in North Carolina that is expected to immediately contribute as a freshman. The athletic, 20-year-old swingman has a leg up on his fellow freshman after playing a year of prep basketball in a very successful program.
"Tirrell has a great athletic body with very highly-skilled face-up game," Jones said. "He can play inside and out and has a terrific future."
Baines will challenge for a starting spot in a competitive Thundering Herd frontcourt.
Marshall added local talent Bruce Senior to its roster for the 2006-07 campaign. Part of the three-time West Virginia state champion Huntington High School teams, Senior brings a presence on the glass in his first collegiate season.
"Bruce is a hard worker and a very good rebounder that brings championship high school experience to our program," Jones said.
Three Marshall players - Chris Lutz, Brandon Powell and Octavius Spann - will have to sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. The trio, from Purdue, Florida and Georgetown, respectively, will challenge the current corps of players everyday in practice as they hone their own skills in anticipation of the 2008-09 campaign.
"Chris, Brandon and Octavius bring great experience from great programs," Jones said. "They will get a year to acclimate themselves to our system and be able to step right in next fall."
As year one of the Donnie Jones era tips off in 2007-08, it will no doubt bring a high level of excitement in a fast-paced brand of basketball that is sure to get Herd Nation in a frenzy.
