Greg Marshall’s Insane 48 Hours

When Greg Marshall walked out of the College of Charleston yesterday, he was the head coach of a Cougars team in disarray. On his way to start packing, he was the head coach of the Winthrop Eagles again. What happened on the road trip home is cause for speculation. Coach Marshall said that after talking to his wife, a Charleston native, Rock Hill was home to him. After what was said to be a one-hour phone conversation yesterday with C of C officials, Marshall was re-introduced as Winthrop’s head basketball coach. “On the way home last night, I just didn’t know if I could go through with it. I hope I can build back your trust,” said Marshall at his Winthrop press conference. Marshall, who was the assistant to John Kreese, will be coming back to an Eagles team that was one shot away from upsetting Tennessee during last year’s NCAA Tournament. Fans and players cheered loudly when the announcement was made of Marshall’s return.

Now, what becomes of the disgraced Cougars team, and their internal war? The answer is simple, and is still in state. Just three hours to the south and east of Winthrop lay Coastal Carolina University, and the original choice of head coach by Cougars’ Athletic Director Jerry Baker, Buzz Peterson. Peterson, a former head coach at Tennessee, has built the Chanticleers’ program from almost non-existent to one of the fastest rising mid-major teams in the country. Back to the internal war at Charleston, it seems that over the last few years, Baker has infuriated many alumni by firing John Kreese, and hiring Tom Herrion, where the program suffered immensely. The alumni set up a search party that did not include either former coach John Kreese nor A.D. Baker. Baker and Marshall have never gotten along, which led to some speculation on why he went back to the Eagles.

For many here in South Carolina, the Greg Marshall situation harkens back to what happened in Columbia thirteen years ago. Then, when legendary coach Frank McGuire retired, Bobby Cremins had agreed to leave the Georgia Tech program for the Gamecocks, only to head back to Atlanta just forty-eight hours later. The Cocks then went on to hire Eddie Fogler, who led South Carolina to their only Southeastern Conference title. Another situation that Cougars fans would be familiar with was with Kreese back in 1981, when he took the job at Davidson, and then went back to C of C just six days later.

As for speculation on why Marshall had a change of heart, there seems to be many today. The first has to do with the uneasy relationship with Jerry Baker. Baker felt that Marshall turned on him when he left the program to take the job eight years ago at Winthrop. Since then, they have never seen eye to eye. Another has to do with the Cougar players, many observers said that Marshall did not feel easy with his team, who many said just seemed to be more worried about clothing and getting their names on the backs of their jerseys.

Yet, the biggest rumor has to do with Marshall’s family. He has two young kids, one aged eight and the other one five. He was worried about putting them in school, and getting them used to a place they have never lived before. Also, when he got home, he had messages from every single Eagle player, which many believed clinched the fact that Marshall was going to be back.

One thing is for certain, Greg Marshall will be back at Winthrop, and the Eagles will be dancing in March yet again. For how long, no one knows yet, but knowing Greg Marshall, if I was an Eagle, I’d get something comfortable to wear.