Ex-Penn State guard Jermaine Marshall changes his mind about turning pro
The good news for Penn State is Jermaine Marshall has changed his mind about forgoing his final year of eligibility to pursue professional basketball.
The bad news for Penn State is that the standout guard apparently still has no interest in playing for the Nittany Lions again.
Marshall has obtained his release and will transfer to another school, his father told ESPN.com Monday night. The 6-foot-4 senior-to-be is on pace to graduate from Penn State in August, making him potentially eligible to play right away at his next school.
It's unclear which schools will have interest in Marshall, but he figures to be highly coveted both because of his scoring ability and because so few impact players are still available this deep into the offseason. Marshall averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a junior at Penn State, though his shooting percentage has never eclipsed 40 percent in three seasons with the Nittany Lions.
One potential destination for Marshall could be Maryland, which has been in search of a one-year rental guard since Pe'Shon Howard opted to transfer to USC. Mark Turgeon swung and missed on Memphis transfer Antonio Barton, but it's possible the Terps could make a run at Marshall even though he'd likely play at wing rather than point guard.
The departure of Marshall was a punch to the gut for a Penn State program that had aspirations of being a surprise team in the loaded Big Ten next season.
Had Marshall joined high-scoring guards Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill in the Penn State backcourt, the Nittany Lions might have boasted enough perimeter weapons to make up for an unproven frontcourt. The arrival of Miami (Ohio) transfer Allen Roberts and Pittsburgh transfer John Johnson should help, but Frazier and Newbill will still have to shoulder a huge load for the Nittany Lions to have realistic NCAA tournament hope.
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