Gregg Marshall: Final Four run brought recruiting boon other subtle changes at Wichita State
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said he has experienced only minor changes in day-to-day life both personally and professionally in nearly three months since his team made its historic run to the Final Four.
Speaking on the Missouri Valley coaches teleconference call Monday, Marshall said he has definitely noticed changes but they haven't been as dramatic as some might think.
"It's been a little bit more hectic," Marshall said. "There have been a few more requests for my time. A little bit more recognizable perhaps. But all in all I'm still dad at home and coming in here coaching these kids at camp. ...Not really that big a change, but there have been some subtle differences."
Perhaps the biggest change has come in recruiting. Playing on the college game's biggest stage and beating teams like Gonzaga and Ohio State and pushing national champ Louisville to the final minutes has a way of earning a program and a coach a new level of respect from prospects.
Marshall said his program recently received a commitment from a player he wouldn't have been able to land in the past. Marshall can't speak about specific players but it was likely a reference to Zachary Brown, a 6-foot-7 forward from South Kent (Conn.) School. Brown is rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.
"I can't speak of specific recruits, but we do have a commitment for 2014 already," Marshall said. "He was recruited by some other schools that generally we wouldn't be able to beat in recruiting. That was a little different bringing in an official visit for a junior in high school basically.
"And he pursued us. So that was, I think, a direct correlation from the Final Four run. I hope that it will open up some other doors for us and when we're given that opportunity to have the door cracked that we can secure some pretty good players."
Marshall said he hasn't yet talked to his team about how it will go into virtually every game next season with a target on its back after its Final Four run. Right now, his focus is on individual workouts with returning players and a busy recruiting period approaching.
"There will be plenty of time for that," he said. "We're just right now working on getting better and improving our skills, getting stronger in the weight room and repaying the price of success."
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