Business as usual for McKeesport’s Marshall
When you’re 7 feet tall with a 7-5 wingspan and have more blocked shots than anyone in the history of Akron men’s basketball, you become a hot commodity for any team in search of a big man.
That’s why Zeke Marshall considered himself on a “first come, first served” basis for The Basketball Tournament, which begins later this month for its fifth summer of handing out a winner-take-all prize. Marshall, a 2009 graduate of McKeesport, will suit up for a team comprising mostly of Virginia Commonwealth University alumni, which is fine by him.
“They asked me first,” Marshall said last week, “and to me, that’s kind of my rule at this point, because so many teams are asking me.”
Such is life when you’ve spent time in the NBA G League as recently as December, in addition to stops in Taiwan, Belgium, Lebanon, France and Saudi Arabia. The globe-trotting life isn’t unique to Marshall, who’s just trying to make a buck as a pro basketball player like thousands of others, but his journey since being a two-time Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year at Akron has had its ups and downs.
Marshall, 27, last played for Al Nasr Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, finishing his 2018 season there from February to April. It was a soft landing spot after he was released in December by the Grand Rapids Drive, the developmental league affiliate of the Detroit Pistons. In about a month with the Drive, Marshall averaged 4.9 points and 2.1 rebounds but just 10.2 minutes over 15 games.
“It is what it is,” Marshall said. “I could only control the things I could control. I actually played really well when I was there.”
That statement might not sound like much, but it means more given the confidence issues Marshall has struggled with for much of his career. Even going back to his time at Akron, where he played for current Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, he has always had a tendency to be “overanalytical.” And on the basketball court, overthinking things can get you in trouble sometimes.
Which is why Marshall is overjoyed that his mother, Nicole Bozeman, happened to be at a nail salon one day a few years ago and chatting up a storm about her son.
“She’s just randomly talking about me — because she always talks about me — ‘ Oh yeah, he’s a pro basketball player,’ “Marshall imitated. “Mombeing mom.”
“Mom” even mentioned he was looking for a place to train when he’s home, and a friend in the shop happened to have a flyer for The Scoring Factory, where she was taking her own child.