Full Circle: Marshall Returns Home

By Andy Jasner

The stakes are higher but the principles are as basic as ever. Play hard. Play smart. Be active. Have fun. Most importantly, have fun.

Long before Donyell Marshall excelled in high school, college and in the NBA, he was simply a kid playing basketball with his friends. It didn’t matter when the games were being played. He would be there with a smile on his face.

“Basketball is supposed to be fun,” Marshall said. “You’re supposed to enjoy playing. You can be competitive and all that, but you should like it. I’ve always liked it. We get paid a whole lot of money to play in the NBA, but I always go back to when I would play with my friends. It’s not a whole lot different. Just magnified.”

Marshall signed with his hometown 76ers in September. It could be the last stop for the 15-year veteran forward from Reading, Pa. If it is, he would be going out on his terms, getting the chance to compete for the team he rooted so passionately for as a kid.

“When the Sixers won the championship in 1983, I was 10, and I remember my uncle walking outside and kissing the ground,” Marshall said. “He was so happy. So was I. And I have all those great memories of the Spectrum. I even remember seeing a closed circuit Mike Tyson fight. I remember the fans there.

“They’re tough here, but they’re incredibly involved with their team. Getting this chance to play for the Sixers is incredible. I wasn’t sure it was ever going to happen. I’m thrilled it did.”

It has been quite a circuitous route back to the Philadelphia area for Marshall. The journey began at Reading High School where he became one of the most sought-after recruits in the country by his senior year. The letters continued pouring in from college coaches, but Marshall knew where he wanted to land – the University of Connecticut. Well, almost.

“When I was a senior, I remember Connecticut lost some type of exhibition game to a team called Marathon Oil,” Marshall said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, is that right? Should I still go there?’ I talked to my family and they said it was only an exhibition game. I’m glad I didn’t put much stock into it. Going to play for coach (Jim) Calhoun at Connecticut was a great experience for me.

“It wasn’t too far from home so my family could see me play. It was in the Big East so I would get exposure. I knew I would have a chance to play and showcase my skills. Everything worked out so well. I’m so glad to be part of the Connecticut family. Once you’re a part of that family, you’re part of it forever.” Marshall will always be a huge part of the Huskies’ storied tradition. He was a consensus All-America First Team selection and unanimous pick as the 1993-94 Big East Player of the Year, averaging 25.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots as a junior. Marshall finished second to Purdue’s Glenn Robinson in most Player of the Year polls and left the Connecticut campus as the school’s all-time leader in blocks (245) and its sixth all-time leading scorer with 1,648 points.

“What I remember is improving as a player,” Marshall said. “The coaching staff there works like crazy to improve you on and off the court. Winning comes with that. It’s about how you prepare and how hard you work. I think playing in such a tough conference made me a better player, too. It got me ready for the NBA. I knew I was ready after my junior year.”

For a little while, Marshall believed his NBA career just might begin in the city he loved, at the arena he went to so many times in his childhood.

In 1994, Commissioner David Stern went to the podium and announced Marshall had been drafted with the fourth overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sixers held the sixth pick and chose Clemson’s Sharone Wright.

“I worked out for the Sixers and had a very good workout,” Marshall said. “I didn’t really think I was going to slip to six in the draft. Maybe in the long run it was better because I was so young back then. I would have had family commitments. I’m much older now and more mature. I’ve been through so much. You never know how things would have gone. It would have been really cool to be a Sixer and play in the Spectrum.

“In a way, I’m really glad it worked out this way because I can appreciate this even more. It was a perfect opportunity to sign with the Sixers for this season.”

Marshall’s reasoning was proven his rookie season because he was traded after just 40 games to the Golden State Warriors for Tom Gugliotta. Since then, he has been traded three times, signed twice as a free agent and waived once.

He has played for the Timberwolves, Warriors, Jazz, Bulls, Raptors, Cavaliers and SuperSonics.

“Donyell has proven time and time again his value as a player in this league,” Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski said. “He can shoot threes and he can stretch defenses. He’s a veteran player who knows how to play. He’ll be a nice piece for us.”

Now in his 15th season, Marshall is able to handle the adjustment of a new team. “I remember thinking this is a business when I first got traded,” Marshall said. “I knew I had to be prepared for anything. The first time you’re traded, it’s a little bit of a shock. After a few years in the league, you understand the business aspect of it. When you get older, you really understand it.” Marshall understands the incredible commitment that goes into maximizing your potential. So do his teammates.

“Donyell comes to work every day,” said Sixers center Theo Ratliff. “He comes to play hard every day. I respect that because that’s how I am.”

“I knew the type of player we were getting,” added guard Andre Miller. “He’s a workmanlike type of player. He fits in perfectly around here.”

Marshall’s ultimate goal is to win an NBA championship. He came close in ’07 with the Cavaliers before falling short.

No matter what happens, he’ll always have his loving and supportive family nearby to lean on. His four boys – Marquis Lamar, Paryss, Donyell, Jr., and Devynn – and his extended family are there to listen if he has a tough game.

“It’s good to have family around now,” Marshall said. “Everyone needs that type of support. Every day isn’t going to be great. Some days, you’re going to struggle. If I have a bad game, I don’t have to call from a hotel room across the country. I’m near my family. It’s a great feeling. Some people think it’s easy being a professional basketball player. We have tough days like everyone else in the world.”

When the Spectrum is razed in the spring, well, that will be a tough day for Marshall. “Doctor J, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, I saw all those great players at the Spectrum or on TV playing at the Spectrum,” Marshall said. “At one time, the Spectrum was one of the best arenas in the country. For me, it was part of my childhood. I have so many memories relating to the Spectrum. Whether it was boxing, the Flyers or the Sixers, I just remember the Spectrum in a positive light. I’m going to be sentimental when it comes down. I’m sure I won’t be alone in feeling that way.”

For now, Marshall is focused solely on helping the Sixers build on last year’s trip to the playoffs.

This is a young team with a core group of players primed for success. “Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert, and so on, I’m happy to be a part of it,” Marshall said. “I watched the Sixers battle the Pistons so hard in the playoffs. You could see the type of effort they put forth. I think we have a great mix of players here to build on. It’s a natural transition for me and I think we’ll be fine once we build that chemistry together.”

Upon arriving at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for a practice or at the Wachovia Center for a game, Marshall treats the experience the same way. Play hard. Play smart. Be active. Have fun. Most importantly, have fun. None of those principles have changed through the years.

It’s a premise Marshall must remind himself of after a particularly tough day. “Sometimes, when you go back and reflect where you were as a kid, it helps to put things in perspective,” he said. “When you’re seven or eight years old, you play the same way as you do in college or in the NBA. You play unselfish basketball and play as hard as you possibly can. You have fun. I’ve seen too many players who weren’t having fun or forgot how to get the enjoyment out of the game. When you have success, it’s more fun at any age.”

The fun has never stopped for the effervescent Marshall. He hopes it never will even after he retires.

As long as he continues hitting those patented 3-pointers, expect to see that huge smile for a long time to come.

“I hope so,” Marshall said. “I love this game now more than ever.”