AAC Basketball

Wichita State men's basketball coach Gregg Marshall "unequivocally" denied physically assaulting players in a statement to The Wichita Eagle on Tuesday evening. 

Marshall is currently under investigation by the WSU athletic department after multiple allegations of player abuse were published by The Athletic's C.J. Moore and Dana O'Neil as well as Jeff Goodman of Stadium last week. 

“In response to the allegations put forward in the media, I simply state unequivocally that I have never physically struck a player or colleague,” Marshall told The Eagle. “Allegations claiming otherwise are false.”

Marshall has been accused of hitting former player Shaquille Morris twice during a 2015 practice as well as choking former assistant Kyle Lindsted at a practice during the 2016-17 season.

Both instances were detailed in reports by The Athletic and Stadium with The Eagle confirming the allegations with multiple players who wished to remain anonymous. 

Per Taylor Eldridge of The Eagle:

"The Eagle independently contacted five former players, who also asked to remain anonymous, who said that Marshall punched Morris in the back of the head and that the coach put his hand around the throat of Lindsted.

"Marshall reiterated that he is fully cooperating with the independent investigation by Tueth Keeney, a St. Louis-based law firm. But Marshall voiced his concerns about how the allegations are being handled by media.

"It is important that the investigation conclude its work without outside influence," Marshall said. "An unrelenting character assassination by a member of the media that repeatedly targets me and my family threatens to undermine the impartiality of the investigation."

The 57-year-old coach has also been accused of verbally assaulting various student-athletes around the athletic department.

Multiple basketball players transferred from WSU in recent years reportedly due to Marshall's behavior. 

“I am devoted to my team and the entire Shocker community,” Marshall said. “I value my players and believe in their potential. If there is any question of my love for my team, it’s my responsibility to do a better job of demonstrating my commitment.”

Marshall remains the head coach of the Shockers. There is no known timeline for the conclusion of the investigation.

Wichita State men's basketball coach Gregg Marshall released a statement Friday denying allegations of physical and verbal abuse toward players and staff members.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium provided the full statement:

CJ Moore and Dana O'Neil of The Athletic reported Thursday that Marshall's actions were the focus of an internal investigation by the school that's included interviews with current and former Shockers players.

During the 2015-16 preseason, Marshall allegedly berated a staff member after what he considered a poor training session with a group of players and then "put one of his hands around his neck."

Marshall allegedly engaged in a confrontation with Shockers forward Shaquille Morris after he tried to block a shot in practice during the regular season. He allegedly told him to "get the f--k out of practice" and "punched Morris between the shoulders near his neck" from behind as Morris left.

The Athletic report said the coach's "combativeness was well known" within the athletic department and provided a comment from an anonymous former player who said he's speaking out to protect future Wichita State players.

"This thing's been going on before I came around, and no one warned me," he said. "For me, it's about helping the next kid. I wouldn't be telling this if I didn't think it was going to help somebody."

In addition, sources told Goodman that Marshall "routinely physically and verbally abused members of the program and demeaned his players with ethnic and racial slurs."

"He doesn't know how to treat people," a former player told Goodman. "I felt like I wasn't playing for him, but that I was playing against him. He f--ked me up mentally."

Marshall has led the Wichita State basketball team since 2007. He'd previously guided the Winthrop program for a decade beginning in 1998 after 14 years as an assistant at four different schools.

The 57-year-old South Carolina native has posted a 331-121 record (.732 winning percentage) and earned seven NCAA tournament appearances with the Shockers. His $3.6 million in total pay ranked 15th among college basketball coaches for 2020, per USA Today.

Wichita State issued a statement saying the investigation would be completed in an "expeditious and deliberate manner."

Wichita State is reportedly investigating men's basketball coach Gregg Marshall for alleged misconduct.

CJ Moore and Dana O'Neil of The Athletic reported the news Thursday, noting Marshall confirmed the investigation. Marshall said, "I'm aware the university conducted interviews and I fully participated in the process. I look forward to having it wrapped up as I continue to focus my energy on our team."

Moore and O'Neil provided some background, pointing out six scholarship players and a walk-on transferred last spring. What's more, 2020 commit Ja'Dun Michael also asked out of his letter of intent with the program.

Marshall's erratic behavior was apparently well known throughout the athletic department.

"It wasn't just players—the academic people, the marketing, everybody," one former player said. "If you had to associate with Wichita State basketball, you got caught in the crossfire. I lost respect for him because I saw the way he treated my teammates and other people."

Many of the most alarming allegations in the report from Moore and O'Neil are from the 2015-16 season.

Marshall allegedly told Shaq Morris to "get the f--k out of practice" after he attempted to block a Zach Brown shot. "Brown fell awkwardly on the play," according to The Athletic, which apparently sparked Marshall to shove Morris in the back and then punch him between the shoulders by his neck as he was leaving practice.

What's more, a student-athlete allegedly parked in Marshall's spot, which drew the ire of the coach. Moore and O'Neil detailed the allegations:

"As Marshall approached his spot that day, he did not get there fast enough to block the student in. Instead, Marshall quickly turned his car around and followed the student's car, eventually blocking his car at an intersection in the parking lot. According to an eyewitness, Marshall got out of his car and started yelling at the student, asking 'Do you know who the f--k I am?' 

"The student had his window down and responded, 'I don't give a f--k who you are.' Marshall approached the car and, according to the eyewitness, attempted to punch the student through the driver's window."

Marshall also allegedly put his hands around a staff member's neck in another incident.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium also reported on the story, noting more than 30 current and former members of the basketball program detailed allegations of Marshall's verbal and physical abuse that also included racist slurs.

"I love my teammates, the city and Wichita State," Morris said, per Goodman. "But if I could go back to that day when he punched me, I would have left."

Goodman added more details and also reported Marshall allegedly choked assistant coach Kyle Lindsted:

The Stadium report also detailed allegations of the head coach telling forward Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler, who is of Native American descent, "to get back on his horse" and make "Indian howling noises," among other accusations of racism.

"We were tight-knit off the court," one player said. "We all wanted to beat Marshall up. If he wasn't the head coach, we'd whoop his ass. I'm not a fan. I'm not rooting for him. I got tired of being mother(bleeped) and being called a son of a bitch every day."

Marshall has been the head coach for Wichita State since the 2007-08 season and has built the smaller program into a national contender.

The Shockers went to the Final Four in 2013 and have five regular-season conference crowns and seven NCAA tournament appearances under Marshall.

Marshall also coached at Winthrop from 1998-99 through 2006-07.

The UConn Huskies men's basketball team announced the death of former standout forward Stanley Robinson on Wednesday. He was 32.

"Just a really, really sweet kid," former UConn head coach Jim Calhoun told Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant. "The world was harsh for him, because he was such a caring, giving person."

Robinson played for the Huskies from 2006 through 2010. He took a hiatus from the program for five months in 2008 to deal with personal issues, led by taking care of his two young daughters.

"I didn't want everyone to get in my business, so I just wanted to leave quietly and get it done," he told reporters in January 2010 about the decision. "I could have played basketball somewhere else instead, but I felt I should go to work and help my family."

The Alabama native returned for the stretch run of the 2008-09 season and helped lead UConn to the national semifinals.

Robinson, who became known for his emphatic dunks, averaged 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 48.5 percent from the field in 126 appearances across four years with the program.

The Orlando Magic selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft, but he never appeared in an NBA game.

His pro career spanned three continents and featured an NBA D-League championship with the Iowa Energy in 2011. He most recently played for the Espanol de Talca in Chile.

No details about Robinson's death were immediately released.

Memphis continues to add top prospects with 2022 guard Arterio Morris the latest to commit to the school.

Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported the news of Tuesday's verbal commitment.

Morris is considered a 5-star recruit and the No. 21 overall prospect in his class by the 247Sports composite rankings. He is rated as the fifth-best combo guard in the country.

The 6'3", 175-pound player has good athleticism for his age with the ability to attack the rim with consistency. His play was enough to pick up double-digit offers after just his sophomore season of high school, including from Kansas and Oregon.

The Texas native ended up choosing Memphis, giving head coach Penny Hardaway another top option for the AAC school.

Memphis had the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2019, including top prospect James Wiseman, although he eventually withdrew from the school after a suspension from the NCAA. The squad had an up-and-down season without him while finishing with a 21-10 record.

The Tigers added 5-star prospect Moussa Cisse for the 2020 class, while Morris now gives the team a head start for 2022 with plenty of time to add more.

Moussa Cisse has chosen to stay home as the Memphis, Tennessee, native will be joining head coach Penny Hardaway's Memphis Tigers.

The 6'10" center told Jonathan Givony of ESPN: 

"Coach Penny Hardaway is a legend and can help me develop my game and take it to the next level. He has a lot of influence in the league. I've been in Memphis for a year now and everyone is telling me to stay. With all this stuff we're facing with the pandemic, I didn't get to go visit any other schools except Florida State. I'm getting a lot of love from the fans."

He also said he received an endorsement from former teammate Precious Achiuwa, who spent last year with the Tigers.

Cisse, who plays ball at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, was ranked as the ninth-best 2020 prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings. The native of Guinea is among 27 5-star recruits.

Though he was originally part of the 2021 class, Cisse told Givony in May that he reclassified as a member of the class of 2020, making the 220-pound shot-blocker eligible to play NCAA basketball in the 2020-21 season. He'll also be eligible for the 2021 NBA draft.

He had 16 offers, with the finalists including LSU, Georgia, Georgetown, Kentucky and Florida State. But the arrow pointed toward Memphis, with 247Sports' prediction leaning in that direction prior to the announcement.

Jerry Meyer, who is 247Sports' director of college basketball scouting, compared Cisse to Washington Wizards big man Thomas Bryant and offered the following report in January:

"Has a slender build with a long wingspan. Plays with energy and chip on his shoulder. Is a mobile athlete who will chase down the ball. Quality finisher around the rim. Is a tremendous rebounder. Limited in his offensive skill set at this point. Tough defender who is a top-level shot-blocker. First-rounder on length, athleticism and energy. Must develop offensive skills to be an impact NBA player."

Meyer also wrote that he believed Cisse would be a first-round NBA draft pick.

A Memphis man was arrested and charged with attempted murder after an alleged shooting that stemmed from an argument about University of Memphis head basketball coach Penny Hardaway. 

Per Eryn Taylor of WREG in Memphis, Tyrone Taylor is said to have shot his cousin in the chest after the two got into a debate "over whether or not Hardaway was a good coach."

Police responded to a call on July 3, when the alleged victim said the fight began as a "verbal altercation" before escalating to a point where Taylor "allegedly punched the man in the face before pulling out a gun and firing."

WREG's report noted that Taylor was formally charged with attempted second-degree murder, employment of a firearm and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun after being taken into custody on July 9. 

Hardaway was hired as the Tigers head coach in March 2018. He has gone 43-24 in two years and guided the team into the Associated Press Top 10 during the 2019-20 season for the first time since 2011-12. 

Mike Miller has resigned from his position as an assistant men's basketball coach on Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway's staff at the University of Memphis. 

In a post on Twitter, Miller wrote the "past few months have made me realize that it's time to spend more time focused on family and wherever the journey will take me next."

Miller has been a key member of Hardaway's staff for the past two seasons, with Evan Daniels of 247Sports noting he was the lead recruiter for Precious Achiuwa, Lester Quinones and Boogie Ellis.

"We will stay in touch, and I'm looking forward to him attending practices from time to time," Hardaway said in a statement after Miller announced his resignation, per Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. 

Miller has been an assistant at Memphis since Hardaway's first season with the school in 2018-19. 

In their two seasons with the Tigers, Miller and Hardaway turned the program into a recruiting hotbed. They had the top-ranked class in 2019, led by James Wiseman, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Memphis began the 2019-20 season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2013-14 and climbed as high as No. 9. 

Prior to working as an assistant coach, Miller had a successful 17-year NBA career from 2000 to '17. He won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and was named Sixth Man of the Year during the 2005-06 season while playing with the Memphis Grizzlies.    

Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch said men's basketball coach Penny Hardaway should not have held workouts with NBA draft prospect RJ Hampton given protocols in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Coach Hardaway reached out to help a player he had built a relationship with in preparation for the upcoming NBA draft process," Veatch said, per Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (h/t USA Today). "Everyone in our program now recognizes that having any player development in the building is not in line with our current COVID-19 protocols, and it will not happen again until protocols have changed."

Giannotto noted the University of Memphis is conducting classes virtually and has only allowed students in the athletic facilities if they are rehabbing injuries.

Hampton played professionally for the New Zealand Breakers of Australia's National Basketball League but once strongly considered Memphis during his college recruitment.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Hampton as the No. 12 overall pick in a recent mock draft, highlighting his athleticism, ability to facilitate the break in transition and "enough shot-making and ball-screen playmaking to feel confident in his potential to create, score and pass at an adequate level in the half court."

As for Hardaway, he has been the Memphis men's basketball coach since the start of the 2018-19 season and has already developed a reputation as a formidable recruiter.

He landed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2019, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The former Orlando Magic point guard led the Tigers to a 22-14 record in his first season and 21-10 mark in his second. They were on the bubble to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014 this past season until the Big Dance was cancelled because of the coronavirus.

The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee announced Wednesday that it denied an appeal by former UConn men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie that sought to end his show-cause restriction. 

"The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee upheld findings that a former head UConn men's basketball coach violated head coach responsibility and ethical conduct rules," the NCAA said in a press release. "The committee also upheld a penalty that requires the former head coach to serve a three-year show-cause order, according to the decision."

Ollie was given a three-year show-cause order in July for several violations of NCAA rules and lying to investigators. The investigation found Ollie failed to monitor his staff, held preseason pickup games that violated NCAA restrictions and hired staff that exceeded the number allowed by rule.

A show-cause order ensures that violations given to coaches follow them to their next jobs, which often limits their number of opportunities. If a school wants to hire Ollie in the next three years, they'll have to agree to abide by any sanctions imposed by the NCAA or appear in front of the Committee on Infractions and show why it should not be penalized for hiring him.

Ollie's attorney, Jacques Parenteau, issued a statement to ESPN calling the decision "disgraceful": 

"While we are not surprised that the NCCA Infractions Appeals Committee would simply rubber stamp the original, biased decision, it is disgraceful this committee refused to consider the ample evidence produced by counsel for Kevin Ollie showing that witnesses had lied.

"Throughout this process the NCAA has repeatedly demonstrated that its number one priority is to protect UConn, its member, and will eagerly do so at the expense of Kevin Ollie's rights. What is most shameful is the NCAA pretends that its decisions are based upon a fair adjudicative process when clearly that is not the case. Nevertheless, we will continue to fight for Kevin Ollie in the ongoing arbitration and are confident that his rights will ultimately be vindicated."

Ollie served as UConn's head coach from 2012-2018, winning the 2014 NCAA tournament before presiding over a program that fell into mediocrity over the final years of his tenure. The NCAA vacated all of UConn's wins from the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, and Ollie has not worked in college basketball since he was fired by his alma mater.

Ollie filed a grievance against UConn to obtain $10 million in back pay after the school fired him with cause.