Destinee Marshall
Photo by: Josh Gales
Feature: Destinee Marshall - Floor General
3/1/2024 3:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
A year ago, in the Horizon League Women's Basketball Championship in Indianapolis, Purdue Fort Wayne sent shock waves to the rest of the league, as it opened its postseason with an upset win over No. 3-seed IUPUI.
The Mastodons have hopes of advancing into the semifinal of the Horizon League Championship again this season, and to do so, they'll need the expected solid play of senior point guard Destinee Marshall.
"She is our floor general," third-year Mastodon coach Maria Marchesano said. "She is our best handler, and really the only one who can handle an extreme amount of pressure and presses pretty easily."
Marshall will play her final regular season game as a Mastodon at the Gates Sports Center on Saturday (3 p.m.) against Youngstown State (13-16, 9-10), and she will be leaving a legacy of kindness, according to Marchesano.
"She is a sweet kid," Marchesano said. "She is almost too kind sometimes."
The Louisville native's pleasant personality made for a smooth transition for Marshall, who will graduate in May with a degree in psychology, and has hopes of coaching, into the Purdue Fort Wayne program two seasons ago when she transferred from Radford University.
Marchesano had spoken with one of her former players at Mount St. Mary's, who had played alongside Marshall at Radford, and the recommendation she received on Mashall was glowing.
"She told me that Destinee could basically do everything," Marchesano recalled, "and that she was one of the best teammates that she had ever had."
A non-negotiable facet for each Mastodon player under Marchesano is off-season work and development, and a glance at Marshall's statistics this winter shows her growth.
Marshall improved her shooting this season overall (38 percent to 43 percent), from 3-point range (28 percent to 29 percent), and from the free throw line (61 percent to 74 percent). However, her most phenomenal development was in her reliability with the ball.
A year ago, she committed 18 more turnovers (57) than she had assists (39) but flipped those numbers this season to 69 assists compared to just 49 turnovers. That 1.4 assists/turnover margin would rank her third in the conference had she totaled enough assists to be ranked.
"She is an unselfish point guard," Marchesano said. "Point guards can always make anybody happy with their passes. Destinee is our best handler and our best creator.
"She has blended in and meshed (with her teammates) from the very beginning."
And she is wrapping up her career playing her most efficient basketball.
In the past five games, which include four Purdue Fort Wayne victories, Marshall has dished out a total of 21 assists.
The Mastodons (19-11, 12-7) have already clinched third in the HL standings, which is the program's best league finish in a decade.
A victory on Saturday would also would match the program mark for most wins at the NCAA Division I level (2010-11 season).
"It's been fun," Marchesano said of this season. "It's been up and down, but mostly good."
The Mastodons have hopes of advancing into the semifinal of the Horizon League Championship again this season, and to do so, they'll need the expected solid play of senior point guard Destinee Marshall.
"She is our floor general," third-year Mastodon coach Maria Marchesano said. "She is our best handler, and really the only one who can handle an extreme amount of pressure and presses pretty easily."
Friend of the 'Dons @MattSextonPxP said it best, Destinee Marshall has had a great game.#FeelTheRumble #HLWBB pic.twitter.com/w6DltWan8r
— Purdue Fort Wayne WBB (@MastodonWBB) February 22, 2024
Marshall will play her final regular season game as a Mastodon at the Gates Sports Center on Saturday (3 p.m.) against Youngstown State (13-16, 9-10), and she will be leaving a legacy of kindness, according to Marchesano.
"She is a sweet kid," Marchesano said. "She is almost too kind sometimes."
The Louisville native's pleasant personality made for a smooth transition for Marshall, who will graduate in May with a degree in psychology, and has hopes of coaching, into the Purdue Fort Wayne program two seasons ago when she transferred from Radford University.
Marchesano had spoken with one of her former players at Mount St. Mary's, who had played alongside Marshall at Radford, and the recommendation she received on Mashall was glowing.
"She told me that Destinee could basically do everything," Marchesano recalled, "and that she was one of the best teammates that she had ever had."
A non-negotiable facet for each Mastodon player under Marchesano is off-season work and development, and a glance at Marshall's statistics this winter shows her growth.
Marshall improved her shooting this season overall (38 percent to 43 percent), from 3-point range (28 percent to 29 percent), and from the free throw line (61 percent to 74 percent). However, her most phenomenal development was in her reliability with the ball.
A year ago, she committed 18 more turnovers (57) than she had assists (39) but flipped those numbers this season to 69 assists compared to just 49 turnovers. That 1.4 assists/turnover margin would rank her third in the conference had she totaled enough assists to be ranked.
"She is an unselfish point guard," Marchesano said. "Point guards can always make anybody happy with their passes. Destinee is our best handler and our best creator.
"She has blended in and meshed (with her teammates) from the very beginning."
Des finds Syd for two more!#FeelTheRumble #HLWBB pic.twitter.com/7v7FnC0jRt
— Purdue Fort Wayne WBB (@MastodonWBB) February 24, 2024
And she is wrapping up her career playing her most efficient basketball.
In the past five games, which include four Purdue Fort Wayne victories, Marshall has dished out a total of 21 assists.
The Mastodons (19-11, 12-7) have already clinched third in the HL standings, which is the program's best league finish in a decade.
A victory on Saturday would also would match the program mark for most wins at the NCAA Division I level (2010-11 season).
"It's been fun," Marchesano said of this season. "It's been up and down, but mostly good."
~ Feel the Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
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