Buffalo men’s basketball assistant coach Donyell Marshall accepted the head coaching job at Central Connecticut State Wednesday, officially ending his one-year stint with the Bulls.
It will be Marshall’s fifth coaching gig but his first as a head coach.
“I am really happy for Donyell and I believe he deserves this opportunity that he has been given,” said head coach Nate Oats in a press release. “He is extremely ready to be a head coach and he was very instrumental in the success that we had this past year in all areas of our men's basketball program. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him during the year that we were together. He has a great work ethic, and a great understanding of the game of basketball and I know that he will do great things at Central Connecticut State. I wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
A few weeks ago, Marshall was linked to an assistant head coaching position at Rutgers due to his relationship with new Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell.
Marshall is the second member of the Bulls coaching staff to leave the team this off-season as former Buffalo Director of Player Development Julius Hodge left to assume an assistant head coaching position at Santa Clara. Oats brought both Marshall and Hodge to Buffalo last off-season for his revamped coaching staff.
In Marshall’s lone season in Buffalo, the program won its second straight Mid-American Conference Championship and clinched the program’s second-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The Bulls earned a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 3 Miami in the Round of 64.
Marshall was instrumental in the development of freshmen post players Nick Perkins and Ikenna Smart throughout the season. Perkins broke out in the Bulls' NCAA Tournament loss to Miami with 20 points scored, a team-high.
Prior to joining the Bulls, Marshall spent the last two seasons as an assistant head coach at Rider University. Prior to his tenure at Rider, he spent time as an assistant coach at George Washington University and the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Developmental League.
Marshall is a 15-year NBA veteran, playing with eight different NBA franchises. Marshall is most well known for sharing a record with Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant for the most three-pointers made in a single NBA game (12).
Quentin Haynes is the co-senior sports editor and can be reached at quentin.haynes@ubspectrum.com. Follow him @HaynesTheWriter
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
