It was just after practice on Saturday afternoon and Xavier’s Naji Marshall was in a very good mood.
“It’s a really good time,” Marshall said. “I’m feeling good.”
And why shouldn’t Marshall be feeling good? Thanks in large part to his superior play of late, Xavier is back among the living in the BIG EAST. The Musketeers are currently riding a three-game winning streak, one that not only ended a six-game slide for Xavier, but one that also got them right back into the thick of the race in a bunched-up BIG EAST.
Marshall is also coming off a career-best performance with his 28-point effort against Seton Hall last Wednesday and on Sunday the Musketeers have a chance to further enhance their late-season push for a top BIG EAST Tournament seed when they host No. 17 Villanova on Sunday’s marquee matchup.
More on that in a bit. But first some props have to go out to Marshall’s dad, Maurice. Maurice was involved in a very different sport back in the 90s but it was one he never pushed on his son. Maurice was a boxer and he wanted his son to excel in something far less taxing on one’s body.
“He was a professional boxer. He was a heavyweight,” Marshall said. “I think he fought like five fights. But he never wanted me to be boxer. He wanted me to be either a football or basketball player.”
Count first-year Xavier Coach Travis Steele among those happy that Marshall chose to launch jumpers instead of jabs.
Marshall began to make a name for himself around the BIG EAST in the latter stages of last season when he started the final 11 games of the Musketeers’ season. During that span there was a 15-point performance against Butler, including six in overtime in a 98-93 Xavier win. He followed that outing up with a 20-point outburst in a 102-90 victory over Seton Hall before adding a then-career-high 21 points in an 89-77 win over Georgetown. He then closed out the regular season with an 11-rebound effort in a 65-62 victory at DePaul.
And he did all that as a freshman playing in the considerable shadows of now-departed program cornerstones Trevon Bluiett and J.P Macura.
After last season Marshall found himself on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team, some rarified air for sure, but particularly for Xavier as the Musketeers had only ever seen two other players so honored - Bluiett and Edmond Sumner. That’s some pretty special company Marshall is keeping these days.
“That was a great honor,” Marshall said. “I didn’t know how I was going to play coming into (last) season so to be named the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team was a dream come true.”
So what did Marshall have in store for an encore this season? Well, Steele wanted to see his stellar sophomore make the next step toward being an elite-level player. So has Marshall achieved that? You be the judge.
Marshall leads the Musketeers in scoring (14.3 points), minutes played (35.4), made field goals (131) and defensive rebounds (153). He is second in rebounds per game (6.7) and third in both assists (91) and steals (25). Not a bad stat line for the 6-7 forward.
“I think I got a little bit better overall,” Marshall said. “I’m moving toward taking that big step but there are still some things I think I need to work on. But it’s not far.”
But as much as Marshall thrives on offense, he is equally effective on the defensive end of the court. In fact, Steele said of his defensive stalwart, “He is as versatile as any defender in the country as far as his ability to guard point guards to centers. He can guard anybody.”
That’s some pretty lofty praise for such a young player. But Marshall says he works just as hard on his defense as his offense.
“I take a lot of pride in my defense,” Marshall said. “I think when I focus on my defense that’s when I have my best offensive games. Going against Seton Hall and Myles Powell, one of the best guards in the league, I just came with a defensive mindset and it just led to other things.”
Like a career-best 28 points in that one-point win over the Pirates last Wednesday. About the only thing that didn’t pan out for Marshall that night was Mother Nature kept a lot of family and friends of Marshall, an Atlantic City native, from attending the game.
“It was just one of those nights where I was on,” said Marshall, who is averaging 21.8 points over his last four games. “There was supposed to be a lot of my family there that night but there was a really bad snowstorm so most of them couldn’t make it. But my dad was there and my stepmom was there and my uncle was there. But it was just one of those nights where I was shooting good and I just tried to get my team a win.”
He’s an elite scorer, a voracious rebounder and a lock-down defender. So is there anything Marshall can’t do on the basketball court?
“I hope not,” Marshall said. “I just try to do whatever I can to help get us a win, that’s all.”
A victory against No. 17 Villanova on Sunday would be a major shot in the arm for a Xavier program that was just 3-8 in conference play not long ago. It would help continue the strong run the Musketeers have been on of late and maybe spur some talk of Xavier making a run at another NCAA Tournament invite.
“Beating Villanova would be a huge confidence booster and it would help us out a lot,” Marshall said of the 1:30 tip off at the Cintas Center. “Man, it’s going to be crazy in there.”
He no longer plays in the shadows of Bluiett and Macura, no longer just a small piece of the Xavier puzzle. In under two full seasons, Naji Marshall is proving to be the real deal for the Musketeers. What we’re witnessing is the next great Xavier player emerging, right?
“Well, I sure hope so,” Marshall said with a laugh.