Marquis Marshall feels that his third school is the charm, and he is already making an impact for the Crusaders. Photo courtesy Alvernia Sports Information

By Ryan Scott
D3hoops.com 

A whole heap of Mid-Atlantic games were cancelled this weekend, as some parts of the region saw three feet of snow. Alvernia moved up their game with Widener and won 78-74 Friday night. The Crusaders are only 10-8, but they've got a knack for putting together wins at the end of the season, they're playing with a full roster of healthy players for the first time, and things are looking up.

A lot of this success comes on the back of two teammates from Berks Catholic high school who were finally reunited on the court at Alvernia over Christmas break.

Mike Miller was pretty much always coming to Alvernia. The 6-2 sophomore guard is the son of the head coach (also named Mike Miller) and it wasn't a tough sell job for him to stay home and play for his dad. The leading scorer early in the season, the younger Miller missed three weeks due to injury in January, but returned in a 75-65 win over cross-town rival Albright last week.

A year ahead of Miller in high school, junior transfer Marquis Marshall took a longer route to Reading. He played his freshmen year at Division I Towson, then his sophomore year and the first few games of this season at Division II East Stroudsburg before transferring to Alvernia for the second semester.

"It was a last minute decision [to transfer]. At Thanksgiving break I came home, my family saw I wasn't happy," says Marshall. "I was thinking of packing it up, calling it quits, finishing school and continuing my life without basketball."

There was one more call to make, though, to a coach Marshall had known all his life.

"Coach Miller called me, we had a heart to heart. It was a very deep conversation. I see him as more than a coach already, so it wasn't hard to make the decision where I wanted to go."

Marshall is the son of UConn great and 15-year NBA veteran, Donyell Marshall, who just happened to play at Reading High for coach Mike Miller.

"[Donyell] was a big part of Marquis coming here," says Miller. "He called me and we discussed it. The first thing he said to Marquis was, 'get ready to take some constructive criticism, because coach doesn't care if you're the best player or the worst.'"

This move seems to come at a time when Marshall is ready to receive that criticism and improve. Now leading the Crusaders in points and rebounds, the first four games he played for Alvernia were all losses.

"I started to doubt myself," says Marshall. "It took a second to sit back and recognize what's going on and what I need to do to make the team better. I'm really changing how I approach the game mentally."

This losing streak coincided with Marshall arriving and Miller being hurt, along with some tough opponents (Gettysburg, Stockton, and DeSales among them).

"I [schedule tough] every year," says coach Miller, "obviously to get ready for this, for a run. It tells you a lot about your team, even if you lose."

Miller's Crusaders are always in the mix, having won three straight and four of the last five MAC Commonwealth conference titles. Even when the early season record is unimpressive, Alvernia always seems to go on a run when it counts.

"We usually juggle our lineup so people know different roles," says Miller of his coaching philosophy. "Usually that takes a long time each season. We've been lucky to build team chemistry each year and to fight adversity."

Marshall brings a unique perspective on facing adversity that adds an extra dimension to the squad.

"A lot has to do with how much I changed and matured throughout the years. Making the decision out of high school, you're 18 years old and you don't really know what you want to do. I was focused on everything I probably shouldn't have been focused on. My dad has always let me make my own decisions. Part of me wants him to jump in, help out, and tell me what to do – but he's all about how this is my life; I have to make my own decisions. At the same time, that helped me grow. If I'd made the right decision the first time I wouldn't have been able to grow the way I have."

That kind of insight and maturity, coupled with a 6-6 frame and scary talent make Alvernia a real contender in a difficult conference. After reeling off three straight wins, it appears the typical late season run has begun. The biggest test, though, comes Wednesday night when the Crusaders host Lycoming with first place on the line.

Marshall seems to finally have found the right fit.

"I'm having a lot of fun. My family notices I'm smiling a lot more."

But that fun also allows him to get down to serious business.

"We have to take it one game at a time. Focus on the next opponent and keep the team's confidence level up. We're going to need everyone down the stretch so we can win a championship."

When asked what difference the addition of Marshall makes to the team, Miller simply replies: "Obviously, Marquis bought in to what we're doing."

Now the Crusaders just have to prove it on the floor.

The CAC continues to impress

The Christopher Newport women have now won nine games in a row, undefeated since a 49-44 road loss on December 5 at CAC-leading Marymount. The Saints had to survive an OT period at Salisbury this week to stay a game ahead of CNU, York, and Mary Washington, all tied at 7-2 in conference. The CNU men are undefeated in conference, but recently embarked on a stretch where six of the next seven games are on the road in conference.

Milestones

Congratulations to Greg Curley of Juniata who won game number 200 and to Gary Stewart of Stevenson for win number 300 this week. Shaquan Turk of Eastern, Brandon Angradi of Dickinson, Jessica Porter of Gettysburg, and Charles Cooper of Alvernia all scored their 1,000th point this week.

Chime in

We are always on the lookout for good Mid-Atlantic region stories. I'm especially interested in statistical milestones and behind the scenes successes – these aren't always as easy to find in headlines and box scores. Contact me at ryan.scott@d3sports.com or @ryanalanscott on Twitter.

Around the Mid-Atlantic was written by Ryan Scott during the 2015-16 season. He now writes Around the Nation.