Badgers George Marshall Ready To Replace Brandon Taylor

The Badgers may be holding one of college basketball's best kept secrets well; at least that is what you would think if you asked the players about red shirt sophomore George Marshall. Wisconsin's former point guard Brandon Taylor said of Marshall that he would also be among the names of all time greats in Wisconsin basketball history. Guard John Gasser said that Marshall was one of the toughest guys that he had to cover all of last year. All of this praise is being heaped upon a nineteen year-old red shirt from Chicago, who played no minutes in 2011.

Marshall Sits Out First Year at Wisconsin

At any other program in the country, Marshall would have seen time as a true freshman. Wisconsin already had a top NBA prospect at the point-guard position, playing an average thirty-six minutes per night. Marshall chose to save a year's eligibility and take his red shirt. And now with Taylor moving on, the point-guard spot is wide open. Marshall says that he is pleased with his decision to join the practice squad for his freshman year at the school. He told reporters that the time was well spent on learning the pace of Big Ten play, and he now feels confident about proving himself in 2012. His time on the drill team also gave coaches a chance to chart his skills and weaknesses, though, as assistant Lamont Paris noticed, there are few of the later.

Paris touted Marshall's keen ability to read plays and to react accordingly. He told reporters that Marshall has a dead on mid-range shot, which will help in situations when a planned play breaks down. He added that the point-guard can also pressure the ball on defense better than any player he has seen at Wisconsin in years. Marshall led his high school to a Chicago Public League championship his senior year. He averaged eighteen points per night at Chicago Brooks College Prep School, as well as six rebounds and five assists.

Marshall remains humble when asked about all of the off-season hype. He knows that the team doesn't expect him to fill Taylor's shoes right off the bat, and he admits that he will make mistakes along the way. For fans though, this could be the beginning of four years of pleasure at the point-guard spot.