By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Gregg Marshall called Saturday night's game against Louisville the most important he'd ever coached, and quite possibly the most important game Wichita State had ever played.
Gregg Marshall sat in his office on the campus of Wichita State on a cold January morning, his familiar eye glasses set aside, and gazed at the championship nets nailed to the wall.
The entire basketball program at Wichita State runs on what Louisville coach Rick Pitino makes in a single year, with money left over to purchase plenty of trophy cases for Final Four hardware.
Malcolm Armstead scored 14 points, Fred Van Vleet bounced in a big basket with 1 minute left, and ninth-seeded Wichita State earned its first trip to the Final Four since 1965 with a 70-66 victory over Ohio State on Saturday.
There are some coaches in college basketball who always seem composed. They may be churning below the surface, but outwardly they're calm, keeping everything bottled up until a player makes an errant pass or an official's call goes the other way.
Illinois fired Bruce Weber on Friday, letting go of a fiery coach whose first three years with the Illini included a run to the national championship game before a long slide the past six years ended with a 17-15 mark this season.
The frosty relationship between North Carolina State athletic director Debbie Yow and Maryland's Gary Williams took a nasty turn during the introduction of the Wolfpack's new men's basketball coach.
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall bristles when he hears the term "mid-major" applied to his team, even though he understands where people are coming from.
Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall bristles when he hears the term "mid-major" applied to his team, even though he understands where people are coming from.
Joe Ragland's layup with 2.6 seconds left in overtime lifted Wichita State to a 79-76 victory over Virginia Tech in the second round of the NIT on Sunday.
Jeff Allen scored 19 points to help Virginia Tech overcome the sting of not making the NCAA tournament with a 79-54 win over Bethune-Cookman on Wednesday night in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
The corner booth at the Waffle House is filling up fast. Alternately glancing at the menu and sipping their first cup of joe are Dana Altman, Gregg Marshall and Rick Majerus. Billy Donovan, who just pulled into the parking lot, will be joining them as soon as he can find a space.
"There's such a group in that locker room you grow to love," Marshall said quietly.
"What you've got to do is not turn the ball over," Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. "If we're turning the ball over and giving them transition opportunities, then we're not doing what we're trying to do."
