Louisiana Tech was once the standard in NCAA women’s basketball. After winning the first NCAA women’s basketball tournament in 1982, the Techsters continued a run of 25 seasons where they qualified for the annual national tournament. That included another title in 1988 and six total trips to the NCAA national final.
It’s now been 13 years since the last trip to March Madness, but the future of college basketball in Ruston, Louisiana is bright. In part because of freshman forward Jordan Marshall.
Go to ESPN’s top 100 recruits for the 2024 prospect class and you won’t see her name alongside UConn’s Sarah Strong or Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge. You didn’t see her play in the McDonald’s All-American game. There wasn’t the hype surrounding her as she entered her freshman year.
No, Marshall isn’t a player talked about across college basketball social media — but she should be. She deserves attention, and will have it as her college career grows.
The 6-foot forward already has experience with being overlooked. In her senior year of high school, Marshall played for Central Little Rock, in her native Arkansas. Entering the 2024 6A playoffs, the Little Rock Tigers were the fourth seed, and had their fair share of trouble against teams ranked higher in the tournament bracket.
After making it through the second round, shocking the No. 1 seeded Northside, Marshall and the Tigers had semifinals and the final game against teams Central already faced in the regular season to the tune of an 0-5 winless record.
What happened next wasn’t expected around Little Rock. Marshall led the Tigers to the 6A state championship, their first title in school history.
Against Conway in the state final, the reigning state champions who defeated Central twice in the regular season (once by 18 points), Marshall led the Tigers with nine points and 12 rebounds. It helped secure the victory and the tournament MVP award.
Following Central’s Cinderella season, Marshall left home for Louisiana Tech, where the forward is already making her mark. In Marshall’s first week of the season, she averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Techsters in three consecutive victories. That earned Marshall her first Conference USA’s Freshman of the Week honor.
In the next two games against Stephen F. Austin and Mississippi Valley State, Marshall had two double-doubles with 14 rebounds apiece and 16 and 18-point performances.
Marshall became the first freshman Techster to score 20 points in a game since 2014. She also became the first LA Tech freshman since 1996 to score in double figures, matching Tamicha Jackson who went on to have a six-year WNBA career.
The forward excels inside, sometimes taking on multiple defenders to take chances at the basket. Marshall achieves this through athletic moves reserved for players normally shorter in stature, like this move against UT Arlington.
Marshall’s play has worked so far in the non-conference season, but her scoring doesn’t have a singular focus.
Beyond the arc, Marshall is beginning to grow in confidence. After missing five three-point attempts in her first three games, the freshman has one in two consecutive starts.
In terms of court vision, Marshall has that too and isn’t a score-first style player. Against Stephen F. Austin, the Techsters lost but there were a handful of moments where Marshall proved to hurt opponents on the offensive side of the ball without taking a shot.
On an inbound pass, which Marshall sent into play, the freshman received the pass with SFA pressuring full-court. Marshall caught a pass and then used a chest pass to send it into the far top corner of the court for an open three-point shot.
Not a quarterback style toss but using upper body strength, balanced with accuracy, to chest pass it over the opposing defense and into the hands of her teammate.
In the same game, Marshall showed her magnetic-like connection with winning the ball, attacking the rim and getting extra attempts at points from the free throw line.
It isn’t only passes that stretch the court. With Marshall’s physicality and speed inside, she’s started to find outlets and lay the ball off to teammates. One of those teammates is another standout big in Conference USA by the name of Isla Airey.
The two are beginning to play off each other well, both showing an aptitude to adjust to the NCAA quickly.
“I thought they had some great plays for us at critical times,” said head coach Brenda Stoehr about Marshall and Airey. “But, I think there’s just so much more that they’re capable of and just finding that consistency of taking care of the basketball and being strong and going and crashing every time, posting up hard every time and doing those things.”
So far this season, Marshall leads LA Tech with 14.5 points per game, good for sixth in the conference. Her 9.8 rebounds not only leads the Techsters but also Conference USA.
Playing for a mid-major like Louisiana Tech means there are going to be tough games in the non-conference schedule. Over the Thanksgiving week, the Techsters faced a ranked Baylor Bears on their home court in Waco.
The Techsters struggled, falling 98-54, but Marshall still found a way to produce even up against stiff competition brought on by playing a Big 12 side. Marshall scored 14 points and led LA Tech with seven rebounds. Even as the opponents grow in difficulty, Marshall’s turned into a player who can consistently produce.
Adding to all of Marshall’s early accolades is the classroom piece of the student athlete job title. In her first quarter, Marshall had a perfect 4.0 grade point average, showing smart moves on and off the court.
Marshall is an example of the growth of college basketball. The talent level is increasing and the bars set by the decades of women’s pioneers before them are falling.
In the grand scheme of things, Marshall is still a freshman adjusting to college athletics and with that comes areas of improvement. Players grow in their system, develop their strengths further and add more to their abilities on the court.
Yes, Marshall does lead the team with 14.4 points and 9.4 rebounds, but she also leads the Techsters with 39 turnovers in seven games.
Giving the ball away is an area coach Stoehr sees both Marshall and her fellow freshman Airey. Stoehr doesn’t try and hype up her freshman starter. Instead, she’s helping them grow through working on those ares that will take Marshall and her teammates to another level.
“I thought they had some great plays for us at critical times,” said Stoehr. “But, I think there’s just so much more that they’re capable of and just finding that consistency of taking care of the basketball and being strong and going and crashing every time, posting up hard every time and doing those things.”
As the game slows down for Marshall, the turnovers will become few and further between. Even with early mistakes that come with any learning curve, Marshall is someone to watch not only this season, but for the next four years.
