Almost everyone in the building was receiving congratulatory fist bumps from Jermaine Marshall after Samford’s 88-62 victory over
Western Carolina on Wednesday night.
It didn’t matter if they were teammates, supporters, coaches, arena employees, parents, or the guy in the student section dressed like
Moses. On Valentine’s Day, Marshall was giving everyone the cold shoulder. After yet another Bulldogs record-breaking win, he had
love to give. The 6-6 shooting guard from Brighton, a nearby community, was so thrilled about another exciting night at the Pete
Hanna Center that he even waved to reporters who were monitoring the game.
Yes, Marshall gave this grumpy columnist a fist bump as well. I’ll accept it as well, and later on in the day I might make the trip to
Georgia to purchase a lottery ticket. These days, Marshall can’t miss, and I hope the enchantment emanating from his fingertips
spreads to others.
Before Marshall suffered an injury early in the season, Samford was a very strong basketball team. This squad on fire may screw
around and burn down all the nets for the remainder of the season and then at the Southern Conference tournament now that he’s
working his way back into starting minutes.
Samford started this week ranked 63rd in the NET rankings, with a 23-3 overall record and a 12-1 SoCon record. I had doubts. I
believed that the Bulldogs were benefiting from a Big Ten bump because they were playing Purdue on the road to start the season.
Having witnessed this team’s intense February energy firsthand, I hope Samford gets another opportunity to play Purdue, ranked
second, in the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers have a track record of losing early, and Samford appears to be the type of club
that may upset some brackets come March with Marshall in top form. With its next win, Samford will tie the program record for wins
in a season. The Bulldogs still have five games remaining before they play in the SoCon tournament.
Permit me to hurl a few figures in the manner of Marshall’s post-match fist bumps.
Samford’s smooth shooter continued his shooting rampage against Western Carolina, scoring 16 points in just 12 minutes. It’s been
four games since he returned to action. Marshall is averaging more than 12 points in 10 minutes per game throughout that time.
Marshall scores more than a point every minute while he is on the court. We’re also not discussing layups. Marshall makes use of his
range.
Marshall is 8 of 11 from 3-point range and 15 of 19 from the floor in his past three games. Against Western Carolina, who made every
effort to keep up with Samford but was defeated after Jaden Campbell drained back-to-back triples in the early minutes of the second
half, he finished 6 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 6 from long range.
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