Northwestern senior point guard Beth Marshall has had an unusual record of playing time. After playing through the 2006-2007 campaign, going 8-22, Marshall fractured her femur and then redshirted her sophomore and junior years. Last year, as a redshirt junior, Marshall led the Wildcats in steals and assists and set a remarkable clip of 38.6% beyond the arc in her first season of action under Coach Joe McKeown. One of only three seniors on an underclassmen-populated roster, Marshall is looking to end her career with an appearance in the NCAA tournament come March.
You consider yourself one of the leaders on the team. Do you embrace a leadership role with the young players on the team?
I think so. I think the leadership not only comes from being a fifth-year senior — I’m the grandma of the team — but it’s just that I’m point guard and that comes with the position. Coach talks a lot of looking to the seniors for leadership because we’ve been here the longest, so we know the ropes — both on the court and off the court. So yeah, I think the seniors are doing well with leadership but, for the most part, we’re trying to set a good example for when we leave, for other leadership to step up.
What are your expectations after being off the court for two years and then playing last year? How do you want to see your career close out?
Man, I want to get to the tournament. That’s our goal as a team — Big Ten champs, and then go onto the tournament. Because, while 18 wins last year was a great accomplishment and going to the WNIT was awesome, that’s the tournament you don’t want to be playing in. Go out on top and just have fun.
How has the atmosphere been at the beginning of this year compared to years’ past?
I think everyone’s just really excited because we came off a great year, and postseason is a lot more fun when you’ve had a winning season. And we knew that we had high expectations for each other, so we’re really holding each other accountable. I think everyone’s attitude has been great, coming into practice everyday and working hard. But everyone knows that we have to put in the time now to get the goal we want in the end.
This is your second season under Coach McKeown. How has he shaped your game into what it is today?
He’s great. He’s a basketball genius. He has a wonderful defense — if we run it right — and offensive sets. And for me, he gives me a lot of freedom as a point guard, but with that freedom comes responsibility, which I don’t mind. So I enjoy playing for him because I think every set we run brings the best out in each player. So, for me, he gets me coming off ball screens for a shot or gets me in a good position to give [fellow senior] Amy [Jaeschke] the ball. I’ve enjoyed it — I’ve really enjoyed playing for him.