Updated: Gregg Marshall resigns from Wichita State amidst misconducted allegations

**UPDATE 11/17: Wichita State officially announced that Marshall had resigned from his position. Wichita State will reportedly pay Marshall his full $7.75 million buyout, spread out over six years, which is somewhat surprising given the circumstances of this situation. “Our student-athletes are our primary concern,” AD Darron Boatright said. “While the university acknowledges the success of the basketball program under Coach Marshall, this decision is in the best interest of the university, its student-athletes and the WSU community.”

Assistant coach Isaac Brown has been tabbed as the interim head coach for the 2020-21 season, which tips off for the Shockers next Wednesday with a neutral site game against Utah State. This is the first head coaching opportunity for Brown, who has been with the program since 2014. “I know this is a difficult time for our kids, but we will come together as a team and continue to compete,” he said in a release. “We have a great group of kids and staff, and we will work hard each day to represent our school and our city.”

— Original post from 11/11/2020 —

It has been about a month since an explosive report from Jeff Goodman and Stadium hit the college basketball world. In it, former Wichita State players and coaches accused head coach Gregg Marshall of various acts of physical and emotional abuse. Goodman was back with more breaking news Tuesday night, reporting that Marshall and WSU were expected to part ways this week.

Marshall has been with the Shockers since 2007 and immediately brought the program into the national spotlight as a preeminent mid-major (and now major) powerhouse. His teams won five Missouri Valley titles and went to the NCAA Tournament seven times, highlighted by a memorable 2013 Final Four run. He constant success at Wichita – and previously at Winthrop – made him a top candidate for most major program fanbases looking for a head coach over the last decade, but Marshall always chose to stay put and eventually saw the program transition to the AAC in 2017.

Known as a fiery and passionate head coach, a new side to Marshall came to the forefront in October when a six-month investigation by Stadium uncovered a number of incidents and indiscretions. The most notable allegations include Marshall punching a player and choking an assistant coach in separate practice incidents, as well as a pattern of verbal abuse corroborated by a number of former players. Following the publishing of the report, the school launched an independent investigation into the claims presented.

Given Marshall’s on-court track record, Wichita State’s status as a national program and the timing of games being just weeks away, this (warranted) coaching change will be a major storyline for the upcoming season. Many thought Wichita would have to replace Marshall at some point, but certainly not under these circumstances.

credit to Getty for the image