UNC Basketball: Kendall Marshall back at UNC???

Former North Carolina point guard back at the Smith Center

Just a couple of months since announcing his retirement from the game of basketball, Kendall Marshall is back where it all began; at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Six years since his early and unexpected departure from the school, Marshall has been frequenting UNC basketball practices. The former Tar Heel is back on campus attending classes in order to get his undergraduate degree.

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Marshall has moved on from his playing days and looks forward to the next phase of his life, which appears to be a future in coaching.

Since returning to Chapel Hill as a full-time student, Marshall has been attending the Tar Heels’ practices on a daily basis. And according to head coach Roy Williams, Marshall is also involved in staff meetings and film sessions.

"“He comes to practice every day and watches and sits there,” Williams said. “He comes into the staff meetings when we grade film. He’s there almost every day when we’re grading tape."

Williams gives Marshall high praise, touting his intellect and knowledge of the game, and compares to him a pair of former Tar Heels who have also gotten their feet into the coaching door since their days on the court ended.

"“One of the three or four smartest individuals I’ve ever coached as far as basketball,” Williams said. “The three at North Carolina would be Kendall, Bobby Frasor, and Sean May. All of those guys knew what everybody was supposed to do at every spot.”"

Frasor was once the Director of Basketball Operations at UAB, but now coaches his high school alma mater, Chicago’s Brother Rice. May is in his third year on Williams’ staff, currently functioning as the Director of Operations.

Could Marshall be the next former Tar Heel that joins the coaching ranks as part of the Roy Williams coaching tree? Williams certainly seems to think so.

"“He wants to be a coach and he’s going to be a fantastic one.”"

Marshall spent two years at UNC where he established himself as one of the best point guards in college basketball. As a sophomore, he won the Bob Cousy Award and led the nation with 351 assists.

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He left two years of eligibility on the table when he bolted for the NBA in 2012. Over the course of his six-year professional career, he played for the Suns, Lakers, Bucks and 76ers, as well as multiple stints in the G-League.

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