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‘Q’ AND ‘A’ TIME WITH COACH MARSHALL
by Stephanie Freedman

I know that conventionally as a sports writer I’m supposed to come up with an articulate story about the team I’m writing about. Yet, I figured, why write about these amazing girls myself when I can get someone who knows them personally to talk about them. So with some persuasion on my part, I got their loving coach Mr. Greg Marshall to sit down with me to say a few words.

Me: How many years have you been coaching the basketball team?
Mr. Marshall: 5 years, 4 years as head coach

Me: What intrigued you to come and coach at Valley?
Mr. Marshall: My niece was interested in becoming a basketball player, so I started to coach her and her friends. I basically fell in love with the girls and I just never looked back. I find myself falling in love with my team all over again every year.

Me: What is the best part, in your opinion, of being a coach?
Mr. Marshall: My relationship with my players. I work hard for them as they work hard for me.

Me: How are the girls doing so far in the season?
Mr. Marshall: They are all working very hard. In all seriousness, injuries have occurred, but we are working through them and hope to be back on our feet by December.
Me: What are your goals for this season?
Mr. Marshall: I have expectations that my girls will be very competitive. The league is tough, but I don’t want to measure our success in our wins and losses but by our improvement game to game, week to week.

How are the girls working together as a team?
Mr. Marshall: Most of the girls have played together since junior high so they know each other really well. My job is to make them know each other and basketball.

Me: Any encouraging words for your girls to read?
Mr. Marshall: I love you guys first and last. Playing basketball is something we do; our relationships define who we are.

Me: You always look really sharp for your games. For the record, how many articles of clothing do you have?
Mr. Marshall: I own over 50 suits and 250 pairs of shoes. I don’t take a lot of time figuring out what I want to wear, but my belt will always match my shoes.

The girls had their first game on December 1 against Los Altos. Their hard work seemed to pay off as they celebrated an amazing win 47-19. Some of the top scorers of the game were Lacey Banks and Alissa Hayden. With this win under their belts, the season for our girls varsity basketball team is looking exceptionally bright.