Marble responds to coach’s call, has career night (premium)
Posted on 23. Jan, 2011 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Before the Iowa Hawkeyes took on the Indiana Hoosiers Sunday afternoon at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, head coach Fran McCaffery made something clear when assessing his team during a press conference on Jan. 21.
He said the one player that needed to get going for Iowa was freshman guard Roy Devyn Marble.
McCaffery admits part of the reason for Marble’s struggles is a result of not being able to play as much at the 2-guard position since the Southfield, Mich., native is also currently backing up junior Bryce Cartwright at the point. But nevertheless, he was waiting for Marble to have a big showing.
That performance came Sunday in Iowa’s 91-77 victory over Indiana, which was its first Big Ten win of the season. Marble came off the bench and ended up scoring 18 points for the Hawkeyes while shooting 8-of-13 from the field and playing a total of 20 minutes.
“He was aggressive from the start,” McCaffery said. “That’s what we had been trying to get him to do, just be aggressive, and I played him a lot more, too, today, than I had been.
“To his credit, he has done a really good job and hasn’t complained about it. But being able to get him on the side, from the wing, out in transition. Now you see the scorer that he can be, and it really picks up our team.”
Sure, it came against a Hoosier squad now in a similar hole the Hawkeyes have been in during Big Ten play, but Marble’s display of athleticism and basketball IQ was on full display Sunday.
After the game, Marble said he knew the second he stepped on the hardwood that he would have himself a solid outing, and that the rhythm of the game was what clicked for him Sunday.
“Seeing other guys do well, it all comes together,” Marble said.
The performance was one that teammate (and roommate) Melsahn Basabe knew would eventually come for Marble given his demeanor in practice.
“I would say over the last month, he had been doing a lot of really good things in practice, dominating in spurts,” the freshman forward said. “Devyn’s a supreme talent. I’ve seen him do a lot of different things. He’s 6-5, he can dribble and shoot, rebound, athletic, really good defender.
“That’s my man. I know he has got it in him.”
Marble said he knew what McCaffery had said before Sunday’s contest about taking that next step and got where he was coming from both with his overall play and having to play multiple positions on the court.
“I wouldn’t blame Coach for having me at point,” Marble said. “Things happen, and you just have to take the things at times when they come.”
Now that Marble has flashed some of that potential, McCaffery hopes he become a more consistent player that Iowa can continue to depend on as the season progresses.
“He has never got down on himself, even though he has been struggling,” McCaffery said. “He believes in himself, and he has always been a scorer. He just knew a day like this was coming.
“Now, I think he’ll settle down and have more opportunities to do exactly what he did today.”
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