Rebels guard Marshall ready to make point

It was a painful April for Anthony Marshall. In a four-week span, he experienced the unexpected departure of his coach and the uncertainty of wrist surgery.

Turn the page to August, and Marshall sees no reason to dwell on what's in the rearview mirror. He accepted Lon Kruger's move from UNLV to Oklahoma long ago, and more importantly, he's sure surgery was a success.

"My wrist is not bothering me at all," said Marshall, who had a cyst removed from his left (shooting) wrist April 29. "It's 100 percent. No pain or nothing like that."

Although he was close with Kruger, Marshall said he's comfortable with coach Dave Rice and a new staff. The Rebels' junior guard is at a turning point halfway through his college career.

Marshall said he wants to help "take UNLV to another level," and Rice is planning on the former Mojave High School star leading the way.

"I'm expecting big things from Anthony as a player and from a leadership standpoint," Rice said. "I think it's his time."

Part of Rice's plan is to utilize the 6-foot-3-inch Marshall for more minutes in the point guard role, an experiment both are committed to and one that begins when school is back in session Aug. 29.

For the first two weeks, teams are allowed eight hours per week for individual workouts, but coaches can spend only two of those hours on the floor with a ball, working with four players at a time. The other six hours are for conditioning and weight lifting. On Sept. 15, coaches can begin limited workouts with the entire team, and fall practice officially opens Oct. 14.

"Everyone is on the same page," Marshall said. "We're all ready for the basketball season."

Some of Marshall's summer workouts were spent with Marcus Banks, a former Rebels point guard and first-round NBA draft pick in 2003. The point was a natural position for Banks. Marshall, by comparison, has much to learn.

"My ultimate goal is to play at the next level, and to get there, I think I've got to play some point guard," Marshall said. "I feel it's something I can handle. I would like to take on that challenge. We have some time before the season starts, and I can make that transition."

It also means a switch for senior Oscar Bellfield, who has started 88 games at the point in three years. Bellfield is one of the team's top shooters, hitting 37.9 percent of his 174 3-point attempts last season.

Marshall started 27 games in the backcourt as a sophomore, but he's an aggressive driver and playmaker, not a shooting guard. He made 1 of 23 3-pointers as a freshman and 12 of 59 (.203) last season.

"My plan is for them to be relatively interchangeable," Rice said. "I know Oscar is excited about playing multiple positions, and we want to see Anthony play at the point, as well."

A third point guard, Reggie Smith, will become eligible for the Dec. 17 game against Illinois at the United Center in Chicago. Smith is a sophomore transfer from Marquette.

Rice, who inherits four returning starters from a 24-9 team, will implore his guards to push the ball up the floor.

"One through five, we have guys who can run the court, so this offense is going to play to our style," said Marshall, who boosted his scoring average from 5.3 points per game as a freshman to 9.7 last season. "It's a very up-tempo style of play."

In many ways, Rice is letting Marshall and the other Rebels loose.

After surgery, Marshall shut down his Twitter account for several weeks, which was notable because he was a prolific tweeter. He recently returned to Twitter because of popular demand.

"I felt like I needed a break from it," he said. "But the fans were asking me to come back, and I couldn't stay away from them."

UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck has banned his players from Twitter. Rice said he wants his players to use social networking sites "in a positive way," and he's not considering a ban.

"I don't have any plans to do that," Rice said. "I reserve the right to change my mind. But I've just always felt like there has to be some sort of trust. It's part of the educational process."

As far as the get-acquainted process with the coaches and players, it has been a mostly smooth summer transition.

"With the new coaching staff, they're doing a great job. They are out there recruiting hard and always checking up on us," Marshall said. "The most important thing is communicating and building a bond, and we're doing a great job on both ends."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907.