University of South Florida Men’s Basketball named Donnie Marsh an assistant coach, head coach Stan Heath announced on Thursday. Marsh brings over 30 years of collegiate basketball coaching experience to the Bulls. Heath’s three assistants for the 2013-14 season are now Steve Roccaforte, Mike Wells and Marsh.
Marsh comes to USF after spending the 2012-13 season as the associate head coach at Texas Southern. His 30-plus year career includes stops at UAB (2006-12), Indiana (2004-06) and Virginia Tech (1997-2000) while also running the helm at Florida International for four seasons (2000-04).
“Donnie has proven to be a very successful coach during his career,” said Heath. “He will bring a wealth of experience to our program, both on and off the court. He’s known to be a great defensive tactician as well as a strong overall coach. I feel he’ll work very well with my staff and players and help our program continue to grow.”
With Marsh’s help, his squads made seven postseason appearances – two NCAA, five NIT, including the NIT Championship game in 1997. Over a four-year span at UAB during his six seasons at UAB, the Blazers compiled an impressive record of 92-41 (.692), tied the single-season school record for wins with 25 and won the program’s first outright Conference USA regular season championship.
At each of his stops his defensive prowess has been evident. The Blazers consistently ranked near the top in the C-USA in scoring defense, while his squads at Indiana improved drastically in points allowed and field goal percentage. At FIU, the Golden Panthers regularly ranked among the best in the Sun Belt Conference in total defense and offensive rebounding.
Prior to Florida International, Marsh served as an assistant (1997-99) and associate head coach (1999-00) at Virginia Tech. Marsh had gone to Virginia Tech after serving as an assistant coach at Florida State from 1995-97, where he helped the Seminoles to the 1997 National Invitation Tournament championship game before losing to Michigan. As the head coach at Trenton State (N.J.) College, now named College of New Jersey, Marsh compiled a four-year record of 64-41, which was highlighted by a 22-6 record and NCAA Tournament berth in 1990.
A 1979 graduate of Franklin & Marshall (Pa.) College with a bachelor’s degree in history and education, Marsh earned All-American honors and helped the Diplomats to a 27-5 record and NCAA Division III Final Four. The Atlanta Hawks chose Marsh with their third-round pick (52nd overall) in the 1979 NBA Draft.
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