His coaching roots in coaching basketball goes back quite a way. In fact, if you do the full rewind you’ll go back nearly 30 years ago and see something interesting.

 

The first thing you might notice is that his first two coaching stints came at schools that no longer exist. The second is that the first person he coached with at the high school level is the same person he’s come out of a one-year coaching exile to coach with again.

 

Such is the current status of former Bridgeport High School girls’ state championship basketball Coach David Marshall. A year after he stepped away as the boys coach at Liberty High School, Marshall is back on the bench again.

 

And he’s got a friend at his side.

 

Marshall is a volunteer assistant coach for Robert C. Byrd’s boys’ team and works with his long-time friend and long-time coach in his own right Billy Bennett.

 

“This is my second time assisting with Billy with the boys’ team at RCB,” said Marshall. “A lot of people don’t know I assisted with him prior to that.”

 

Well before Marshall came to Bridgeport High School, he was hired to be the girls’ basketball coach at the now closed Gore Junior High School. He was hired by another legendary name from Bridgeport in Bill Montgomery.

 

“That was, I believe, in 1990, and was eager to get a job and Mr. Montgomery gave me my first opportunity. I was wanting to coach varsity in some capacity and was applying everywhere,” said Marshall.

 

Marshall came up short to be part of the Washington Irving boys’ basketball staff, but learned about another opening. That opening was on the staff of Bill Bennett’s Hilltoppers girls’ basketball team during the time when the girls played in the fall months.

 

“Billy and Athletic Director Jim Fittro ended up hiring me and Billy and I became good friends,” said Marshall.

 

And the real coaching journey was underway. Not only would the two coach together, but they formed a successful basketball camp together.

 

“I think that was the big backbone for us having success together and becoming good friends. You had the fact our wives worked together and then the camp, as much as anything, brought us together,” said Marshall. “We did that and we ended up going to clinics together and no matter where our coaching careers went, we remained friends.”

 

That friendship is how Marshall ended up returning to the sidelines. After Marshall finished a two-decade run with the Bridgeport girls, he ended up moving on to coach at his alma mater. For two years, he coached back at Liberty High School looking to turn the boys program around.

 

Eventually, two years later, he stepped away. Maybe, he thought, it was time. Maybe, he thought, he was doing the wrong thing. Maybe, he also speculated, he would miss the game.

 

“I knew deep down not coaching was going to be a bad thing, but I needed a year to recharge my batteries to see just how much the game means to me,” said Marshall. “I realized I loved the game and the kids and it wasn’t just about winning and losing. It was about trying to develop young men and women into quality young adults. I took it serious because of the mentors I had when I was in high school in (former Liberty football coach and current BHS freshman assistant football) Coach (Tom) Hilton, (former LHS basketball) Coach (Jim) Clevenger and (former Liberty Principal) Mr. (Wilson) Currey. 

 

“Then my wife was ready throw me out of the house this time last year,” Marshall continued with a laugh. “I needed that year. In a way I’m glad and at the same time I feel like I missed out.”

 

This year, however, may not have happened. It happened because of his old friend Billy Bennett.

 

“Billy invited me to a Christian concert and like it usually does when we’re together we talked about basketball,” said Marshall. “Eventually, he told me he needed a volunteer and I was actually kind of hoping a position would come up where I could coach. Being an assistant certainly beats sitting around the house.”

 

Getting back with Bennett was easy in many respects. Marshall had worked with him on two previous stops, including a prior stint as an assistant on his boys’ team prior to his Liberty gig in 2014-15. Their philosophies are similar on basketball strategy. And Marshall already knew Bennett let his assistants coach. What he didn’t know was how he was going to feel before getting back into it.

 

“I was nervous, which is weird, because I’ve considered myself blessed with so many positives from basketball and have had some success. Yet, I was nervous enough to wonder if I was supposed to be back there,” he said. “The answer was immediately a yes when I got out there.

 

“Helping and teaching put me at ease because that’s always the best part, but learning to be an assistant coach again was a bit different,” he continued. “My DNA is wired as a Type A person with a head coaching mentality so that’s been the adjustment. I’m learning to be the guy in the advisory role and that’s fine.”

 

The only concerns to date involve wondering if he should do and say more. That, he said, will fix itself as the year continues to progress.

 

“Sometimes I’ve caught myself coming home and wondering that I should have said more in certain situations. I’m still learning to be a guy in an advisory role and Billy is letting me grow into it,” said Marshall. “It’s why it works and why it’s getting easier.”

 

What isn’t easy was last weekend’s game with Bridgeport. While there was no doubt Marshall wanted his Eagles to win the game, he said it’s after those type of games where you feel for the opponent. In this case, the reasons are obvious.

 

Marshall has served as a math teacher at Bridgeport High School for years. Many of the players on the Indians roster are part of current classroom rosters or past.

 

“I can tell you it’s hard to go up against those kids you see in your class or in the hallway. Don’t get me wrong, when the ball is tossed up the adage of forgetting everything and trying to win goes into play,” he said. “When it’s over, and you see the kids like Nick Stalnaker who goes to church with me and John Ross who’s there too and all the faces you know, it doesn’t make it a little tough. You have relationships with those kids, which does make it a bit tough.

 

“That’s among the challenges I’m dealing with,” Marshall continued. “They’re not big challenges, but they’re challenges as I get older and entrenched. At the same time, I’m just glad to be back coaching. It just feels like it’s where I’m supposed to be.”

 

Editor's Note: Top three photos show Dave Marshall last weekend in his role as a volunteer assistant to RCB Coach Bill Bennett, while the fourth photo shows him during his last stint as a head coach for the Liberty boys team. Fifth photo shows Marshall during his days with the Bridgeport girls getting interviewed following a state tournament win. Bottm photo shows Marshall walking through the handshake line after the Eagles win against Bridgeport. Photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.