Xavier’s star forward Naji Marshall announced on Wednesday that he would be declaring for the draft and would be signing with an agent. He signed with Nate Conley of Prosport Management. This is a tough, but not an unexpected decision. Marshall had a strong season this year, as he was named to the All-Big East first team this year. He was Xavier’s leading scorer, scoring 16.8 points per game, grabbing 6.3 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and having 1.3 steals per game this season. Marshall had shooting percentages of 44.5% from the field, (53.5% inside the arc), 28.6% from beyond the arc and hitting 71% from the line. The Musketeers went 19-13 this year and were 8-10 in Big East play.
Naji Marshall’s Scouting Report
Naji Marshall is a 6-7, 220lb forward from Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was a consensus 4-star recruit coming out of high school and joined a strong 2017 Xavier recruiting class. Marshall started 82 of 99 games over his three-year career at Xavier, with Marshall being one of their best players during his time there. He has career averages of 12.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assist per game. He did this on 43.9% from the field, 28.9% from 3 and 72.5% from the line. It is that 3 point percentage that is perhaps Marshall’s biggest drawback. He is a strong defender, has some great post moves and can hit jumpers inside the arc at a consistent rate. But, his shooting from the 3 point line is not great. He can get out in transition and has thrown down some mean dunks. But Marshall’s draft stock is hurt most by his lack of 3 point shooting.
How does Marshall’s Departure Affect Xavier Going Forward?
This was an expected decision, so Travis Steele and co. have been aggressive in recruiting and are involved with nearly every wing transfer on the market. Xavier is losing a lot of scoring and rebounding from this year’s 19-13 squad. Seniors Tyrique Jones and Quentin Goodin are graduating, both major contributors. That being said, forwards Zach Freemantle and Jason Carter will be returning, along with guard Pual Scruggs. They are bringing in a strong recruiting class, headlined by Top 40 recruit Dwon Odom. They will also be bringing in grad transfer Nate Johnson and DII transfer Bryan Griffin. The cupboard is far from bare, but Xavier will miss Marshall’s scoring and rebounding next year.
