Sasha Goodlett did not need much time in 2010 to figure out which freshman she was going to take under her supervision. The star center of the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team has rarely relented on Tyaunna Marshall ever since.
“Ty is like my little sister that you just have to stay on top of,” Goodlett said. “After this year, this is going to be her program, so I’m just giving her the hard and tough love that she won’t get from any other teammate next year.”
Goodlett’s attention may be the final gift that her record-setting senior class will bestow upon coach MaChelle Joseph’s program. The Jackets, who play Sunday against Sacred Heart in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C., have a difference-making player in Marshall, a sophomore guard from Upper Marlboro, Md.
Tech, who earned a team-best No. 4 seed for the tournament, will rely heavily on its seniors, who have won a school-record 93 games and extended the Jackets’ streak of consecutive NCAA berths to six. To secure Tech’s first berth in the round of 16, the Jackets almost certainly will need a heavy contribution from Marshall, whose will and scoring knack powered them to the second ACC tournament final in school history.
“The seniors have done something special for us, for this program, for four years,” Marshall said. “Since I’ve been with them for two years, I just know how hard they’ve worked and how much they want it. I want to do something special for the program, but also for them.”
The daughter of Washington, D.C., police officers, Marshall has done plenty. She started 30 games and was named third-team All-ACC as a freshman. From the start, she caught Goodlett’s attention with her raw talent, work ethic and her unwillingness to back down.
“She really didn’t know or care who she was playing up against,” Goodlett said. “She just went in and played hard.”
That potential prompted Goodlett to push Marshall as past teammates had challenged her. Recognizing Goodlett as a role model and someone with a similar drive, not to mention a post player that she could partner with, Marshall quickly clicked with Goodlett.
“She’s like a big sister who has a little sister who’s kind of scared of that big sister and they do what they say,” Marshall said.
Credit Goodlett with some superior mentoring/scaring. Marshall leads Tech in scoring at 15.3 points per game (fifth in the ACC) and second in rebounding at 6.4 per game. With 36 points, she will become the fourth player in Tech history to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore. She and Goodlett were named second-team All-ACC.
Marshall’s rise hasn’t stopped Goodlett from pushing Marshall. The ribbing and prodding is good-natured. Marshall said they share a “goofy connection.”
“We laugh about it,” she said, “but I know she’s serious.”
The constant, Marshall said, is Goodlett’s admonishment to lower her shoulder and slash to the basket. She heeded Goodlett in the ACC tournament. In Tech’s quarterfinal win over North Carolina, Marshall scored Tech’s final seven points on drives and a free throw. The last two baskets gave the Jackets the lead, including the game-winner with 1:35 to go in the 54-53 victory.
Marshall scored 66 points in three games, including 25 in the championship loss to Maryland two Sundays ago.
Said Joseph of Marshall’s scoring spree, “That’s why we played for a championship.”
Should the Jackets win Sunday, they’ll play the Georgetown-Fresno State winner Tuesday for a spot in the Sweet 16 in Des Moines, Iowa. All the more time for Goodlett to look for a weak spot in her protégé’s game.
“I guess I probably have to get on her about boxing out if I see her man get the offensive rebound,” Goodlett said. “I mean, I’m going to find something.”
