May 9, 2010

TTU men's basketball roster expands with the addition of Centenary transfer Matt Marseille

Marseille recently signed with Tech after his decision to leave Centenary College, which will be dropping down from Division I effective next season.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Tech men’s basketball team has deepened its roster with the addition of transfer student Matthew Marseille. He recently signed with Tech after his decision to leave Centenary College, which will be dropping from Division I effective next season.

A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Marseille played his first two years of high school ball across the bridge before transferring to Dacula (Ga.) High School. There he finished out his high school career under Head Coach BJ Roy. As a guard/forward, Marseille averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game, and helped to fuel the team to a Region Championship and the State Sweet 16 in his junior year.

Marseille was also honored individually in high school on and off the court, earning the Gwinnett County All-Star Team Award and January’s Player of the Month Award during his time in Dacula. He was a member of the National Honor Society and noted for his academic achievement on the basketball team.

Additionally, Marseille participated in track and field at Dacula, namely in the high jump.

“He’s a character kid,” said Roy of Marseille. “He’s got a great work ethic and is great in the classroom. He play’s hard and has a great mid-range jumper.”

Coach Roy says that he expects Marseille to be a presence inside both defensively and offensively for any college program. “He got some good experience at Centenary that will help him contribute [at Tech] hopefully next year,” he added.

Marseille also participated in AAU basketball for two seasons under coach Dewayne Jackson.

“He’s really bright, very coachable,” emphasized Jackson. “You find yourself willing to do FOR him. He holds himself accountable, which is unusual for someone his age.”

“He’s a ‘yes ma’am, no sir’ kid,” Jackson added.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound athlete put up 7.4 points in an average of 21.9 minutes per game during his first year at Centenary. He shot 61 percent from the free throw line and ranked fourth on the team in rebounds, but Jackson said that Marseille’s greatest strength is that he’s “deceptively athletic.”

“His skill set is a good fit for the program,” continued Jackson, who hopes to see Marseille become a leading player for the Golden Eagles by his junior year.

Jackson compares Marseille to NBA star Brandon Roy. “[They’re] similar in nature, [both are] deceptive but have a great ability to score and be athletic,” he explained. “[They both] lead by example.”

"He will surprise people,” he said, especially with his shooting. As long as Marseille continues to work on his foot speed and his overall speed of play, it’s expected that he will be a real asset to the Tech program.

“I’m really excited about Matt because he’s eligible immediately as a transfer with a year already under his belt,” said Tech Head Coach Mike Sutton. “He plays hard, he’s physical and active [and] he brings versatility with his ability to play different positions.

“Most importantly he’s a good fit with the team and he’s the kind of young person we want at Tennessee Tech,” continued Sutton. “He’s got good core values.”

Astoundingly, Marseille is still young in his basketball career. He didn’t start to play serious ball until about the age of 13. This is another perk for Coach Sutton, who claimed “I believe his best basketball is ahead of him.”

In November, Tech signed Dunwoody (Ga.) High School standout Javon McKay.