Anthony Marshall strives for smooth transition back into reserve role

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.

No, Anthony Marshall didn't do anything wrong.

However, the UNLV sophomore guard knew the day would come this season when his starting job likely went back to senior Tre'Von Willis.

While Willis served a four-game suspension to start the season following a tumultuous offseason, Marshall got his year off to a strong start, averaging 9.4 points, four rebounds and three assists a game in UNLV's first 10 outings.

The 6-foot-3 Mojave High product's defense is still strong while his outside and mid-range shooting is slowly coming along. On the court, Marshall's good has by far outweighed the bad, and he's carried himself in a professional manner.

Sometimes, though, seniority simply wins out.

"I've got to just take it on with a positive outlook," Marshall said. "We need Tre to play like he was playing last year. We need him to be that leader and the scorer that we had last year. I'm pretty comfortable playing this role. I just have to take it on as me helping my team get better.

"We're happy to have him back; he's starting to get in a rhythm, starting to put up the big numbers and do more than he was doing the first couple of games he was back."

The first start of the season for Willis will come tonight, as UNLV (9-1) tips off against UC Santa Barbara (4-3) at 7 p.m. It will be the Rebels' first game in the Thomas & Mack Center since Nov. 20, when they knocked off Wisconsin, 68-65.

Willis, who led the Rebels in scoring a year ago and was a first team All-Mountain West Conference performer, has gradually returned to form in eight games as a reserve. As the team won its first nine games, coach Lon Kruger went by the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mantra regarding his starting five.

However, Marshall's movement to a reserve role has nothing to do with UNLV losing its first game of the season at Louisville on Saturday afternoon.

It was common knowledge all along that Marshall was simply keeping Willis's place warm, and Willis is now playing well enough to get it back.

His increased production runs parallel with his improving health. Willis needed some time to catch up to teammates in terms of stamina following arthroscopic knee surgery in August that he was slow to heal from.

In his first five games this season, Willis averaged 23.4 minutes per game, scoring just 8.4 points an outing and shooting only 33.3 percent from the floor.

In the last three, though, while the minutes have stayed the same, Willis is averaging 14 points a game and is 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the field.

Or, you could say, he's beginning to look like the Willis of old.

"We need Tre to step back in there and assume a role similar to what he did last year and keep going," Kruger said. "I think he's getting better and healthier with each week."

Willis is sure to continue getting better, but the key to the whole system working is Marshall avoiding regression as he returns to his role as the team's spark off of the bench.

On the season, Willis is averaging 24.6 minutes a game compared to Marshall's 23.7. That balance is unlikely to change, and Marshall must continue to produce at the same rate.

If he does, he'll continue to be trusted late in games, which in his mind holds more importance.

"It's not who starts, it's really who finishes," he said. "When it's crunch time and the last play, I like to be on the court. Whoever starts, as long as we get off to a great start and keep the momentum up, whatever works, I'm all for it."

Kruger doesn't anticipate any problems, as Marshall has given him no reason to.

Plus, Marshall and Willis have meshed well together over two seasons together, even rooming together on the road.

"He's doing fine; we want him to keep growing, keep doing better and he will," Kruger said. "Anthony has a great attitude about everything. He'll step in there and play well."

More on UCSB

The Gauchos advanced to the NCAA tournament last season after winning the Big West Conference tournament. After starting the season 5-6, they finished with a 20-10 record ... Leading the way will be a pair of 6-foot-5 juniors — Orlando Johnson and James Nunnally. Johnson, a Loyola Marymount transfer, averages a 21.9 points per game and is a 45.7 percent 3-point shooter, while Nunnally scores a team-best 21.9 points per outing ... UNLV has lost its last two games against UCSB, with those meetings coming in 2006 and 2007. The two will meet again in Santa Barbara next season.