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Natalija Marshall Will Bring Her Game to Notre Dame

By Matt Ward

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - MAY 25: Natalija Marshall #245 of Forest Hills, N.Y. participates in tryouts for the 2018 USA Basketball Women's U17 World Cup Team at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Finalists for the team will be announced on May 28 and will remain in Colorado Springs for training camp through May 30. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - MAY 25: Natalija Marshall #245 of Forest Hills, N.Y. participates in tryouts for the 2018 USA Basketball Women's U17 World Cup Team at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Finalists for the team will be announced on May 28 and will remain in Colorado Springs for training camp through May 30. (Photo by Marc Piscotty/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Natalija Marshall Will Play for Coach Muffet McGraw and Notre Dame

According to Exodus NY AAU Coach Thomas Davis, Natalija Marshall wants to be “an advocate for women’s basketball players for years to come.”

Marshall will have quite the platform for continue that work, as well as her passions as a student-athlete, as the #12 player in the 2020 class according to ESPN, has committed to play for Coach Muffet McGraw and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The 6’5 forward from Queens, NY, will join point guard, and #24 ranked, Allison Campbell of Altoona, PA, in the 2020 recruiting class for Notre Dame.  Marshall chose Notre Dame over the likes of UConn, Duke, and Stanford.  Marshall plays her high school ball for Coach Bob Mackey and one of the best programs in the country in Christ the King, who is coming off of a New York Class AA championship.

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Marshall brings a unique combination of size and skill to the forward position.  Marshall is terrific with her back to the basket, as her size, quickness, and agility, creates an extremely difficult matchup in the post.

Over the past two years, she’s also really developed her face-up game, from the mid-range all the way out to the three-point line.

When asked what part of her game has developed the most in the past few years, Coach Thomas told High Post Hoops, “Her all-around game. She’s able to put the ball on the floor, post up, get to the basket off the dribble, and shoot the three.”

For a kid that’s 6’5″, the ability to stretch the floor and shoot from the outside is a special skill that Marshall has worked to develop over the years.  “She can blow kids out of the water in a shooting contest. She has great mechanics.”  Add that to her post-up game and skill set, and her ability to rebound at a high level, defend, and block shots, Notre Dame is getting a unique and unbelievably talented player.  For Marshall, though, it’s about more than just her game on the court.

As previously mentioned, Marshall wants to have an impact on and be an advocate for the women’s game.  She talked a bit about that in the video above.  Marshall will have the opportunity to do this both on the court and off the court.

On the court, Marshall is going to be fun to watch.

“Her style of play fits Notre Dame perfectly. Her inside-out game is special and they will put her in positions where she can score,” Thomas said.  “With her skill set, temperament, and leadership skills, she is meant for that stage. She can be one of those special players at Notre Dame.”

While observers like Thomas (and me) are certainly sold on Marshall’s game, she will have an opportunity to show her skills on the national stage very soon.  For now, Marshall will finish out her AAU career this summer, before giving it one more attempt to win a championship at Christ the King this winter.  All the while, Marshall will continue to be an advocate for the game, while inspiring kids that look up to her to be great.

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