Bob Lutz: Wichita wins again with Gregg Marshall’s decision

Hank Aaron and Willie Mays are two of baseball’s greatest home-run hitters and they both hail from Alabama.

But Alabama has struck out in its attempt to lure Gregg Marshall to Tuscaloosa to coach its basketball program. It’s a whiff, Shocker fans. Stee-rike three! Alabama, you’re out.

It sounds like Alabama threw everything it could at Marshall in an attempt to get him to go south. Money, apparently, was no object. From what I’m told, Alabama football coach Nick Saban was a driving force in trying to get Marshall to leave Wichita State, where he’s accomplished more than anyone could have dreamed he would.

Saban will always be king in Alabama, but he wanted someone else to share royalty pillow talk. And Marshall would have been the perfect guy to sit next to Saban on the throne.

Marshall, though, is already King of Wichita. He likes what he has here and he’s made Wichitans feel better about their fate. If Marshall can turn down the kind of money he reportedly was offered to stay here… well, this must not be such a bad place after all.

This is a proud moment for Wichita. He loves us. He really loves us.

It does not appear Texas made a serious run – if any run at all – at Marshall. The eyes of Texas, if you believe the reports, were fixated on VCU coach Shaka Smart from the time Rick Barnes was fired last week. Whether Smart goes to UT or whether he ultimately decides it’s smarter to stay put, we don’t know.

And at this point, Shocker fans don’t care. Texas gave them a huge scare this week without apparently even lifting a phone to their ear to call Marshall.

Instead of leaving – as Marshall has had numerous opportunities to do – he stays. His wife, Lynn, is gaga for Wichita, as she tells everyone she sees. Apparently, this is a great place to grow tomatoes and the Marshalls love their gardening. Jeff Longwell and Sam Williams are just lucky Lynn Marshall won’t be on the mayoral ballot next week.

The Marshalls are the first family of Wichita, so popular as to make people faint at the very thought of Gregg leaving for another job in another town. It’s been a queasy week for Shocker fans and now they can once again eat spicy food.

The Shockers are on a college basketball roll unlike any ever witnessed in these parts. A Final Four. A Sweet 16. A win over Kansas. Did I mention a win over Kansas?

The sentiment around town this week has been passionate, fearful, even dangerous. People have been holding their breath – no, really, like adolescents do when they’re told they can’t have another piece of candy – while awaiting Marshall to do something.

Twitter and Facebook went crazy with pleas from fans for Marshall to stay, even though as far as I know Marshall isn’t on Twitter or Facebook. Paranoia ran deep, mostly in fear of what Texas could – and probably would – do.

I’m still trying to figure out Texas. Why not go after Marshall? To me, he’s a more attractive option than Smart. But to each his own, I suppose.

I never considered Alabama a serious threat, even after Crimson Tide athletic director Bill Battle visited Wichita on Monday and spent eight hours full-court pressing Marshall.

Then, Wednesday night, the reports of silly money started to surface. Alabama, which originally was thought to be offering around $3 million, was suddenly ready to give Marshall $4 million a year. Maybe more. Maybe as much as $4.9 million, sources told The Eagle.

It was at that $4.9 million mark that Alabama got my attention.

The Crimson Tide has had some nice basketball moments over the years. But even if the basketball team made a Final Four and the football team went 7-5, most of the discussion at the downtown diner would be about the football team.

At least that’s my perception of Alabama. It’s most people’s perception of Alabama and I imagine it’s also Marshall’s perception of Alabama. And it may have been a factor in his decision to remain at WSU. That will be something to ask him about later.

One definite factor in his decision is the really good team he has returning next season. Maybe Marshall will be able to keep redshirt junior Ron Baker around for another year. Fred VanVleet is likely to return for his senior season. Evan Wessel will be a senior, too. Shaq Morris is on the verge of something big to match the fact that he’s already something big in stature. Zach Brown showed flashes late in the season; Rashard Kelly did the same early.

Marshall has always been high on his incoming recruiting class. Everybody who has seen Kansas transfer Conner Frankamp practice as he awaits eligibility in December raves about how well he’s adapted to Marshall’s system.

Now all of that can remain intact.

Next year, WSU fans may have to go through all of this again. Marshall’s agreement to stay is for seven years, but we all know how this stuff works. If a school wants a coach badly enough, boosters can reach into their living-room sofas and find buyout money.

For now, Marshall stays. And hundreds of bottles of Tums all around town go back into the bathroom cabinet.

This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 11:10 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: Wichita wins again with Gregg Marshall’s decision."