Detroit-area rivals Devyn Marble, Keith Appling to clash at Breslin Center

IOWA CITY - Devyn Marble and Keith Appling are rivals from way back, competing against one another in Detroit-area prep basketball.

Marble, Iowa's sophomore point guard, was an all-stater at Southfield Lathrup. Appling, Michigan State's sophomore point guard, was a McDonald's All-American at renowned Pershing High. They were prolific scorers with Marble averaging 24.5 points a game; Appling scored 28.1 points and led Pershing to a Michigan Class A state title as a junior with a 49-point effort.

“I played him a few times, and he always won the game in high school,” Marble said. “I respect Keith and what's he's done. He's become a good player in this league in his transition from his freshman to his sophomore year.”

Both players now are college sophomores in the midst of their conversion from off-guard to the point. Marble has started the last nine games at the point for Iowa. Appling has started all 16 for Michigan State at the position. The duo likely will face off repeatedly Tuesday at Breslin Center.

Appling, who stands 6-foot-1, was everyone's All-American in high school. He committed to Michigan State more than two years before his first game at Breslin Center. That early commitment kept Michigan State coach Tom Izzo from spending any time scouting Marble in high school.

“I guess it wasn't something that we were looking at the time,” Izzo said. “It had nothing to do with whether he was good or not; it had to do with the scholarships. But I will talk about the progress that he's made. I think he's made incredible progress. He reminds me of Verdell Jones from Indiana.

“He starts just getting the job done. I think you can play him at the point; that's been a comfort level for him. I think he's doing a good job there. He can get in the paint. He's been making some shots. He's got a pretty good basketball IQ. So Marble has made incredible strides and is going to be a very good player in this league.”

Both are productive scorers - Appling at 12.5 points, Marble at 10.6 points - while each averaging about 3.5 assists a game. Marble has taken care of the ball, ranking second among Big Ten point guards in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5 to 1).

The 6-foot-6 Marble was high on Michigan Coach John Beilein's list. In the summer before Marble's senior year, Beilein landed Tim Hardaway Jr., who averages 15.9 points per game, as his top off-guard prospect and didn't offer Marble a scholarship.

“We made a choice with Tim, and obviously we wouldn't have gone wrong with Devyn,” Beilein said. “Devyn is a tremendous player and his dad went there. At that time, (former Iowa assistant) LaVall Jordan, who is on my staff, and (former Iowa Coach) Todd Lickliter did a great job of recruiting him to Iowa and got out from under underneath us.

“Iowa and Michigan both won in that selection.”

Returning to Michigan doesn't necessarily drive Marble. He said last year's trips were special but now it's about business. He said he doesn't feel any special motivation to face Appling on Tuesday or Hardaway Jr. on Saturday.

But more than anything, Marble wants to win.

“(Appling is) a guy I keep up with and see how he's doing and stuff like that, but it's another opponent at this point,” Marble said. “We've got a lot of good point guards in the Big Ten that you've kind of - as an individual - got to battle. You want to outplay the other point guard but that's at every position. I think that's how every guy feels. You want to kill the person that's in front of you. I know that's how he feels and that's how I feel and that's how the rest of the other point guards feel. It's more like a territorial thing.”

From high school, AAU and pick-up games in Detroit to Big Ten arenas, it's all about winning for Appling and Marble. That comes with the territory.