Cascade's Marshall 'celebrates' 600th win

CASCADE - Al Marshall really knows how to celebrate.

The Cascade boys' basketball coach picked up his 400th career victory Saturday night when his Cougars rallied past Fulton (Ill.), 41-40.

There was no big postgame ceremony or anything for the 63-year-old Marshall. No one made a cake to enjoy on the bus ride home.

“We stopped at McDonald's,” Marshall said with a laugh. “I had a Chicken Select.”

Don't go overboard now, Coach.

Marshall said the achievement nonetheless was special. He is in his 40th year at Cascade and has a 600-307 record, seventh all-time in Iowa for victories.

“To be honest, it's really a humbling experience,” said Marshall, who coached Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott in high school. “When you look at some of the coaches you have passed, how many tremendous coaches you have passed, it's just very humbling.”

“Obviously a great coach,” said Bud Legg of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. “Forty years in the profession speaks volumes to his ability to stress the fundamentals of the game to 40 graduating classes."

 This Cascade team is 15-2 and has won 13 in a row. Its success has roots where most of Marshall's teams have had success - defensively.

Cascade is giving up a shade over 31 points per game, a product of a vaunted 2-3 zone defense that has signified the past dozen years of Marshall's career. Ask any coach around the Dubuque area about facing Cascade's zone, and they'll cringe.

“I think it was 1998,” Marshall said, when asked where his affinity for it developed. “We had a very good team that year. We had size inside but our perimeter players weren't real quick. I was afraid to play zone, but I remember we lost to West Delaware on a last-second shot, something like 75-72.

“I finally thought to myself, ‘I don't want to have to score 75 poins to win a game' ... So we went with it, and we've been tinkering with it and tinkering with it since. It's what we know, and what the kids believe in.”

Marshall has taken four Cascade teams to the state tournament, with that ‘98 team placing fourth and the 2001 team (his last trip to Des Moines) finishing third. The coach was asked if there might be another 600 wins before he retires from coaching.

 “I don't think so,” he laughed. “Hopefully they'll be a few more this year.

“I've got a year-to-year contract. That's as far as I look ahead. I absolutely still enjoy coaching.”

Iowa Mennonite Coach Dwight Gingerich picked up his 500th career win last week.