Claire Marshall with UK star Georgia Amoore. (Stephen Marshall Photo)
When West Jessamine assistant coach Donna Martin, a former University of Kentucky player, asked sophomore Claire Marshall if she would like to go to a UK women’s basketball team practice, Marshall quickly said yes.
“It was alumni weekend, so the staff set it up and invited me,” said Marshall, who averages 15.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
She attended practice Saturday in the upgraded Memorial Coliseum facilities and even though UK was on a two-game losing streak she said the practice was “active and good” for her to see.
“They pay a lot of attention to detail. I like all the stuff coach (Kenny) Brooks was saying,” she said. “He was still pretty low key like he is in games. He kind of lets them play.
“Me and my dad noticed him talking about ball screens and reads and how important a good screen is and how you have to move without the ball. It’s all stuff you learn but is so necessary to be successful and he made that clear.”
She said her favorite player is “everybody’s answer” in graduate point guard Georgia Amoore, who leads UK in scoring and assists.
“She is so special to watch. It is insane how good her game is and she was very vocal in practice,” Marshall, one of the state’s top sophomore who has already scored 1,580 points and grabbed over 1,200 rebounds, said. “I have been following her for a while. She has been such a great player.
“I followed her at Virginia Tech. She had a podcast that I listened to. I am just a big Georgia fan. She is small but has made such a big name for herself. She never hangs her head. She seems to always make the right play and I love her smile.”
Marshall also got to meet sophomore center Clara Strack, UK’s top rebounder, after the practice.
“She was super sweet. I really like her, too,” the West Jessamine sophomore said. “To be that big and have such a good variety of moves is really cool. She is one of their leaders. She was vocal during practice and helped everybody and she’s only a sophomore.”
Marshall got to “chat” with Brooks and some assistants as well.
“Coach Brooks is very down to earth. It was just a cool opportunity for me,” she said. “It was so much fun to see them in college playing a game they love and having fun. I didn’t have to worry about anything except just enjoying it.”
Marshall, who has always been a UK fan, had a training session Sunday that prevented her from attending the UK-Georgia game but will be in Memorial Coliseum when Kentucky hosts LSU this Sunday.
West Jessamine plays at Danville Tuesday night and then at Anderson County Friday before starting 46th District Tournament play next week. West Jessamine reached the 12th Region title game last season before losing to Danville Christian Academy.
West Jessamine and DCA are both 20-7 overall this season. West beat DCA in December but that was before 6-5 Louisville signee Grace Mbugua returned from her knee injury for DCA. West Jessamine has had to also reconfigure as it had two starters suffer season-ending injuries.
“This year has gone by so fast and has been so much different than what I thought it would be,” Marshall said. “It’s hard right now with the injuries. I am a little worried but also confident we can do well again in tournament play.”
