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02/24/2016 11:00 PMSavannah Marshall owns quite the basketball pedigree and takes advantage of every chance she gets to improve during the offseason. This is why it should come as no surprise that Savannah has had such a solid rookie year with the Westbrook girls’ basketball squad.
Savannah, a freshman point guard, is the daughter of Donny Marshall, who starred as a small forward at UConn before going on to play in the NBA. Savannah also competes at an advanced level by playing on the AAU circuit. Now in her first year of high school hoops, Savannah is averaging 14.4 points per game with a Class S-best 4.8 assists to go with 3.1 steals and 4.2 rebounds to earn Second Team All-Shoreline honors for the Knights, who went 12-8 in the regular season en route to reaching both the Shoreline Conference and state tournaments.
“My teammates and I played in middle school, so we’ve created a bond and we know each other’s styles. We know when it will be a certain person’s chance to score,” says Savannah. “With AAU, I play a year ahead, so I was used to playing against girls older than me and it helped make for an easy transition to the high school game.”
From an offensive perspective, Savannah employs an aggressive approach as she feels that will translate to points one way or another for her squad. Savannah likes to pick her spots and let the opposing defense dictate whether or not she’s going to strike to the net.
“I like driving because either you will make the layup or you will get fouled and go to the free throw line,” Savannah says. “Scoring depends on how the game is going. I’ll either take the shots or drive and dish. If I’m not able to make layups, then maybe I’ll try a jump shot. It’s about adapting to what happens and also to the team you are playing that night.”
Savannah’s mother is Westbrook’s first-year Head Coach Kelly Landino, who played for the University of Hartford and is a member of both the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Landino says that while Savannah surely drives up the Knights’ point total on a nightly basis, she also realizes the importance of creating opportunities for her teammates to succeed on the floor.
“Savannah’s court sense and vision makes everyone on her team better. She pushes the tempo and creates opportunities for herself and her teammates,” says Landino. “She is a fierce competitor and fun to watch.”
Savannah says that her father has certainly had an influence on her progression as a player. As far as helping to establish a foundation for more prosperity at Westbrook, Savannah feels that everything seems to be falling into place as the Knights get ready to embark on their journey in states.
“My dad has helped motivate me to be a better player as he was a great player who always has great stories. A lot of people actually say I play like him because I’m physical,” says Savannah, who thanks her entire family. “I’m proud of my team coming together, which has helped drive my confidence boost. We don’t lose any seniors going into next year and play really well together. We all share the ball and have grasps on each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”