Former UW Player Kwane Marble Transfers to Loyola-Marymount
From Cody Tucker at 7220sports. com
After Wyoming fell to Utah State in the semifinals of the 2020 Mountain West Tournament, Kwane Marble tweeted this out in support of his embattled head coach Allen Edwards:
"We couldn't have done it without such a great coach to lead us into battle."
Less than 24 hours later, Edwards was fired after four seasons in Laramie and an overall record of 60-76.
Edwards landed on his feet three weeks later, becoming an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Marble returned to UW for his sophomore season after a convincing conversation with new head coach Jeff Linder.
Fast forward a year.
Marble tweeted Wednesday, just three days after announcing his intentions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, that he too will be joining Edwards in southern California.
Because of the NCAA waiver to allow an additional season of eligibility due to the ongoing coronavirus, Marble will once again be a sophomore and can play for three more years.
Edwards recruited Marble out of Denver's East High where he was named Honorable Mention All-State by MaxPreps. The 6-foot-6 guard was a four-time Denver Public Schools All-Conference selection. As a senior, Marble averaged 19 points per game and added nearly five rebounds and 3.2 assists. He scored more than 1,000 points in his prep career.
Under Edwards' tutelage, Marble struggled through the first 11 games of his tenure in Laramie, never scoring more than six points in a game while averaging just eight minutes per night. In early January, Marble's court time increased. So did his output. Over a nine-game stretch during conference play, the then-freshman netted an average of 13 points per outing, including a 19-point outburst in an overtime loss to UNLV.
He saved his best performances for last.
Wyoming limped into the league tournament in Las Vegas, but Marble found his footing once again, scoring 20 in a first-round upset of Border War rival Colorado State. UW's guard netted a career-best 24 points the following night as the Cowboys' stunned the No. 3 seed Nevada, 74-71.
Eventual conference tournament champions, Utah State, pulled away late in the third round to upend the surprise Cowboys, 89-82. Marble pitched in with 15 that night inside the Thomas and Mack Center and was named to the All-Mountain West Tournament Team for his three-game showcase.
In his lone season under Linder in Laramie, Marble averaged 9.5 points per night to go along with 4.1 rebounds. He was on the court nearly 23 minutes per night after missing the first two games of the season due to COVID-19 protocol.
Marble once again got hot late in the season, hitting double-digits in five straight. In the Cowboys' season finale, Marble played just 10 minutes in a 69-66 loss to San Diego State. He was 0-for-3 from the field and finished with a pair of turnovers.
With Marble's departure, Wyoming now has one additional open scholarship for the upcoming season.