Northeastern Gets a Good One
Kostadin Marshavelski had college coaches all along the eastern seaboard intrigued upon his arrival at Wilbraham & Monson Academy this fall. It isn’t often that a skilled 6’10” big man pops up ready and waiting to be recruited…and a plethora of schools from seemingly everywhere east of the Mississippi were only too eager to make the trip to Wilbraham, Massachusetts to get a look at New England’s most recent international sensation.
But with so many coaches coming through the gym doors in the last six weeks, “Dinko” was ready for the process to come to a conclusion.
“There were a lot of schools who were involved in terms of coming in late,” said Wilbraham & Monson head coach Chris Sparks. “but he felt very comfortable with Northeastern and the coaching staff. They’re obviously doing a very good job there, they were picked atop the Colonial to start this season, and he feels like he has a chance to go to the next level there.”
It does seem to be a great decision by Marshavelski as he picked an up and coming program in an up and coming conference, a good academic school, a style of play that should showcase his strengths beautifully, and one of the most well liked and respected head coaches you will find anywhere in the country.
Bill Coen arrived at Northeastern two years ago after spending nine seasons across town on the Boston College staff. Those nine seasons were among the most successful in B.C. history as they won three Big East titles, one Big East Tournament title, and made six post-season appearances. Coen was given plenty of the credit for that success both for his work on the floor and also for his ability to evaluate prospects and find diamond in the rough type players who would thrive in B.C.’s system. Current NBA players Jared Dudley and Craig Smith are perhaps the best two examples of that.
Now entering his third season as a head coach, Coen is utilizing similar strategies to build the Husky program, and he is hoping that Marshavelski will thrive at Northeastern the same way Dudley and Smith did at Boston College.
Dinko is a perfect fit in Northeastern’s flex style offense as his perimeter skill set will make him absolutely deadly coming off the flex cut and knocking down 18 foot jumpers. But he is also a player who can score with his back to the basket, which will make him just as dangerous setting those screens as he will be using them.
Another positive is the fact that Marshavelski will be joining a highly competitive team right away. Northeastern is picked atop the rapidly improving Colonial Conference to begin this season, despite the fact that many of their best players are not yet upperclassmen. All CAA swingman Matt Janning will be a senior and potentially the league’s best player when Dinko arrives on campus next fall, as will 6’8” starting forward Manny Adako. Chaisson Allen, a member of last year’s all-rookie team in the CAA, is currently a sophomore and will get to pair with Dinko for two seasons upon his arrival.
All in all it just seems to be a very good fit. Marshavelski will get a year at Wilbraham & Monson to hone his skills under Sparks (a long time division I assistant coach) and will then head to Northeastern where he will have a tremendous opportunity to put those skills to work as the Huskies look to become a consistent staple for years to come atop the Colonial Athletic Association.
Kostadin Marshavelski