Peoria, Ill. — The future for Marshall twin brothers Logan and Lucas Eitel is blue — Sycamore blue. Both will be walk-ons for Indiana State’s men’s basketball program next season.
Even though the Eitels stamp on the Marshall boys basketball program is massive — no Lions team has ever gone as far in a rich basketball history — there’s no reason for Marshall to be blue just because the Eitels will be.
Taylor Duncan will see to that.
He’s the only part of Marshall’s “big three” that returns next season. The junior will be the fulcrum as the Lions work in some new contributors next season. Starter Dustin Morey returns as well as Jacob Duncan, Logan Cannady, Jake Tucker and several other Lions, all of whom had big moments in their own right during Marshall’s third-place run.
But Marshall coach Tom Brannan made it clear in Saturday’s press conference that Duncan is going to be the Lion in the spotlight in 2010.
“Taylor Duncan has arrived on the scene. I’m prejudiced, but he’s going to be one of the best players in Illinois next season. I’m prejudiced, but he’s already one of the best defenders in the state. He’s a real player,” Marshall coach Tom Brannan said.
Duncan took Brannan’s comments in stride.
“It’s great when you get mentioned with those two. They’re great players. I’m proud to be a part of that with Marshall and its school history,” Duncan said.
And that’s about all Duncan had to say about it. No surprise. Duncan has the same quiet grit that seems to be part of the DNA among Marshall’s best players.
Duncan’s exploits are hardly news to Marshall’s faithful; he’s been a rock all season. There’s a big reason Brannan calls his primary contributors “the big three” and Duncan doesn’t have to hold anyone’s candle as far as where he fits in the Lions’ triumvirate.
Yet ... Duncan can be overlooked.
Even though they’re two-thirds of “the big three,” Logan and Lucas Eitel cast a long shadow. They grab plenty of local media attention because they’re future Sycamores and they’re intelligent, well-spoken ambassadors for Marshall’s program and town. The Eitel family itself has been such a huge part of Marshall’s success in several sports past and present, boys basketball just being one of them. It’s hard to fathom a time when there wasn’t an Eitel kicking tail for Marshall’s teams in the last half-decade ... at least.
Basketball-wise, the Valley and the rest of the state of Illinois is understandably captivated by the unique story of the twin brothers who play so smart and complement each other so very well on the court.
The attention the Eitels get is well-earned. Expect that attention to be funneled Duncan’s way now that he’s the Lions’ focal point.
Duncan does many of the same things the Eitel brothers do and adds a few other wrinkles. He’s Marshall’s go-to defender. He’s probably Marshall’s best finisher in a double team. He can score inside and out.
He was Marshall’s most consistent player in the two state finals games. The junior averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals in games against Massac County and Winnebago. He was the only Lion to score with any regularity against Massac County — he was 6 of 19 in that game and scored 18 points — as no other Lion made more than two shots on a collective off-night from the field.
Duncan also made some of the key plays that got Marshall untracked in its third-place game against Winnebago, including a steal that helped start a fourth-quarter 9-0 run that helped Marshall put Winnebago down for good on Saturday.
“Taylor Duncan had a few steals, he had a few coast-to-coast plays. He played a whale of a game,” Brannan said.
That he did. And his presence will continued to be felt at Marshall as it tries to make Peoria trips more frequent in the future.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (800) 783-8742 or todd.golden@tribstar.com. Please check out Golden’s blog at blogs.tribstar.com/downinthevalley.
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