More With Marsden

March 17, 2010

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The most recent issue of Inside Gymnastics features a no-holds-barred interview with legendary Utah coach Greg Marsden. In the interview, for which the Utah leader was selected by an overwhelming online vote of Inside's readers', Marsden dishes on the upcoming changes to the NCAA format, where he sees the sport going (hint: he's not hopeful) and why other teams can’t meet Utah’s outstanding attendance standard.

The squad, always at the top of the attendance standings, not only for gymnastics but all NCAA women’s sports, set another record this year when their January dual with Georgia brought out 15,552 Ute fans.

Marsden, who has led his team to nine NCAA titles, including the first five, is never at a loss for words and you won’t want to miss the complete chat in our special January/February “Reader’s Choice” issue. Below, enjoy a special bonus Q&A with Marsden, exclusively for Inside’s online readers!

INSIDE: The trend has been for recruits to commit younger and younger, often near the start of their junior year, a trend you’re credited with starting, at least in gymnastics. What do you think of that process?

GREG MARSDEN: I sometimes find it interesting what I get credit for. [Laughs] I don’t know how I got the reputation for being responsible for it.

We’re going to try and play the game well, whatever the game is, and, right now, that’s the game. The game is: get in early and try and get commitments before those people are gone to someone else. Because someone else is trying to do it, unfortunately.

Yes, it’s getting earlier and earlier. If you ask if I’m a proponent of it, my answer is, not, ‘no,’ but, ‘Hell no!’ I think you’re forcing kids to choose that don’t know who they are and what they want, before they’re capable of making a good decision. Before we know who they are and what we’re going to get once they get on our campus. And I think it’s creating increasing problems on both sides. I think you’re going to see kids less happy with their decision, and I think you’re going to see coaches less happy with their decision. … We have a formula for increasing dissatisfaction for the decision being made, on either side.

The result is—and I don’t think we’re seeing it much in gymnastics yet, but it’s coming—a lot more transfers, when kids get on campus and find out the situation is not what they anticipated. Or, on the other side, coaches who have to say, ‘I’m not renewing your scholarship,’ because they didn’t get what they anticipated. What most people don’t understand about scholarships is that they are a year-to-year thing. It’s not guaranteed.

Now, with that said, just because I don’t believe it’s a good thing, doesn’t mean I’m not going to play the game. That’s the game we’re playing and if you don’t do it, there’s no one left.

Photo courtesy Utah Gymnastics

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