Dan Marsh had a goal of one day coaching in the Suburban One League.
“Honestly, when I was at Akiba, I always felt I could coach at a high level, and I wanted to see if I actually could,” he said. “When I would look at the papers, I would always look at Suburban One. I felt that was the best girls’ basketball league around.
“Even though you have some good Catholic League teams – just in general I thought it was the best league.”
Marsh – after five years and 100 wins at Akiba Hebrew – realized his dream of coaching in the SOL when he was hired to take over the helm of the Abington girls’ program prior to the start of the 2005-06 season.
On Saturday, Marsh reached a personal milestone when the Ghosts defeated Neumann Goretti 58-45 to capture the title of their own tip-off tournament. The win was number 100 at Abington for the Ghosts’ coach and his 200th win overall.
If there were doubters when he was hired, those doubters have effectively been silenced.
“He has grown a lot as a coach,” said Casey Pritz, a sophomore Marsh’s first year at the helm. “I feel like he’s learned how to utilize the talent he has and can put players in the right positions to make them successful.”
Pritz, a 2008 Abington graduate, is volunteering her time when she can to assist at Abington.
“I think he has a system now and knows what he wants done and how to get it done,” she said. “He also definitely wants to see every single one of his players succeed and will do anything he can to help.”
Marsh has certainly experienced his share of success. Last year, the Ghosts captured their school’s first ever District One Class AAAA title.
Despite his success, the Ghosts’ coach admits it was an adjustment when he came on board.
“Just the talent is a huge adjustment,” Marsh said. “I never had that kind of talent at Akiba. It was strictly on how hard we worked.
“I got to Abington, and I was immediately blessed with talent. Liz Leer was here when I got here, and she’s now a star at American University.”
In Marsh’s first season, the Ghosts jumped out of the gate to a 10-6 start, but things went downhill when Leer was sidelined by mono, and the team finished the year 10-14.
“The first year was difficult,” Marsh said. “It was a challenge.
“It felt like it took forever for the girls to buy into what I was selling. I’m a defensive coach, and basically, what I thought the program needed was a work ethic, a dedication, and a defensive philosophy. It was obvious the talent was there. They just needed somebody to care, and they needed to dedicate themselves. They fought it at first.”
The Ghosts were 20-6 in Marsh’s second year at the helm and advanced to the second round of districts.
“The first year was tough, but once we started seeing some success – everybody got on board,” he said. “The second year kind of set the tone – ‘Alright, we have been there. Let’s go back and get it.’”
The following year, the Ghosts won the National Conference title and advanced to states. The tone had been set.
Jennifer Kelly, a 2009 graduate, was a freshman when Marsh took over the program.
“Marsh improved as a coach every year that I played for him by learning how to handle players and parents,” she said. “Not only did he learn how to be a better coach, but he taught our team life lessons.
“It is clear that he is passionate for basketball, but what most don’t know is how passionate and dedicated he was to building our program. He doesn’t take crap, and he stresses working hard.”
According to Kelly, coaching is about more than just basketball for Marsh.
“He is the kind of coach that cares about what is going on in his players’ lives,” she said. “He always told us that we are a family, and we always have to have each other’s backs if we want to go far.
“Marsh will do anything for any one of his players if they ever needed him.”
Kelly recalls Marsh as a motivator who always had a speech and quote before games to pump his team up.
“Some of the girls were intimidated by his intensity, but personally, I loved it,” she said. “Marsh always knows how to make light of a situation with his humor, which came in handy during tense practices.
“He’s an all-around great coach and genuinely cares about every single player.”
During his five years at Akiba, Marsh was 100-41. He is 100-39 at Abington.
“It’s been great,” he said. “I’m really, really happy at Abington. I like working here, I like the kids, and I like the parents.
“It’s a good situation where everyone has the same goals. We all want to win, and we all want to have fun at the same time. It’s been awesome. I couldn’t have picked a better spot to be in.”
So far it’s been a match made in heaven, and Marsh has no intention of going anywhere any time soon.
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