The Sports Inquirer

ATLANTA — A former member of the ATP tennis tour and veteran assistant coach, Jason Marshall has been named head coach of the Georgia State women’s tennis team, the athletic department announced Wednesday. Marshall will begin his duties immediately as the reigning Sun Belt Conference champion squad prepares for the fall campaign.

“Jason has a background of success and experience, both coaching and playing, that will be a perfect fit for our women’s tennis program,” Director of Athletics Charlie Cobb said. “Throughout his past, he has shown integrity and a passion for both coaching and winning. Our program has had great recent success and we look forward to Jason helping the players take it to an even higher level.”

Marshall will be taking charge of a Panther program that has been in the conference championship match in each of the past four seasons. Georgia State reached the NCAA team tournament in 2014 when it became the first female program in athletic department history to advance in the postseason, defeating No. 31 Tennessee in the first round.

“I am excited to be part of the Panther family and continue to build on the recent success of the tennis program,” Marshall said. “It is a dream to be a head coach and I look forward to the challenges ahead.

“Atlanta has one of the strongest tennis involvements of any city in the country and I can’t wait to get people in the community following and supporting our program. I want to thank Brad Horton and the search committee team for their countless hours of hard work and giving me this wonderful opportunity.”

Marshall spent the past six seasons at TCU, including aiding in the Horned Frogs’ transition to the Big 12 Conference. During his tenure, Marshall worked with both the men’s and women’s programs at TCU, finishing his final four seasons with the women’s team.

During his tenure, Marshall helped the Horned Frogs to many highlights, including:

• Collecting four NCAA Team Championship appearances (2009, 2010 TCU men; 2012, 2013 TCU women)
• Assisting a women’s team that ranked as high as No. 19 in the nation in 2012-13 when the Horned Frogs earned their second straight NCAA team tournament berth
• Helping four TCU women’s players earn all-conference honors, including Stefanie Tan who was an ITA All-American in 2012

Before assisting the Horned Frogs, Marshall was on the court as an assistant coach for Wright State for one season in 2007-08. He helped the Tahitian Olympic team to a bronze medal in the 2007 South Pacific Games. As the head coach, Marshall managed all facets of the program including budget, travel and training programs.

Marshall began his coaching career following a successful run as a member of the ATP tennis tour for seven years (2001 to 2007). During that span he:

• Reached as high as No. 101 in the world in doubles play
• Earned his biggest win in Vietnam in 2005 when he upset top-10 ranked Marcos Baghdatis 6-2, 6-2
• Picked up notable wins in doubles over players such as Tomas Berdych, Bruno Soares, Julien Benneteau, Nicholas Mahut and Phillip Kohlschreiber
• Competed in more than 35 states and 40 countries as a member of the ATP and the International Tennis Federation

A native of Dallas, Marshall graduated from Purdue with a bachelor’s degree in business in 2001. As a Boilermaker, Marshall won Big Ten singles titles in 1999 and 2001, and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection while setting the record for singles and doubles winning percentage at the No. 1 position. His personal high ITA ranking came at No. 17 in singles and No. 19 in doubles, both as a senior. Marshall also earned an MBA from Texas A&M-Commerce in 2012, and is a member of the United States Racket Stringers Association.