RamWire: Marble Takes Full Advantage of her Educational Opportunities
She will leave CSU with a pair of Master's degrees
Mike Brohard
School was important. Roichelle Marble knew this, because her mother was constantly in her ear, reminding her it was the pathway to her one true love.
Basketball.
To play, her grades had to be in line. All the Marble offspring knew the law of the land, and Carla Brown was thankful her children were surrounded by coaches who would preach the same message.
"Growing up, education wasn't an option," Brown said. "I've been telling my kids since they were babies to do exactly what they're doing. I've always preached education, education, education. You can't go wrong, and basketball was a vessel."
To the Marble family, basketball was life. All of them played, and they played so much, it was stunning when they didn't. She remembers her mother keeping extra supplies on hand because she and her brother would roam around the house, getting the right rotation on their shots and taking out an object or two.
"When was I not dribbling a basketball is the real question," said Marble, who is a graduate student entering her final year of eligibility with Colorado State. "People would have jokes around town when they would see me without a basketball. Oh my gosh, Shely without a basketball?
"I might not have one, but one wouldn't be too far away. We had basketball hoops in our rooms, and my mom would always have to have a lot of light bulbs, because my brother and I would break light bulbs, like throwing the basketball, trying to shoot, stuff like that."
Her father, Roy, graduated as Iowa's all-time scoring leader and was a first-round NBA pick in 1989. She has three brothers, all who play, with Roy Devyn currently under contract with Golden State and Carlo playing at Chicago State.
Roichelle was really good, too. A natural who became an all-state player in Iowa with a host of colleges filling her mail box and phone messages. Up to that point, everything about the sport came easy. She had a few minor injuries, nothing that held her back for long, and she was excited to leave her mark at Wisconsin.
A month into being a Badger, she ruptured her right Achilles tendon. For the first time, basketball was on hold, and to compound her heartache, Roy was diagnosed with cancer.
Instantly, an easy life was upturned. Her place of solace, the court, changed, as it instantly took her to thoughts of her father, who passed away at the age of 48 at the start of her second year at Wisconsin.
"It was at times," she said, "When I was having a hard day, it would be hard to walk into the gym to go to practice. My support system at the time at Wisconsin was really good. There was a point where I wasn't sure I wanted to be reminded of it every day, but that was when my mind had too much time to think."
"I don't like that attitude. I try to be grateful for the opportunities that I'm presented."Roichelle Marble
She would go on to play three healthy seasons for the Badgers, but when she picked up her undergraduate degree in Community and Non-Profit Leadership with a certificate in Gender and Women's Studies, she transferred to Colorado State. But like at Wisconsin, her start with the Rams was met with an injury – a torn ACL in her left knee.
It was the one she said she always feared, and now she was living the existence. She was looking at more rehab, and to continue playing, more school.
She admits when growing up, school wasn't a place that revved her motor. That was basketball, and education was her path. Now, that path was going to become longer at CSU.
So, a positive person at the core, she embraced the chance, not the negative.
"I don't like that attitude. I try to be grateful for the opportunities that I'm presented," Roichelle said. "This is a lot of free school that I'm getting, and I know people who would kill to get free school, so I'm grateful these opportunities keep coming. Even though I wouldn't say I'm somebody who is super-excited about school, but I can say doing the Master's programs has made me like school more as I go through."
Times change, and now she's finding the extra education is something she's excited about. While she was rehabbing her knee, she earned a Master's degree in Tourism Management. And to play this year, she's going after a second in Facilitating Adult Learners with an emphasis in Adult Education.
A necessary evil? Far from it. By choosing areas of study she finds engaging, she has become more involved in what she's learning and how it can help her improve the lives of others.
"This Master's is different than my first one, so I'm just adjusting to the different types of teaching styles, but I'm positive that I'm going to do well in it," she said.
Having her around for an extra year has provided benefits for the Rams, too. Coach Ryun Williams hopes to see her at her peak at some point this season, but in going through the rough patches, she's shown a light he feels all of his players can heed as an example of discipline and courage.
"I think she understands she has her whole life in front of her to work, but to still be able to be part of a team and a university family, I know that's really important to her," Williams said. "And I know she's important to our squad. I mean, she's a good leader.
"She's shown great persistence. Obviously she loves basketball, and it's required a lot of effort for her to stay on the floor. I think she's a good example for her teammates the way she demonstrates her passion, her ability to work, her loyalty to her rehab to get on the floor and play the game she loves. She's a neat, neat example."
Roichelle can't wait for the season. Getting back to being game ready is still ongoing, and she's curious to see what she can bring to the floor immediately. She's counting on a defensive tenacity which has always played well for her coaches, and she expects her offense will follow along soon enough.
Meanwhile, she's excited about her future. It may look different to her than when she was a wide-eyed kid out of high school, but she knows she's fully armed to pursue her life, as she'll have a pair of Master's degrees on her resume. Her current program will take longer than a year, and that's fine with her. She's determined to see it to conclusion, be it paying for her time in the classroom or online studies.
Naturally, Brown is excited about the change herself. All those talks of education have come full circle, with her children continually greeting her on Mother's Day with one form of degree or another.
"I can't wait to see what the future holds. It's definitely been an exciting journey, never a dull moment," Brown said. "The one thing about it, she's always landed on her feet and she's done well. I couldn't ask for anything else. I'm not surprised, by her success, but you never know their journey and you never know the ending, so you have to go along for the ride. I've enjoyed the ride, in spite of the obstacles. They've made her who she is. She's strong, she's persevered and stayed positive."