There are few father-son pairings that have shared a profoundly intertwined journey in basketball like Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh and his father, Donnie Marsh.
As a child, Tyler watched his father as he served as an assistant and head coach for various collegiate programs. Tyler attended his dad’s practices, camps and games, attended Final Fours, and even accompanied him during recruiting visits.
“He was a help,” said Donnie, 69, who has been a basketball coach for four decades.
When Tyler suited up for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he played from 2006-2008, his father was an assistant on the coaching staff.
Following his college playing career, Tyler followed in his father’s footsteps and became a coach. Marsh began his coaching career in the NBA G League, spending four seasons as both a player development coach and an assistant coach. In 2017-18, he joined the staff at Alabama A&M, where Donnie was head coach.
Tyler, 37, continued to rise as a coach, winning a championship as a player development coach with the Toronto Raptors, serving as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers, and winning two titles as an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces.
“The most satisfying part for me is that he hasn’t skipped a step in the journey,” Donnie said of Tyler’s ascension as a coach. “He just went at it step by step. … It’s an incredible blessing.”
Though their basketball paths have greatly overlapped, the Marshes differ in their coaching styles. Donnie is a more defensive-dominant coach, and Tyler leans heavier toward offense. Donnie was more demonstrative on the sideline, and Tyler is more mild-mannered. However, they have learned from one another. After Aces games, Tyler would call Donnie to debrief the action, or if Tyler had an upcoming opponent to scout, he’d call on Donnie for insight to elevate his game plan.
The Marshes’ journey came full circle when Tyler was named head coach of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky last November following a multi-championship-winning stint with the Las Vegas Aces. Tyler called his father to tell him he’d secured his first job as a head coach. Later, he asked his dad to join his coaching staff as a basketball operations specialist.
“It’s kind of the best of both worlds,” Tyler said. “You get Pops on your staff and you also get 40 years of experience on your staff as well. For me, that’s invaluable.”
The Marshes sat down with Andscape senior writer Sean Hurd to discuss the significance of coaching alongside one another in Chicago, the impact Donnie has had on Tyler’s coaching career, and Tyler’s joy in now raising a “coach’s son” of his own.
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