By Joey Gelman
The Marshall Commandos came down to Champaign looking to make history, and for the school and the IHSA, they did just that. Marshall captured the 2026 IHSA Boys Basketball Class 1A State Championship, defeating Goreville 52-44, to secure its first state title in boys basketball since the 2007-2008 season.
The tradition of excellence in both boys and girls basketball at Marshall is known statewide, and this year’s team has now added itself to the school’s trophy case, packed to the brim already with awards and trophies.
“It’s tradition, we’re trying to bring tradition back,” said Marshall head coach Darrin Laye. “Can’t say enough about these guys, it’s amazing.. The state championship isn’t just for Marshall but for the city of Chicago, the West Side of Chicago. It’s a testament of what this city is, the grit and grind, and us being able to go out and get it done today, I’m extremely happy for these guys.”
It had been 35 years since Marshall had played in the state tournament in Champaign (2007 tournament was played in Peoria), then led by the legendary Arthur Agee during the world-famous ‘Hoop Dreams’ era of Marshall basketball. That team would finish its unforgettable season just one game short of the state championship, taking third place in the 2001 state tournament.
This year’s team, however, took advantage from the second they arrived on the campus of the University of Illinois, with an impressive win in the semifinals, 66-38 over Eastland. Senior Quinton Gibson led the way with 20 points, with junior Rayvon Myles adding 14 points. And while the offense was clicking, it was the defense that shined, swarming to the ball, causing 10 steals, and holding Eastland to a 28% field goal percentage shooting from the field. The Commandos flew up and down the court in transition to punch their ticket to the state championship.
The championship matchup put Marshall against Goreville and from the jump, the intensity began.
Marshall, behind a fantastic, loud fanbase courtside, jumped out to a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but it was Goreville whose three-point shooting turned on in the second quarter, giving the Blackcats a 24-18 lead at halftime.
But Marshall, as it had done all year, put its foot on the gas to begin the second half and never looked back.
While Gibson starred in the semifinals, it was sophomore Darrin Laye Jr, who led the way in Marshall’s comeback, providing key baskets and steals to help secure the victory.
“I know how to step up as a leader,” Laye Jr. said. “I applied pressure, and when I applied pressure, my teammates applied pressure.”
The defensive performance in the championship game was historic, as the Commandos set a 1A IHSA State-Record with 18 steals in the game, to lead their comeback victory.
“We’re a second-half team,” Coach Laye said. “That’s when the real team comes out. We kind of linger around in the first half, and then turn on our defense in the second half. When a lot of teams are gassed and winded, we start running. We’re like a shark in water, we smell blood.”
“Rebound and run (was the plan), rebound and get a couple of easy buckets, play stifling defense, we willed our way back into the game.“
“We knew they had never seen a team like us pressure-wise,“ said Laye Jr. “So we started applying pressure to them, and they couldn’t handle it, got our easy steals and easy layups like we always get. We’ve been the underdogs since the season started, and we came down here and took care of business.”
The third quarter ended with Goreville still leading 39-31, but Marshall put the pedal to the medal in the fourth, on their way to the comeback championship victory, 52-44, finishing on a 21-3 run over the final seven minutes of the game.
“It feels wonderful leaving with a state championship for my senior year,” said Gibson. ”It was amazing, I put my trust in my teammates, knowing that they can fulfill my wish of going out a state champion. At the start of the season, I told my teammates that I was going to help them win something before I leave. This year we played even harder, and went out with the W.”
This championship is extra special to the Laye family for two reasons, as Coach Laye was a Marshall Commando himself, who had been chasing that elusive state championship he never won as a player, and second, because he got to win it with his son, Darrin Laye Jr, whose 30-point, 6-steal performance helped cement the victory.
“You couldn’t even dream of this as a kid, and I’m here and won it, ” said Laye Jr. “We’ve (me and my dad) been talking about this, we’ve been saying we were going to get this. This year we came and achieved what we wanted.”
This title for Marshall is a huge achievement for the city of Chicago and CPS, but especially for the West Side, where basketball is the lifeblood of the community, the community in which almost the entire teams calls home.
“Lots of West Side kids don’t get this opportunity,” said Laye Jr. “So I’m just appreciative of the opportunity.“
“We gave them the opportunity to believe in themselves and believe in their talents and a lot of them took full advantage of that.”
And the most exciting part about the win according to coach Laye, is that they’re ready to do it all again next year.
“The fact that we only have two seniors…the whole team is coming back. So actually having this opportunity and this experience, we’re looking forward to be better coming back (next year),” he said. “We’re trying to move in a direction where they can actually hear Marshall’s name often, when we’re hunting to go back to being a top 25 team in the state. That is what we are pushing for. It’s amazing to be in this position right now. To actually be a state champ, it’s just amazing.”
The Chicago Public League has now secured a champion in boys basketball for two straight years across classes, and has appeared in the title game across classes each year over the past decade, continuing to solidify the league as a key competitor in the state tournament.
The Marshall Commandos are now the latest team in CPS’ history to etch their name in the history books as state champions.
Photos by Joseph Gelman/OSA
