Renowned coach, Springfield grad Marshall Cho to host youth basketball camp

Long before he was mentoring some of the top amateur basketball players in the world, Marshall Cho fell in love with the sport growing up in Springfield.

Now, the renowned Portland-based coach is looking to give back to his hometown and bolster the basketball community that sparked his passion for the game.

Cho will host the Springfield Millers Clinic at Springfield High School on July 26 for athletes who are entering grades 6-12, with a girls sessions slated for 9 a.m.

to noon and a boys session set for 1 to 4 p.m.

The cost is $80 per athlete.

Those in attendance can expect "intense pace and repetitions for the three-hour sessions, focusing on shooting, playmaking, and small group play."Cho will work in conjunction with the coaching staffs of the Millers' boys and girls programs.

The clinic is intended to raise funds for both programs, but will also, Cho hopes, inspire local hoopers to pursue their dreams on the hardwood.

"I grew up right across the street from Meadow Park and that's where I learned how to play pick-up basketball before the days of club basketball and private trainers," Cho said.

"Learning the game organically there, it's had such a lifelong impact on me."Marshall Cho has international career in basketball coaching with roots in SpringfieldCho was born in Jeju, South Korea and moved to Springfield when he was 10 and graduated from Springfield High in 1995.

He received his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Oregon and went on to earn a masters in secondary mathematics education from Columbia University.Cho got his start as a teacher and an educator through the Teach For America program, teaching mathematics in the south Bronx and Harlem and serving as the boys basketball coach at Future Leaders Institute.Since then, the sport has taken him on a profound journey across the globe.

That includes a stint in Mozambique as a volunteer coach and instructor with the Mozambican National Basketball Federation.

There, Cho also served as the varsity boys coach at the American International School of Mozambique, a program that he launched and developed.

Additionally, he served as a coach for the NBAs Basketball Without Borders Africa.

Since returning to the U.S., Cho has served as an assistant coach at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, where he coached four future NBA players: Victor Oladipo, Jerian Grant, Jerami Grant and Quinn Cook.Cho has served since 2012 as director of basketball operations for the University of Portland men's program.

He was the head boys basketball coach at Lake Oswego High School from 2016-2023, where he compiled a 116-82 record and was named Three Rivers League coach of the year three times.Most recently, Cho served as head coach for the World Select team at the Nike Hoop Summit in 2024 and 2025, where he worked with recent first-round NBA Draft picks such as Khaman Maluach, V.J.

Edgecombe, Nolan Traore and Kasparas Jakucionis.

"I think anytime you have somebody who grew up in Springfield, played at Springfield especially with Marshall's experience and basketball knowledge who then comes back and gives back to the community is so respectful," Springfield High School athletic director Audrea Shelley said.

"It's also just a great opportunity for our kids to see somebody else who came from where we are.

Marshall grew up in the heart of Springfield and has been very successful in basketball."Him coming back to give back to where he comes from, it's pretty cool."What to know about Springfield Millers ClinicCho said he and the Springfield High coaching staffs are working to create scholarship opportunities for families that can't afford the admission fee.

There is no deadline to sign up; Cho said day-of walk-up entries will be accepted.

The camp will have an emphasis on small-sided games that prompt players to focus on the intricate details of basketball.

It will be similar in structure to the USA junior national team tryout camps that Cho worked in past years.

Cho said the most impactful moments where he learned the game was in middle school playing against high school boys.

"I don't think that's something that even happens organically today, given that there are so many trainers and clubs and all those things involved in the game," Cho said.

"So, just even modeling what that looks like on the court, with multiple age ranges learning the same drills.

Then, you can break off into your age group and compete in a way that makes sense."The Springfield girls team is coming off a 19-9 campaign that culminated with a trip to the OSAA 5A state quarterfinals under sixth-year head coach Joe Williamson.

One of the more decorated basketball programs in recent state history, the Millers won the 2023 state title under Williamson and also claimed titles in 2011 and 2012.The Millers' boys have a proud history, too, but have struggled in recent years and are seeking their first winning season since 2020.

The school recently hired Jeremy Young as its varsity boys head coach.

Young served as Springfield's head varsity girls coach during the 2019-20 campaign.

"I'm really excited about it," Shelley said of Young's hiring.

"Jeremy has that drive and that energy to get us to where we need to.

We have struggled in the last three, four years.

I believe that it starts at the younger levels, and he has that vision of bringing those younger kids up as well.

I think that's huge."Jarrid Denney is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard.

He can be reached at [email protected] on X @jarrid_denneyThis article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Coach Marshall Cho to host Springfield youth basketball camp.

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