All eyes were on Nadia Marshall as she signed her basketball scholarship for Gulf Coast State College Friday afternoon.

Marshall has been playing basketball since she was 5 years old. Her mother, Shelia Marshall said Marshall’s room is decorated with plaques and certificates from over the years. That is why when Marshall was asked to play at the next level; it came as no surprise to Shelia.

“I knew she was going to do it,” Shelia said. “She’s been playing since she was 5. The passion was in her.”

Nadia’s father, Larry Williford agreed. He said he had always known that God gave Nadia the athletic ability to be successful; it always just depended on how much Nadia wanted to put into it. As the years went by, though Nadia developed into the girl her father always knew she would.

Marshall played travel ball until she made the middle school basketball team, where she met the coach who would change the game. Marshall said when she met her coach their skills meshed and she fell in love with the game.

She played the position of small forward, which she will continue to play at GCSC and will play guard. Marshall first became interested in GCSC when the coaches came to speak to her. Marshall takes grade pride in her education, so when the coaches were clear about the importance of education first she was sold.

Marshall sees her start at GCSC as a new beginning. She hopes her time at college and determination to get the scholarship will inspire her friends and family to work hard and go above and beyond the call of duty.

Williford has always considered a college scholarship as a sign of being successful; he knows that if Nadia is successful in college she can be successful in life. He cannot wait to watch her continue to grow for the next four years.

Shelia also can’t wait to watch her stay on point with her grades and “handle the ball like I know she can.”

Marshall wants to thank her coach and teammates. In addition to that, she wants them to know that her time at Bainbridge High School has been such a blessing and she has built great relationships and hopes she has pushed herself hard enough to inspire them.

Shelia praised God for this miracle and Williford thanked Nadia’s coaches, counselor and family for standing behind her.