Indiana Men’s basketball is a program built on tradition. From their five national championships to Bob Knight’s famous chair throw, it has run deep for the last century. Emerging in the last eight years is a new tradition revolving around faith and growing in spirit.

Clif Marshall, the Director of Athletic Performance for Indiana Men’s basketball, has brought a player-led game day chapel to the program after a long history of meshing athletics and faith. As a strength and conditioning assistant for the Cincinnati Bengals, he experienced his first chapel in 2005, and decided to implement that almost everywhere he has stopped in his career. Outside of the weight room, his impact is everlasting.

Now in Bloomington, Marshall has built long lasting relationships through his relentless energy and efforts in chapels on game days. In the chapels, players and staff look to share life experiences and bond through faith that will help perform well on the court, and through hardships in life. Helping his players grow in “mind, body and spirit” remains one of his highest goals outside of making them stronger and faster on the court.

One of his most impacted players is Trayce Jackson-Davis, a current player with the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Over the summer, Jackson-Davis returned to Bloomington after his rookie season, and told Marshall he had something for him. It wasn’t the #32 Warriors jersey he had been hoping for. It was something that meant a lot more to Marshall.

“He reached in his backpack and grabbed about 60 pieces of paper, and the 60 pieces of paper were the chapels he attended last year as a rookie with the Golden State Warriors. I think having that here at IU was something that he got accustomed to, and he wanted to continue to grow his faith as he is in the NBA now,” Marshall said.

This list goes on of former players that Marshall has impacted, continuing with Jalen Hood-Schifino, now with the Los Angeles Lakers. Between bonding through fishing over Hood Schifino’s freshman summer and growing closer in the weight room and chapel, he was extremely grateful for his one year with Marshall. He wrote Marshall a letter after he declared for the NBA draft, telling him this:

“Peace was the one thing I was searching for this year as a freshman at Indiana I got it. You’re a big reason for that. I will cherish the times that we spent outside of basketball, especially going fishing and the game day chapels. I thank you for always reminding me to do my best and trust God with the rest.”

With today’s roster, Marshall is still finding ways to touch his athletes hearts and help them grow as young men. In fact, his passion for faith and sharing the word through chapels was vital in a recruitment this summer. So vital that it was one of the main reasons this player decided to come play for the Hoosiers.

Luke Goode, a senior transfer from the University of Illinois, had a chapel in his three years with the Fighting Illini. While in the transfer portal, he knew a destination with a strong foundation of faith was a necessity in his new home. The Fort Wayne native visited Indiana over the summer, and when he heard Clif’s pitch to him about improving in “mind, body and spirit,” he was sold.

“He is super faithful and outgoing in his faith, and when I visited here in high school he said to me and then when I visited here while I was in the portal he said it. So just hearing that and that being a part of my life is something I feel like is important and hearing that during the visit and recruiting pitch is pretty cool,” Goode said.

He has grown a strong relationship with Marshall over the last six months in Bloomington, and loves how game day chapels allow him and his teammates to be “vulnerable.” It is a way for players and staff to share their experiences and how faith has helped them through it. For Goode, it serves most importantly as a “centering” through the busy life of an athlete.

“You have so much going on during the season between basketball and school and social life, and being able to have that every day as a constant is great,” Goode said.

As the season ensues, players like Goode continue to reap rewards from Marshall’s impact in the weight room, on the court and in their faith. Staying physically strong on the court, and mentally strong through faith keeps the athletes pushing towards the next day of practice and the next game day. As the late Bobby Knight would say, “Mental is to physical as four is to one.”  Implementing mental toughness is incredibly important to the program, and Marshall continues to do that through his personality and faith driven motives each day.