Coaching the world’s top teens taking on USA at Nike’s annual Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is this weekend with some of the best seniors in the U.S. and internationally in Portland for Nike's 25th annual world all-star game.
KPTV FOX12 OREGON | By Nick Krupke | April 10, 2024
The Nike Hoop Summit is this weekend as they celebrate their silver anniversary with some of the best seniors in the U.S. and internationally in Portland for Nike’s 25th annual world all-star game.
This is Marshall Cho’s first year as the men’s World Team head coach.
“The Nike Hoop Summit is one of the most unique games ever. McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic, we are sandwiched right in the middle of it, and this is a game where it actually matters who wins and loses,” Cho said. “When you say I am representing South Korea, I am representing Jeju Island!”
The 47-year-old married father of two lives in Lake Oswego and has planted his feet in the Beaver State.
“We’re on Nike campus, we all read ‘Shoe Dog’ if we’re into sneakers and the first page Phil Knight says, ‘the trees are always listening, and they always have your back.’ that’s how I feel,” said Cho. “I’ve been to Mozambique, Africa about as far from here as possible, I’ve been out in the dirt fields, I’ve seen kids without shoes, I’ve seen the world and come back, and I come back here, and those trees got my back.”
This is a new gig for Cho, after dedicating the last eight winters to leading the Lake Oswego High School boys program.
“Whatever happens, I go with that confidence and I go with the sense of responsibility to take what this amazing state took me in as an immigrant, built me up, in and out I go forward with that confidence no matter what door God opens,” said Cho.
As a mentor and coach, Cho has spent two decades providing individuals with the opportunity to become lifelong learners.
“I saw Dawn Staley win another national championship and when she won her very first one, she said, ‘What is delayed is not denied’ and so for me, my first involvement here was 2012 and I came out as a support staff member when there was only one or two guys moving boxes, picking up kids from the airport, to start there, take 12 years and there’s been a long delay but I was faithful to it, my family supported me, this was my path and to be doing it, especially on the 25th anniversary, representing the world, trying to be a bridge for us in Portland, Oregon to the rest of the world, east to Asia but really west to us, then going out to Africa, it’s just a full moment that I couldn’t have imagined it and I am just super grateful,” said Cho.
Cho is grateful for the opportunity to lead the world’s top 19-and-under high school basketball players.
“I immigrated. I am an immigrant. I moved to the United States in 1986, I was 10 years old, Centennial Elementary School, Mrs. Kingman was my third-grade teacher, teachers in this state they poured into my life, all throughout. all the way through the University of Oregon, Ed Whitelaw was my professor, economics, he inspired me to join Teach for America, go be a school-teacher in New York City’s South Bronx, so I’ve represented Oregon domestically overseas and to do it in our home means everything to me,” said Cho.
Cho explained how he prepared to go global.
“This past year I coached the Lakeridge Pacers eighth grade team that my son was on so one lake, one love. when people ask me, ‘How did you prepare for this high-level game with the best players in the world?”, I’m going to tell them I got 40 games, 45 games of youth basketball reps in so teaching eighth graders, teaching the game, a lot of these guys are so smart, the teaching doesn’t change,” said Cho. “The game is so over-coached and under-taught so that’s been the natural transition, I don’t feel out of place at all and I’m ready to go.”
The summit will be a double feature on Saturday at the Moda Center, with the women’s game at 4:30 p.m. which is year two with the U.S.A. against the World Team, and then the men’s game at 7 p.m. at Nike World Headquarters.