— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall’s men’s basketball team has received its first portal commitment in guard Wilson Dubinsky from South Carolina State.
Dubinsky is a shooting guard that fills an immediate need for Marshall as a perimeter threat on the wing, at least somewhat in the mold of former Herd player Mikal Dawson.
The 6-foot-3 Dubinsky averaged 8.1 points last season for the Bulldogs. He shot an impressive 44.7 percent (59 for 132) from the three-point line in 19 minutes per game on average.
Dubinsky hails from Ottawa, Ontario.
Another Canadian recently on the Herd roster is in the mix for a new program with guard Dezayne Mingo having opted to enter the transfer portal Monday, according to multiple national reports.
Marshall junior point guard Dezayne Mingo has entered the portal, source told @TheFieldOf68.
The 6-4 Canadian averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 boards this past season.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 21, 2025
Mingo was a key piece of the Herd’s 2024-25 team and averaged 12.6 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds while starting in 30 of 31 games played.
That leaves a void in the backcourt that Dubinsky, who has one year of eligibility remaining, could help to fill. Prior to attending South Carolina State, he played at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas.
Dubinsky also shot 72 percent from the foul line for SCSU and added 28 steals and 41 assists.
He played against Marshall last season at the Cam Henderson Center in November, a game the Herd won, 82-53. In that contest, Dubinsky played 22 minutes and scored five points on 2-for-6 shooting.
The likely loss of Mingo figures to leave Marshall coach Cornelius Jackson and his staff in the mix for at least one more addition to the backcourt and they are still busy looking for help in the front court. The Herd is looking for replacements for Sun Belt Conference All-League player Obinna Anochili-Killen and rebounding stalwart Nate Martin.
The transfer portal is open through Tuesday for men’s basketball players.
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The transfer portal reopened last Wednesday in football, and with it, changes have come to the Marshall roster.
Huntington High School running back/defensive back Zah Jackson announced through social media he will return to his hometown and play for Marshall.
A three-time winner of the Carl Lee Award as West Virginia’s top high school defensive back, Jackson had been with West Virginia University throughout spring football drills after signing with the Mountaineers last year.
Marshall, North Carolina State, Mississippi State, Appalachian State, James Madison and Toledo were among other schools to offer Jackson while he was in high school.
Jackson departed Morgantown and entered the transfer portal the week after the Mountaineers completed spring drills under head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and his staff trimmed the WVU roster to reach the maximum number of 105 players allowed this fall.
While he played running back in addition to his secondary duties for the Highlanders, Jackson will almost certainly be a defensive back in defensive coordinator Shannon Morrison’s system.
The Herd has also lost one of its more notable returning weapons in senior placekicker Rece Verhoff.
The Columbus Grove, Ohio native scored 13 points during the spring game April 12, hitting seven extra points and two field goals.
Verhoff entered the portal and found a new home Thursday at the University of North Carolina, where he will be part of new head coach Bill Belichick’s first Tar Heel squad.
He made 14-of-19 field goals last fall and made all 40 point-after kick attempts.
The kicking duties could now be taken over by sophomore Nathan Totten if Marshall chooses to stay in house. Totten made 4-of-6 field goals, along with 8-of-8 PATs last season.
Several other Herd players jumped into the portal over the last few days, including Robert Shockey, a quarterback who played at both Parkersburg South and Cabell Midland in high school and then followed MU head coach Gibson from North Carolina State to Huntington.
Freshman tight end Aiden Steinfeldt, linebacker and Georgia Tech transfer Ashton Heflin, quarterback Colin Parachek and former Texas Longhorns punter Ian Ratliff have also entered the portal.
Another former Marshall receiver, Christian Fitzpatrick, received a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA and announced that he will play his final season at Oklahoma State.
The transfer portal is open through Friday for football players.