📍 Huntington, West Virginia
🏀 Home of Marshall Thundering Herd basketball

Located in the old industrial city of Huntington, Marshall University is one of the most notable institutions in West Virginia. The school’s athletic programs, uniquely known as the Thundering Herd, are beloved by Marshall alumni and Huntington residents alike, The Herd’s iconic kelly green logo can be spotted near and far across the Ohio River Valley, but it all comes back to the humble streets of Huntington each cold and blustery winter, when the Marshall men’s basketball team takes to the court.

Though not as popular or widely known as the Marshall football team that plays across the street, the hooping Herd are just as deserving of attention and have been pretty successful in their own right. The team has starred in the NCAA Tournament 6 times – though their 1987 appearance was vacated – and advanced as far as the Round of 32, a feat that was accomplished in 2018. Since beginning play in Division I in 1948, the Thundering Herd have been regular season conference champions 7 times and have clinched the conference championship on 4 occasions.

Among some of Marshall’s most distinguished players is Hal Greer, who is indisputably one of the greatest players in the school’s history and helped lead the Herd to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1956. He also broke the West Virginia sports color barrier, becoming the first African-American in the state to play for a public college. Dedicated in 2021, just three years after his passing, a statue memorializing Greer stands tall just outside Marshall’s arena on 3rd Ave.

Fun Fact
On February 7, 1985, in a game against rival Appalachian State, Herd player Bruce Morris made the longest known basket in college basketball history. In what later became known as “The Shot Herd Round The World”, Morris launched the ball from 89 feet, 10 inches and it was nothing but net.

After a 31-year stint at the old Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse, a Huntington landmark for over 60 years before it was demolished in 2012, Marshall men’s basketball moved in to the 9,000-seat Cam Henderson Center in 1981. Named for the legendary coach that guided both Marshall football and basketball for over two decades, the arena has seen the Herd’s most – and least – successful teams come and go throughout its long history as the home of Big Green basketball.

The aging venue has seen several upgrades over the years to keep the fan experience fresh and exciting. In 2018, a new center-hung scoreboard was installed, something that The Cam lacked for the 37 years prior, and a sparkly new floor was unveiled with more modern imagery in 2022. That same year, tarps were added in the upper bleacher levels of the arena, an area known as “Herd Heaven”, reducing capacity to just shy of 5,500 fans.

Though there have been talks of replacing Cam Henderson Center lately, the recent upgrades to the arena and its amenities truly help to bring it up-to-date. Sure, it’s not the most glitzy college basketball venue around, but both the modernization and increased intimacy make for a top-notch gameday experience in the Jewel City.