Former Oakland basketball star Rawle Marshall became the first former OU player to make an NBA roster when he got the word Nov. 1 that he had made the Dallas Mavericks’ opening day roster for the 2005-06 NBA season that began Nov. 2.

Marshall, who led the Golden Grizzlies to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season as a senior at Oakland, signed with Dallas as a free agent in August after an impressive showing in the NBA summer leagues. The 6-7 swingman made his pro hometown debut Oct. 18 when Dallas played a preseason exhibition against Detroit at The Palace of Auburn Hills, scoring six points in the Mavericks win over the Pistons. Four of his points came on four free throws in the closing minutes that helped secure his team’s win.

The Mid-Continent Conference Tournament MVP last season, Marshall led the league with his 19.9 points per game scoring average and finished his three-year career at Oakland with 1,671 points, 10th all-time at the school. He also set a new Oakland career record with 101 blocked shots.