Murphy Embracing The Moment
December 05, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Bulldog veteran off to a huge start this season.
STARKVILLE – Before this year's campaign tipped off, redshirt junior forward KeShawn Murphy aspired to help take the Mississippi State men's basketball program to new heights alongside his teammates in the Maroon and White.
Murphy is doing just that and then some over the early portion of the schedule. He once again shined on Wednesday night when he dropped a career-high 20 points in State's largest victory over a ranked opponent in school history against No. 18 Pittsburgh at Humphrey Coliseum.
"I call it a blessing," Murphy said. "I put the work in all summer in the offseason. I know coach [Chris Jans] appreciates me for that and the work [is showing]."
This is not Murphy's first rodeo, of course. The 6-foot-10, Birmingham, Alabama, native has notched 608 total minutes on the court in his collegiate career as a Bulldog. In 46 appearances in the Maroon and White, Murphy has collected 10 points or more 10 times for State.
His most recent double-digit outing against Pitt brings MSU a 5-0 record this season against opponents when Murphy scores 10 points or more and a 3-0 record when he leads the team in scoring.
Needless to say, Murphy's contributions to the program are not going unnoticed by his fellow teammates, coaches and the thousands of fans who filled The Hump to the brim for the SEC/ACC Challenge.
"He's been so consistent with his daily approach mentally, physically and you can ask anyone on our team about him. He's hard to get off the court," Jans said. "He wants the reps, and he wants to get better. He's just an awesome kid and fun to be around."
Murphy's string of incredible performances this season can be attributed to many things. His work ethic, a will to bring success to the program and an undeniable passion to represent the uniform are all feeding into Murphy's accomplishments.
But in his third year competing in Starkville, this is all really a matter of a boost in his confidence that has ignited Murphy's play on the floor and spread like wildfire among his fellow teammates.
"Coach Jans put confidence in me [and] my teammates are confident in me and my abilities, so that [gives me confidence] that I can put it on the floor," Murphy said.
Along with multiple outings leading State's offensive attack, Murphy has also racked up 46 defensive boards, eight blocks and eight steals this year. In Wednesday night's matchup against Pitt, he was third on the team with seven total rebounds and one block in 24 minutes played.
Having outstanding defensive performances from Murphy and the rest of the Dawgs was something Jans was looking for in State's response to the team's first loss of the season against Butler on Nov. 29 in Tempe, Arizona.
For Murphy and company, the defensive game plan against Pitt came together like a perfect storm in the victory over the 18th-ranked team in the country.
"It started at practice," Murphy said. "Everybody had to compete at a high level, and we had to find our identity in defense. Defense is first and everything else will take care of itself later. We prepped that and got it out onto the floor."
As Murphy continues to do his thing on the court on the offensive and defensive ends, the Bulldog faithful will be right there, clamoring to get a front-row seat to the Murph show in The Hump. Murphy is thankful for all of the support.
"It was electric, and I appreciate all the fans and everybody coming out," Murphy said. "We got more to give so everybody stay tuned."