The Murray State News - Basketball Tab

Photo by Bryan Edwards/The News

Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for 6 years

506 S 12th St. • Murray, KY Phone: 270-753-2682

100 % Smoke & Pet FREE

Book online at www.murrayplazalodge.com

Page 2

The News

Basketball

November 2, 2017

Healthy Living Same Great Store

Vitamins • Minerals • Herbal Supplements • Essential Oils Natural Beauty Products • Health Foods • Gluten Free Products Kina & Tanner Knight 1304 Chestnut Suite F, Murray, KY • 270-759-5749 • murraypeachblossom@gmail.com www.peachblossomhealthfoodstore.com

peach.blossom42071

The News

November 2, 2017

Basketball

Page 3

Page 4

The News

Basketball

November 2, 2017

Men’s basketball looking for redemption Blake Sandlin Assistant Sports Editor bsandlin@murraystate.edu

Murray State’s men’s basket-

ball team will take the floor for the first time this season.

The Racers are coming off a losing 16-17 season record in season run to the conference semi-finals, where they fell short against UT Martin. The men look to improve their play on the road this year after finishing last season with a 3-11 record in away games, as well as their conference play, where they finished with an 8-8 record that earned them a seven seed in the OVC tournament.

The preseason media poll has Murray State picked third in the conference behind last season’s OVC Champions and second-ranked Jacksonville State, as well as the top-ranked Belmont Bruins, who won the regular season title last season.

The Racers return Preseason OVC Player of the Year Jonathan Stark, point guard from Munford, Tennessee, who made the OVC All-Tournament Team last March as a result of his postseason performance of 29.7 points per game in three OVC Tournament games. He led the OVC in scoring, averaging 21.9 points and 5.2 assists per game last season Head Coach Matt McMahon

said he believes Stark’s honor of Preseason Player of the Year is fitting and predicted his play to only get better.

“I think it is well deserved,” McMahon said. “It’s a great league with really good players.

He’s a guy who can score the ball from all three areas on the floor.

Then you take 22 points a game, but then he makes people better.”

Stark was also named AllDistrict 19 honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches along with senior forward Terrell Miller, who averaged 16 points and 8.2 rebounds last season.

Newcomers for Murray State will be Tevin Brown, guard from

Fairhope, Alabama, Ja Morant, guard from Dalzell, South Carolina, Brion Whitley, guard from Sarasota, Florida, Devin Gilmore, forward from Picayune, Mississippi, and Zach Hopewell, guard from Owensboro, Kentucky.

“I’m really excited about our group,” McMahon said. “We have a good mix of some proven returners as well as some talented newcomers who have really added a lot to our team from a toughness and love-of-the-game standpoint.”

The men will tip-off the season with an exhibition game against McKendree University Thursday, Nov. 2.

Welcome #RacerAlumni!

Join us today! murraystate.edu/alumni facebook.com/raceralumni twitter.com/raceralumni @RacerAlumni instagram.com/raceralumni @raceralumni

100 Easley Alumni Center | Murray, KY 42071 270.809.5600 | Toll Free: 800.758.8510 Equal education and employment opportunities M/F/D, AA employer. Murray State University supports a clean and healthy campus. Please refrain from personal tobacco use.

The News

Basketball

November 2, 2017

Page 5

Turner begins year one Keenan Hall || Staff writer khall16@murraystate.edu

Bryan Edwards/The News

Head Coach Rechelle Turner speaks during OVC Media Day 2017.

Murray State women’s basketball begins its next chapter on Thursday with an exhibition game against Georgetown (KY).

In recent OVC polls, the Racers were voted fifth in preseason predictions in the media’s preseason poll. Murray State ended last season one game above .500 at 15-14.

New Head Coach Rechelle Turner starts her tenure with the Racers. Turner didn’t have to travel far, since she’s been the coach at Murray High School for 21 years. Turner departs her high school basketball career with a 460-178 record.

Turner said change is difficult no matter the circumstance.

“Change is hard, and not only is it difficult on the coaching staff, it’s difficult on the players,”

Los Portales MON. - SAT.

11 A.M. - 10 P.M.

SUNDAY

11 A.M. - 9 P.M.

1506 Lowes Drive, Murray, KY 42071

Voted #1 Mexican Restaurant

17 Years in a Row

Turner said. “So the first thing we tried to do was to develop relationships; you have to have that trust. Trust fosters the commitment of your players.”

Senior leadership won’t be hard to find for coach Turner in her first season. Senior forward/ guard Ke’Shunan James returns with high OVC honors. James was voted the OVC’s Preseason Player of the Year by the media.

Turner wants to see James expand on her game this season.

“The difference between a good player and a great player is how much better you make the players around you,” Turner said. “I think that’s something she’s going to focus on this year.”

To start the season, Murray State will face the Georgetown Tigers. The Tigers are an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) program in the Mid-South

Conference. The Racers will be the third game for Georgetown as their record sits at 1-1.

Two notable matchups Murray State will face this season is Butler University and the Louisville Cardinals. The Bulldogs are apart of the Big East conference and are coming off a 6-25 record last season. Turner said the difficult scheduling this year was because she believes you have to play against the best to be the best.

“We can schedule wins every season, but that doesn’t do you any good once you get to conference play,” Turner said. “You have to challenge these kids. You play games like that, and obviously they’re money games, but we also want to show our kids that this is where we want to be.”

The Racers and Georgetown will square off at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3 in the CFSB Center.

Basketball

Page 6

The News

November 2, 2017

Racer basketball adds youth to returning core Gage Johnson Staff writer

gjohnson17@murraystate.edu

As the Murray State basketball season approaches, both the men’s and women’s teams have added youth to a strong group of returning players, and are looking to make a run in the postseason this year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL The men’s team is coming off a 16-17 season that was ended by UT Martin in the OVC semifinal.

They enter the new season with six returning players, lead by two preseason first team all-OVC selections, senior forward Terrell Miller and senior guard Jonathan Stark. Stark was also voted as the Preseason OVC Player of the Year.

Murray State’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt McMahon said he expects big things for Racer basketball this season.

“I like our team,” McMahon said. “We have two all-conference type players returning with experience, and I think we have some returning players that are ready to step up and have break-out type seasons. We’ve also added a good mix of junior college and freshman newcomers that are going to fit in really well to how I want our product to look on and off the floor.”

The group also includes a junior transfer forward Anthony Smith and a junior transfer guard Bryan Hawkins, who practiced with the team last season but was unable

to play.

Hawkins is looking forward to joining the team this season and thinks they have what it takes to be a special team.

“Now we have a better nucleus of all the guys with me, Stark and Terrell, and we do a good job leading the team as far as making sure no one gets out of line and everyone just focuses on winning,” Hawkins said.

“These new guys have definitely bought into that already. Now, it’s different when the games start and you’ve got people mad about playing time and everything, but I don’t get that vibe from this team. I feel like people understand that role, and whatever they can do to win, they’ll bring it,” Hawkins said.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Murray State’s women’s basketball team went 15-14 last season, but failed to advance to the postseason.

This year they come in with eight returning players and six newcomers, lead by senior guard Ke’Shunan James, the Preseason OVC Player of the Year, as well as a preseason first team all-OVC selection. Firstyear Head Coach Rechelle Turner said she expects a lot from James as a leader for the team.

“James’ biggest thing is going to be leadership this year,” Turner said.

Jenny Rohl/The News

“She leads by example every day and never takes a play off. It’s great when your best player is your hardest worker. We have some returning players, and we also have some young players [who] we hope can come in and do some things. If we’re going to be successful it’s going to have to be a team effort.”

Murray State’s men’s and women’s teams will see what is in store for their regular seasons in their respective exhibition games. The women’s team plays an exhibition game at 5 p.m. against Georgetown College, and the men’s team plays an exhibition game against McKendree University at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22. Both games are being played at the CFSB Center.

The News

(270)

November 2, 2017

Basketball

Keep up with the news anywhere.

(2 7 4 9)

Doran Cabz & Couriers

One of Murray’s Top Three Taxis since 2001!

it’s ee

Page 7

www.TheNews.org

The News

Basketball

Page 8

2017-18 Men’s Basketball Schedule All times are central time and subject to change

2017-18 Women’s Basketball Schedule All times are central time and subject to change

HOME

HOME

CFSB Center

V.S. Mckendree exhibition Brescia Middle Tennessee Southern Illinois Harris-Stowe Florida A&M Marist Auburn Eastern Illinois SIUE Southeast Missouri UT-Martin Morehead State Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay Jacksonville State Tennessee Tech

CFSB Center

Date NOV. 2 (THU) 7p.m.

NOV. 10 (FRI) 7p.m.

NOV. 13 (MON) 7p.m.

NOV. 25 (SAT) 7p.m.

NOV. 28 (TUE) 7p.m.

DEC. 2 (SAT) 7p.m.

DEC. 16 (SAT) 7p.m.

DEC. 19 (TUE) 7p.m.

DEC. 28 (THU) 7p.m.

DEC. 30 (SAT) 7p.m.

JAN. 4 (THU) 7p.m.

JAN. 6 (SAT) 7p.m.

JAN. 25 (THU) 7p.m.

JAN. 27 (SAT) 7p.m.

FEB. 8 (THU) 7p.m.

FEB. 15 (THU) 7p.m.

FEB. 17 (SAT) 7p.m.

V.S.

Wrigh State Illinois State Saint Louis Detroit Mercy Jacksonville State Tennessee Tech Belmont Tennessee State Southeast Missouri UT Martin SIUE Eastern Illinois Austin Peay

Date NOV. 18 (SAT) 6p.m.

DEC. 9 (SAT) 3p.m.

DEC. 12 (TUE) 7p.m.

DEC. 22 (FRI) 7p.m.

JAN. 11 (THU) 7:30p.m.

JAN. 13 (SAT) 7:30p.m.

JAN. 18 (THU) 6p.m.

JAN. 20 (SAT) 7:30p.m.

FEB. 1 (THU) 7p.m.

FEB. 3 (SAT) 6p.m.

FEB. 10 (SAT) 1p.m.

FEB. 22 (THU) 7:30p.m.

FEB. 24 (SAT) 7p.m.

Date

Georgetown (Ky.) exhibition Butler Northern Kentucky East Tennessee State Bethel Mississippi Valley State Eastern Illinois SIUE Southeast Missouri UT Martin Morehead State Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay Jacksonville State Tennessee Tech

NOV. 2 (THU) 5p.m.

NOV. 15 (WED) 11a.m.

NOV. 18 (SAT) 6p.m.

NOV. 29 (WED) 6p.m.

DEC. 14 (THU) 6p.m.

DEC. 18 (MON) 6p.m.

DEC. 28 (THU) 5p.m.

DEC. 30 (SAT) 5p.m.

JAN. 4 (THU) 5p.m.

JAN. 6 (SAT) 5p.m.

JAN. 25 (THU) 5p.m.

JAN. 27 (SAT) 5p.m.

FEB. 8 (THU) 5p.m.

FEB. 15 (THU) 5p.m.

FEB. 17 (SAT) 5p.m.

AWAY Where

AWAY Where

November 2, 2017

Evansville Lipscomb Louisville Alabama A&M UNCG Alabama Jacksonville State Tennessee Tech Tennessee State Belmont Southeast Missouri UT Martin SIUE Eastern Illinois Austin Peay

2018 OVC TOURNAMENT EVANSVILLE, INDIANA February 28 - March 3

Date OV. 12 (THU) 1p.m.

N NOV. 21 (TUE) 6:30p.m.

NOV. 24 (FRI) 12p.m.

DEC. 1 (FRI) 6p.m.

DEC. 11 (MON) 6p.m.

DEC. 20 (WED) 7p.m.

JAN. 11 (THU) 5p.m.

JAN.13 (SAT) 5p.m.

JAN.18 (THU) 5p.m.

JAN. 20 (SAT) 5p.m.

FEB. 1 (THU) 5p.m.

FEB. 3 (SAT) 5p.m.

FEB. 10 (SAT) 5p.m.

FEB. 22 (THU) 5p.m.

FEB. 24 (SAT) 5p.m.