Logan basketball: Russell Murphy profile

On Sunday, March 11, I interviewed Logan (Utah) High School basketball player Russell Murphy. He was the team's leading scorer and has a chance to play college ball. Here is the article I wrote for the Logan boys basketball yearbook.

Russell
Murphy:

The confidence he gained in his game
allowed him to score from anywhere

By Bruce Smith
Matchup

Coach Logan Brown remembers Russell Murphy’s breakout game like it was yesterday.

It wasn’t, of course, but it seemed that way.

“He stepped up against Mountain Crest as a junior and he just kept progressing,” Brown said. “He can go in there and bang with the bigs and he can outside and make shots.”

“I had been struggling up to that point,” Murphy recalled. “I hadn’t been producing. Joe Bennion was sick in that game and I started in his place. I had a really good JV game and, afterward, I looked up at the white board (in the locker room) and I saw my name in the starting position. I nearly freaked out.”

Murphy scored 11 of his team’s 13 points in the opening quarter and finished with a game-high 17. It set the tone for him the rest of the season and – eventually – his basketball career.

The confidence he had also made Murphy a huge attribute. He scored 490 points in his career here and was the leading scorer in Logan’s magical 2011-12 season.

“We all had fun,” said Murphy. “Going from last place last year to first place this year was something special and really exciting.”

The Grizzlies’16-6 record, eight-game winning streak, region title and visit to the 4A state tournament is what Murphy will remember most. He said believed this would be a special season from the start.

“In our first game of the year (Uintah), it was near the end of the game and we had a big lead,” he recalled. “I had a fast break and it was wide open. I knew that if I didn’t go up and try to dunk it, I would hear about it for the rest of my life. So, I went up with one hand and did it.”

The 73-50 victory in front of the home crowd was the first of many accomplishments – for him and the team.

“He’s an amazing kid … an amazing player,” said Brown. “He’s a ‘Steady Eddy’ and had a good year. He was definitely the backbone of our team.”

Murphy suffered a shoulder injury playing baseball as a freshman. It created problems throughout high school, and he finally had it surgically repaired shortly after the season ended last year. The injury ended his baseball career, but didn’t affect basketball. He recuperated during the summer and missed playing in tournaments.

He actively supported Logan’s championship football team during the fall, and was ready for the first day of basketball practice.

As a 6-foot-4 senior, Murphy averaged 15.6 points per game. He also led the team in field-goal accuracy at 49.8 percent and was the team’s top rebounder (6.1/game). His high game came when it counted. He scored 23 points and had 14 rebounds in Logan’s 55-53 win at Bonneville that clinched a tie for region.

What Murphy remembers best, however, is the celebration afterward. It was one of many.

“When we won the (Ken Robison) tournament at Dixie (St. George), we acted like we were sad when coach came into the locker room, then we surprised him and showered him with water. After the Bonneville game, there was no surprise. We all doused him and he had a great big smile on his face.”

The first-round tournament loss to Herriman didn’t spoil what had been accomplished. There were still good memories, despite the loss. As one of the team leaders, here are some of his favorites:

* - Going to St. George. “From that time one, all of us knew we were going to have a good season, and we were going to be competing in every game. In previous years, our team had struggled."
* - Going to Uintah (Vernal). “Our team really bonded and we had a fun time together.”

* - Beating Sky View at home. “The game was tied late and I had another chance to dunk. I was going downcourt and thought whether I should dunk it or lay it up. I was looking at film later and noticed that coach (Brown) was watching me the whole time. As I went toward the basket, my knee buckled, so I just laid it up. I didn’t get as high as I usually do. I’m glad I did that. After that, they (the Bobcats) had to start fouling.”

Murphy hopes there will be more basketball memories in his future. He planned to play AAU basketball during the summer and hoped to earn a scholarship before leaving on an LDS Church mission.