Mississippi State Forward KeShawn Murphy Had "Great Timing" With His Return
STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs were in the middle of a two-game losing skid when long-time starter D.J. Jeffries went down with an injury. The Bulldogs were facing two must-win games in a week, and the Bulldogs would be without Jeffries and another contributor, Trey Fort.
Due to these injuries, MSU would lack serious depth, especially at the forward position, but the Bulldog head coach, Chris Jans, saw the return of KeShawn Murphy, who had been out since January 6th, at just the right time.
"Yeah, it was great timing for our team, with D.J. going down," Jans said. "We had a lot of talks about what we were going to do rotational-wise if he wasn't ready to go and what that would mean for us, so he couldn't have picked a better time."
The 6-10 forward did not disappoint in the must-win games for the Bulldogs as he scored ten points and grabbed four rebounds during his 15 minutes on the floor in MSU's 75-62 win over Georgia. Murphy saw an increase in minutes on the road at Missouri as he played 18 minutes and put up seven points, four rebounds, and a block.
"I mean, he scored the ball, which, you know, it's no secret that this team has struggled at times on that end of the floor," Jans said. "To have another scoring option, especially with that kind of size and skill set and ability to play multiple positions, really helps this basketball team."
The Birmingham, Alabama native possesses a unique skill set; given his size, he scored a career-high 18 points in the Bulldogs' 72-54 win over North Texas, showing his ability to hit fadeaway jumpers with his back to the basket and good mid-range shooting. Murphy has the size to play at the center position, but his quickness and shooting ability set him apart from other bigs.
He has steps to take, but his raw tools look familiar to Kevin Durant. The former consensus three-star recruit has work to do on the defensive end, as with his size, he is forced to guard the low post players.
Murphy is listed at 235 pounds, but he is thinly framed and can get outmuscled by SEC big men. The redshirt sophomore has started to use his length to his advantage. Murphy will likely see his minutes increase as he works his way back into game shape, as he is a natural scorer, and the Bulldogs have struggled at times this year on that end of the floor.
Jans said Fort and Jeffries could "maybe" play this weekend; the Bulldogs are getting healthy at the right time with the back half of conference play ahead of them. If Murphy can progress on the defensive end and give MSU eight points a game, the Bulldogs will be in a good position for the NCAA tournament.
The Bulldogs host Arkansas this Saturday at one p.m. C.T. on ESPN U.
