Ole Miss MBB G Matthew Murrell To Return For 4th Season

Ole Miss men's basketball will get its top scorer back next season in guard Matthew Murrell

Matt Galatzan | Mar 28, 2023

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Ole Miss Rebels

The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team got some good news on Tuesday, with starting guard Matthew Murrell set to return for his fourth season in Oxford, according to a report from 247Sports.

The news comes just days after the announcement of new head coach Chris Beard, who is no doubt thrilled that the team's top player from 2022 will be staying put.

Murrell, who originally came to the Rebels as a four-star recruit out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, was one of the team's lone bright spots last season.

In 30 games, Murrell averaged a team-high 14.4 points, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.3 minutes per game, to go along with 3.5 rebounds - all of which were marked improvements from his 2021 campaign.

Murrell also shot 36.5 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three from his guard position, while hitting 84.3 percent from the line.

The decision for Murrell could not have come at a better time for Beard and the Rebels, who are looking to keep the team together as best the can.

"Simply stated, one of the reasons I took this job is because of the talent on the roster and the coaching staff," Beard said. "I look forward to working with many of these guys... I'll get emotional talking about it. But I appreciate you guys, and I can't wait to coach some of you."

The Rebels had already lost Jaemyn Brakefield and James White to the transfer portal, but are also hoping to retain the services of talented freshman, Amaree Abram, among others.

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Published Mar 28, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TheGroveReport.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels.