Prospect Intro: Preston Murrell (2020)
John Hardin lost two of the best players in the 5th region to graduation. But there is a strong Junior class for the Bulldogs who are anxious to step up into bigger roles this year. One of those Juniors is 6’8 Center Preston Murrell. Preston is coming back off of a broken foot that caused him to miss his 16u AAU season and is hungry to get back on the court for Coach McCurry and the Bulldogs this season. Preston is a big body who describes his game as “a strong post player with a soft touch around the rim and a little bit of a midrange jumper.” Murrell acknowledges plenty of room to improve his game, “I need to work on being able to face up and attack the rim. I also need to work on my speed and agility.”
Preston was a member of the Hoop Dreams AAU program as a freshman but missed his 16u season due to a broken foot. Murrell said that missing the season made him realize that the clock is ticking on his time at John Hardin.”Not getting to play AAU this season has really opened my eyes to the fact that it’s starting to get real close to the end of my high school career. I need to take advantage of each practice and training session to make sure that I don’t fall asleep and always give 100%”.
Looking ahead to the high school season, Preston hopes that the team will get closer. He said, “there is not just one player who is significantly better than the rest of us like Mickey last year.We’re all talented players who all bring different things to the table. Individually, I think I’ll be able to show off my skills as a post this season and be a strong asset to the team.” As far as his hopes for the team this year, Murrell wants to help get his team back to Rupp Arena and advance farther than last season. If Preston and the rest of the Junior class can step up and replace the production of Pearson and Wright, the Bulldogs could return to Rupp Arena.