Unsigned Senior Q&A: Brandon Murray

When you scan the high school hoops landscape there wasn’t many players who experienced the uptick in recruitment like Poly senior guard Brandon Murray Brandon Murray 6'5" | SG IMG Academy | 2021 #220 Nation FL . The 6-foot-4 guard transferred to Poly last fall as a junior and his potential was evident as he played a critical role in the Engineers winning their third-straight Class 3A state championship. As a senior Murray made gigantic strides in his development and was oozing with confidence. His unique blend of size, athleticism and elite ability to shoot from range at his position eventually caught national attention and he parlayed an impressive performance in Poly’s win over national powerhouse IMG Academy into a plethora of high major offers.

It’s not often you see a player’s recruitment skyrocket like Murray’s did. It’s also unheard of to experience what our world is experiencing right now, which is also having massive impacts on the recruiting process. 

Instead of chasing their fourth-straight state title, Poly’s season was brought to an abrupt end as they were set to take on Atholton in the Final Four. I caught up with Murray to discuss how that situation unraveled, how his recruitment experiencing is going under these fragile times and a target date for his commitment.

CG (Colby Giacubeno): The world is seemingly on pause at the moment, but go back to the day of the final four game. MPSSAA had announced they were allowing limited fans to try and complete the weekend slate of games. It seemed like just hours before your scheduled tip-off at 3pm, they decided to "postpone" the state tournament until further notice. What was that scenario like from your perspective?

BM ( Brandon Murray Brandon Murray 6'5" | SG IMG Academy | 2021 #220 Nation FL ): It was about 11:30 and we were to report to the locker room to get ready to head down to Maryland. So we're putting on our pregame stuff, packing our bags and reviewing the game plan as a team before we had planned to leave. As we were walking out to the bus, Coach Sam got a call saying that the game was cancelled and everything has been postponed.

CG: What was the initial reaction when you guys heard that?

BM: Man at first we were just thinking like this virus is really serious enough to cancel all of the games. But the fact that they said they were postponed gave us the mindset that we would just play another weekend. As more announcements came and schools started closing for two weeks and you just started getting the feeling that we wouldn't get a chance to go for our fourth-straight state title and make history for the school.

CG: Not only did this pandemic put your games on hold, it also interfered with visits you had scheduled. You were supposed to take an official visit to Ole Miss March 27. How has this changed the way your recruitment process is going?

BM: So, the coaches that I'm talking to are facetiming me a lot more. They'll pretty much take me on a virtual tour of the basketball facilities and whatever buildings they're allowed in. Ole Miss actually just took me on one (this past Monday) where Coach Kermit Davis took me around their basketball facilities. We'll connect again and he'll show me more of the campus as well. Rhode Island and DePaul are also making virtual tours for me to watch so I can get a feel for their campus through video.

CG: The one thing you don't get to experience is actually stepping foot on campus and getting a feel for the college atmosphere to help make your decision. How are you dealing with that?

BM: For me not being able to get on campus and feel like if it's a college town or get a feel for the atmosphere, me and my parents have been doing a lot of research on every single school that's in the mix. I'm looking at rosters, what other players they've offered and trying to get information on if the coaches are really true to their word. I'm just going to have to make the most out of this situation and use that to base my decision off of.

CG: You've had a few relatively recent offers in Georgetown and Witchita State, but are there any others that have reached out since this crisis began?

BM: I've been in contact with Georgia a lot and Memphis. Those are the two that have been really contacting me other than the schools that have offered. In my talks with Georgia, they told me they want to be 100 percent sure I'd be willing to come there before they officially offer. If they were to offer, they'd definitely be in the mix for me. I have high interest in Georgia and interest in building a relationship with the coach. Memphis had planned to come and see me play in the state semis and finals.

CG: That was my next question for you. Were there schools that had planned on coming to see you for the final weekend of your season? It could've played a large role in schools offering you late to try to get into the picture.

BM: For sure. Maryland's coaching staff was going to be in attendance, Coach Penny Hardaway from Memphis, Coach Jeff Capel from Pittsburgh and Georgia had planned to come and see me. I was hoping to seal the deal with them and get those offers.

CG: So it seems like some newcomers are trying to get involved with you, but do you have a focused group of schools at this point?

BM: So definitely Ole Miss. I've developed relationships with every single coach on staff. I'm in constant contact with DePaul. Rhode Island is probably the school that talks to me the most. Rhode Island has been upfront with me, too. They offered me late, but told me they were going to talk to me as much as they possibly can and they've lived up to their word. If it isn't Coach Sutton texting or calling me, it's Coach Cox.

CG: Do you have a timetable for your decision? Or perhaps have you set a specific date in your mind barring a few more schools offer late?

BM: I have April 25 down as the date that I will make my decision.