Matthew Murrell of Ole Miss basketball has received significant national attention this season. The junior guard from Memphis, Tennessee, has been included on various ‘player of the year award’ watch lists, and on Thursday, he added another accolade. Ole Miss Athletics announced that he was named to the John R. Wooden Award watch list, which honors the best player in college basketball each year since 1976. Candidates for this award are selected by the National Advisory Board from a group of about 15 players.
In addition to the Wooden Award, Murrell is also on the watch lists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and the National Player of the Year Award. Furthermore, he received second team All-SEC honors before the Rebels begin their 2024-25 season.
The 24th-ranked Rebels kicked off the season with a 90-60 victory over LIU on Monday, where Murrell contributed 11 points, three assists, and two steals, shooting 25 percent from beyond the arc and 37.5 percent overall. Although these statistics are a solid start for Murrell, he will aim for an even stronger performance this Friday when the Rebels face Grambling State at the SJB Pavilion.
The matchup is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
