Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell has been recognized among some of the top players in his position ahead of the upcoming college basketball campaign.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has begun announcing their watch lists for their “Naismith Starting 5” awards for the 2024-25 season, unveiling their top 20 for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year on Tuesday. Murrell was one of the players added to the list.
The senior is set to begin his fifth season with the program this year and looks to build upon an already impressive career with the Rebels. Murrell enters this season ranked 16th all-time in school history with 1,444 career points and fifth in three-point field goals made with 218.
He ended last season on a high note as one of the conference’s most consistent scorers, putting up 16.2 points per game and earning a second-team All-SEC honor.
Matthew Murrell has been named to the Preseason Top 20 Watch List for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award!
— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) October 29, 2024
Past winners of the Jerry West Award include NBA talents D’Angelo Russell, Buddy Hield, Malik Monk, and RJ Barrett. Murrell is joined on the preseason watch list by last year’s winner RJ Davis of North Carolina, Caleb Love of Arizona, Kam Jones of Marquette, and other talented competitors.
The top 10 for each award will be announced on February 3, 2025, and fan voting for the awards will open on that date. Winners will be unveiled on April 4.
No. 24 Ole Miss will officially begin the highly-anticipated 2024-25 campaign on Monday against Long Island in the SJB Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. central. The Rebels, which are ranked in the preseason Coaches Poll for the first time in school history, impressed during Sunday’s exhibition, annihilating Illinois 91-74.
