Ole Miss Rebels guard Matthew Murrell is fresh off a 24-point performance in his team's 69-56 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday, but from his perspective, he isn't the real playmaker.
Following the win, Murrell was asked about what has made him successful to this point in the campaign, one that has seen him average 17.3 PPG in Ole Miss' 15-1 start.
"Team is finding ways to get me to my spots, and I'm just executing," Murrell said. "Coach [Chris Beard] knows that I come in every day, shoot my game-like shots, day-in and day-out. It's just reps, and then those reps go into the game."
Murrell may highlight the numbers on the stat sheet, but he claims that none of that would be possible if he wasn't surrounded by superb talent at the other positions on the floor.
"I'd say my teammates," Murrell said. "They're great players and give me a lot of open shots. Those are the shots I practice every day in practice. Coach calls some plays to get me in certain positions, but he has a philosophy that players make plays. My credit is to my teammates."
Head coach Chris Beard has bragged on the leadership ability of Murrell so far this season, and that's not a role that the guard takes lightly. He knows that as a leader, he is responsible for attitude and on-court performance for the team as a whole.
"It's a great feeling," Murrell said. "That's a big thing he challenges me to do is lead. The team can't be successful unless it's player-led, and that's a big thing coming from him."
Ole Miss is set to take the floor again on Wednesday when it travels to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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