Division I Guard Transfers to Clayton State Men’s Basketball

MORROW, Ga. – May 27, 2009 – Needing to strengthen his backcourt and perimeter area for the 2009-10 season, Clayton State men’s head basketball coach Gordon Gibbons announced on Wednesday that Morehead State guard Robert Murry will be transferring to Clayton State for his senior season.

Murry, a native of Decatur, Ga., is the fourth signee for Clayton State’s 2009-10 recruiting class and the second Division I transfer. He joins Palm Beach Community College point guard Timothy Downs, Seminole Community College forward Brandon Robinson and center Armon Jones, a transfer from NCAA Division I Liberty.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Murry is a combo guard who gives the Lakers athleticism and quickness on both ends of the floor. More importantly, he will add some needed instant offense on the Clayton State perimeter with his ability to penetrate to the basket and shoot effectively from the outside.

“Robert brings experience at a high level to our backcourt,” said Gibbons, 155-86 entering his ninth season at the Laker helm. “He will fill a void vacated by graduating senior guards Bernard Fields and Freddie Williams. Robert is a combo guard and play all the perimeter spots.”

This past season at Morehead State under head coach Donnie Tyndall, Murry played in 31 games with 11 starts for the Eagles. He averaged eight points and two rebounds a game, while shooting 76 percent from the free throw line, 44 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range in the process.

Murry reached double-figures in scoring in 12 games. He scored a career-high 20 points against Illinois State, plus 17 points each against Tennessee State and Jacksonville State. In addition, Murry also scored 14 points on five different occasions.

He was a four-time Newcomer of the Week in the Ohio Valley Conference and helped pace the Eagles to the OVC championship and the program’s first NCAA Division I National Tournament berth in 25 years.

No stranger to area basketball, Murry enjoyed stellar careers at both Truett-McConnell and Redan High School. He played at Truett-McConnell under former Laker player and assistant coach Cory Baldwin for two seasons, helping pace the Bears to a strong 21-11 mark during his sophomore season of 2007-08.

Murry averaged 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals during his sophomore season, earning both NJCAA All-Region XVII and honorable mention NJCAA All-American honors in the process. He played in the Georgia-Florida Junior College All-Star Game, scoring 19 points in the contest.

Playing for head coach Dalton Greene at Redan, Murry helped pace the Raiders to two Class AAAAA state tournament appearances in his four seasons at Redan. He was an All-Region selection and honorable mention All-State selection as a senior.

Gibbons plans to sign one, possibly two more players to wrap the 2009-10 Clayton State men’s basketball recruiting class.