Murray State basketball 2022-23 season preview for the Racers

Murray State Basketball: 2022-23 season preview for the Racers

Mar 17, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Murray State Racers guard DaQuan Smith (1) reacts after a basket against the San Francisco Dons in the second half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

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Miami Hurricanes guard Kameron McGusty Stetson Hatters guard Rob Perry Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Projected starting lineup

Rob Perry – Guard

Perry’s reputation followed him to the Missouri Valley Conference. League coaches, SIDs and media members voted him to the preseason third-team all-conference squad. The 210-pound Perry has accumulated 1,108 points during his first three seasons of D1 basketball and is looked to as the Racers’ offensive leader. He is capable from deep and can force his way into the lane and draw fouls. Perry is deadly (88%) from the charity stripe.

Kenny White Junior – Wing

Tennessee Tech transfer Kenny White is just coming into his own. After coming off the bench during the Golden Eagles’ first 13 games, the 6’7 wing started 19 straight games. He finished the season averaging 10.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. White converted 40% of his long-distance attempts. Prohm says White has fully recovered from an offseason hand injury.

Jacobi Wood – Guard

Another former foe, Wood is a Belmont transfer, where he played 20 minutes per game last season. He averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 boards, and 2.3 assists for Murray’s arch-rival Bruins. While his sophomore statistics and contributions were actually less than his freshman season, that could be attributed to the explosive freshman season by Will Richard. The all-newcomer team member has since moved on to Florida where he is projected as one of the top shooting guards in the country.

D.J. Burns – Forward

Prohm calls Burns the heart and soul guy on this team. He says Burns is a ‘team-first’ player who works hard in the paint. Burns is a player that finds his offensive opportunities within the offense and at the glass. His 58% shooting percentage would have been third-best in the OVC, but he didn’t take enough shots to qualify. He averaged 5.8 points per game.

Burns’ 6.3 reounds per contest were eighth in the OVC while hauling in 3.1 from the offensive window (second best). The 6’7 forward is active, energetic, and involved defensively collecting an OVC ninth-best total of 43 steals.

Jamari Smith – Forward

Smith is a Division 2 all-American from Queens College and his conference’s Player of the Year. The 6’8, 225-pound junior is the cousin of NBA draft pick Jabari Smith and collected over 1,200 points during his two seasons at Queens. While not a dominating interior force, he has a smooth offensive game and can score in traffic.