Busting Brackets
Fansided

Western Kentucky Basketball: Terrion Murdix continues solid rebuilding effort

By Tristan Freeman

DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 15: Terrion Murdix #11 of the Texas A&M-CC Islanders reacts to a foul against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first half in the First Four game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2022 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
DAYTON, OHIO - MARCH 15: Terrion Murdix #11 of the Texas A&M-CC Islanders reacts to a foul against the Texas Southern Tigers during the first half in the First Four game of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at UD Arena on March 15, 2022 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

New Western Kentucky Basketball Head Coach Steve Lutz brings in a familiar face in transfer guard Terrion Murdix, who bolsters the backcourt depth.

There have been a ton of changes for Western Kentucky Basketball, both on its roster and in Conference USA overall. Former head coach Rick Stansbury is now an assistant at Memphis, replaced by Steve Lutz, who took Texas A&M Corpus-Christi to the NCAA Tournament last season.

Considering that the team lost seven of its top scorers from last season, Coach Lutz had a lot of work when it came to roster building. But he’s added a few new pieces to join returning forward Dontaie Allen, including guard Brandon Newman (Purdue) and big man Rodney Howard (Georgia Tech). He also brought over Jalen Jackson, a starting guard for the Islanders, with him.

With a couple of open roster spots still available, Western Kentucky was in position to land one of the few remaining pieces from the transfer portal. And luckily for them, the Hilltoppers had a connection with one that worked out to a commitment.

Terrion Murdix is a 6’1 starting point guard from Texas A&M Corpus-Christi, averaging 13.4 ppg and 5.4 apg last season. Most important, the 4th-year senior playmaker was named the Southland Player of the Year, including getting over two steals a game. He entered the portal fairly late and had some power conference interest but in the end, opted to follow Coach Lutz over to the CUSA program.

One thing to note with Murdix is that he suffered a serious knee injury in the Southland Conference Tournament, missing the team’s NCAA Tournament matchup. He’s reportedly still recovering and could be ready to play around November/December.

Next. Top 25 Conference USA players from the past decade. dark

Western Kentucky can manage without him, having Jackson and Khristian Lander running the backcourt. JUCO transfer Don McHenry also is available for depth. With several key teams having left the conference, this program has a chance to compete early on in the Lutz tenure. And a healthy Murdix will be able to help their odds down the road.