Missouri Valley Conference Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2024-25
No. 3 – Murray State Racers
Steve Prohm believes he has the players to be able to truly play ‘Racers Basketball’. This is Prohm’s third season in his second tour of duty at Murray. His team has two possible all-conference returners and some extremely talented newcomers.
Prohm’s foundation is built on point guard JaCobi Wood and forward Nick Ellington. Wood is a preseason first-teamer and he Bradley’s Duke Deen and Valparaiso’s Darius DeaVeiro are the top three returning point guards.
Murray has been known as a ‘point guard’ school and Wood and Prohm have a ‘father-son’ relationship. Ellington surprised Murray coaches last season. They didn’t know he had the ability to score the way he did. Prohm wants Ellington to begin to ‘demand the ball’ on the offensive end.
Murray State may have the Valley’s very best Division 1 transfer. Kylen Milton is a bigger guard who can get downhill offensively and is an outstanding rebounder (17.0-6.6-2.9). He was a second-teamer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Just a shade below Milton is Appalachian State transfer Terence Harcum who was a third-teamer in the Sun Belt. Wood calls Harcum who has scored over 800 career points, a great shooter.
A third outstanding transfer is former Southern Illinois wing A.J. Ferguson. The 6’7 athletic Ferguson is a gritty defender and a full out energy player. He makes things happen while averaging nearly nine points and over five rebounds per game.
The guards and wings will come at the opposition in waves. Sophomore Lawrent Rice came to Murray State last year as one of the highest rated Racer guards ever. Wood and Prohm both say Rice has improved his defense and they expect Rice to have something of a break through season.
A trio of 6’8 newcomers could be the key to Murray’s hopes of its first Valley title. Freshman Jordan McCullum is a top-150 player nationally and provides some explosive ability to the Racer frontcourt. Prohm believes McCullum and fellow freshman Chiang Ring will have growing pains but could become outstanding Valley players.
Kyeron Lindsay had a decorated high school career, but Murray is his third collegiate program. Lindsay has spent time at Texas Tech and Georgia. His ceiling is high.
Murray State has four players that have earned some kind of all-conference accolades and five players that have been full-time starters at the D1 level. There are young, talented and athletic players waiting in the wings to fill holes as they may arise.
Prohm’s best team during his second tour of duty should contend for a title.