Murray State Basketball

Just because the Memphis Grizzlies were off Saturday doesn't mean the basketball world was deprived of its nightly Ja Morant highlight. 

The Rookie of the Year candidate returned to his alma mater, where the Murray State Racers retired his No. 12. 

Morant played just two seasons for the Racers and made the most of them. As a sophomore, the guard averaged 24.5 points, 10.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game while leading Murray State to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

Morant was a consensus All-American in 2019 before being selected No. 2 overall by the Grizzlies. He joins Isaiah Canaan, Popeye Jones, Marcus Brown and seven others to have their numbers retired by the Racers.

Murray State head basketball coach Matt McMahon announced Tuesday the program will retire the No. 12 jersey of former Racers and current Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant on Saturday at halftime of the team's game against SIU-Edwardsville.

Morant shined across two seasons with the Racers, earning consensus first-team All-American honors during the 2018-19 college basketball season, before getting selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

The 20-year-old Georgia native was also named the 2019 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and earned first-team All-OVC honors in both his seasons with the Racers.

He helped lead Murray State to the NCAA tournament in both his seasons at the collegiate level, and the Racers upset fifth-seeded Marquette in the opening round of the 2019 edition of March Madness.

Earlier this month, Morant's NBA team held "Murray State Night with the Memphis Grizzlies," a chance for diehard fans from the small Kentucky-based school to make the trip to see the point guard's evolution toward stardom at the professional level.

"It was an emotional night, obviously," Morant told reporters. "I couldn't show it much, but very thankful for Murray and the Grizzlies for everything they've done for me."

He's in the midst of a terrific rookie campaign, averaging 17.6 points, 7.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds across 40 appearances for Memphis, which currently owns the eighth spot in the Western Conference at 22-24.

But Saturday night he'll be back at the CFSB Center to see his No. 12 retired. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN Plus.

Murray State Racers guard Ja Morant reportedly will declare for the 2019 NBA draft.  

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Morant will make his decision official at a press conference Wednesday.

Morant arrived at Murray State as an unranked recruit in the 2017 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, but quickly shot up draft boards with his head-turning play.

He flashed his potential as a difference-maker but didn't look like an NBA lottery pick as a freshman with 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game behind 45.9 percent shooting from the field and 30.7 percent shooting from three-point range.

While his ability to contribute on the boards from the backcourt and facilitate for others stood out, he wasn't the dominant scorer he would eventually become.

Morant then took an incredible leap from his freshman to sophomore season and posted 24.5 points, 10.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per night. He also improved his field-goal percentage to 49.9 and his three-point shooting to 36.3 percent as a more efficient playmaker, even though he had the ball in his hands far more often as the focal point of Murray State's offense.

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He became a household name during the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament when he notched a triple-double in a first-round victory over Marquette (17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds) and poured in 28 points in a second-round loss to Florida State.

The flashy guard plays bigger than his 6'3" height, as evidenced by his rebounding numbers and ability to finish through contact when he penetrates the lane. He also uses his explosive first step when defenders push up on him but is capable of extending his game beyond the arc when they sag off to account for the drive.

What's more, Morant gets out in transition as effectively as any player in college basketball with elite explosiveness that should translate to the NBA. He also regularly facilitates for others when defenders collapse on him and can control the pace with his playmaking and ball-handling.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report projected Morant as the No. 3 overall pick behind the Duke combination of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett in a March 5 mock draft, underscoring how the Murray State guard can be a franchise cornerstone for whichever team selects him.

Ja Morant couldn't lead No. 12 Murray State to the Sweet 16, losing to No. 4 Florida State 90-62 in the second round, but the future NBA star went out with class.

After the game, he gifted a young fan a signed pair of his shoes:

Morant did everything he could for the Racers on Saturday, scoring 28 points on 5-of-6 shooting from three while adding five boards, four assists, two steals and a block. He posted a triple-double in the team's first NCAA men's tournament game, finishing with 17 points, an absurd 16 assists and 11 rebounds. 

Morant showed out, and then he showed grace, making a young fan's day with a solid gesture.   

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Murray State star Ja Morant opened the NCAA men's basketball tournament with a triple-double in an upset win over No. 5 Marquette, and it seems like he isn't slowing down in Round 2.

The point guard gave his team an early advantage Saturday against No. 4 Florida State by making his first four attempts from beyond the arc, including back-to-back threes early in the first half.

Twelfth-seeded Murray State has already been one of the best stories of March Madness so far as a legitimate threat to make a deep run behind one of the top prospects in the 2019 NBA draft.

Morant hasn't been an elite shooter this season, entering the day making 34.4 percent of his attempts from deep. However, he can be even tougher to defend if he can continue to knock it down from the outside like he did against Florida State.

Murray State Racers star Ja Morant is already making a name for himself in NBA circles.    

The sophomore guard had 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds in No. 12 Murray State's 83-64 win over the No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles on Thursday in the West Region's first round of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

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According to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel, Morant said he DM'd with Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox and Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic after the Marquette game triple-double, the first in the tourney since current Golden State star Draymond Green's in 2012. Morant has 422,000 followers on his Instagram account, up from 299,000 before the tournament started.

Morant will likely be calling Fox and Doncic his peers this time next year. While he hasn't declared for the 2019 NBA draft in June, he'll almost certainly strike while the iron is hot.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Morant to be the second overall pick in his most recent mock draft.

Getting on Morant's good side now is smart for Fox and Doncic because he'll be a handful to guard when he arrives at the next level.       

The Florida State Seminoles are the No. 4 seed in the West Region, but during their round-of-32 game Saturday, the No. 12 Murray State Racers will have the player who most resembles Magic Johnson.

At least according to Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton.

Hamilton offered plenty of praise for Murray State point guard Ja Morant in advance of their 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament game, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com:

"What I notice is he's one of the most exceptional players that I've had a chance to watch play. He's kind of a throwback to guys who have the ability to score points. But also has the passion and the excitement about creating opportunities for his teammates, guys like a Nate Archibald who can lead the NBA in scoring and lead in assists at the same time. A guy like Magic Johnson, who got so much joy making the game easy for his teammates. Even a player like Muggsy Bogues, who has an uncanny way of making things easy for his opponents."

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Murray State handled the fifth-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles in an 83-64 victory in Thursday's first-round game largely because of his skill set. While it was billed as a showdown between Morant and Marquette's Markus Howard that would come down to the final minutes, the Racers left little doubt.

Morant stood out for more than just his ability to slice through the defense. His facilitating was critical in the victory because the Golden Eagles sent doubles his direction for much of the game, but he never hesitated to hit his open teammates.

Morant finished with 17 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds on a mere nine field-goal attempts, joining the likes of Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Dwyane Wade and Draymond Green as the only players in NCAA tournament history to notch a triple-double:

Replicating that effort against a stout Florida State defense won't be easy.

The Seminoles are No. 11 in KenPom.com's pace-adjusted defensive rankings after dealing with superstars such as Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, De'Andre Hunter, Kyle Guy and Cameron Johnson in the ACC all season long.

Morant belongs right with that group and was the No. 2 overall pick in Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman's latest mock draft. He is now a household name and will have a chance to add to his lore by playing his way into the Sweet 16 against an ACC opponent.

Ja Morant is considered one of the best prospects in the 2019 NBA draft class. He showed why Thursday as the 12th-seeded Murray State Racers blew out the fifth-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles 83-64 in the first round of the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Morant finished with a triple-double (17 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds). His stat line doesn't include a mention of the thunderous two-handed jam he threw down on Marquette forward Joey Hauser in the second half.

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Sports Illustrated's Laken Litman noted Draymond Green in 2012 was the last player to have a triple-double in an NCAA men's tournament game. Morant is one of eight players to pull off the feat, per ESPN Stats & Info, joining Green, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, among others.

Not surprisingly, social media was buzzing after Morant's performance:

In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Morant as the No. 2 pick behind Duke's Zion Williamson.

Supplanting Williamson for the No. 1 overall spot will be next to impossible, in part because the Blue Devils freshman has played on a different level than his competition. He's averaging 22.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 2.2 steals per game.

Still, Morant's draft stock will surge after Thursday's performance.    

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Murray State Racers star Ja Morant wasted little time in starting a March Madness highlight reel.

The 2018-19 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year showed early on in Thursday's first-round matchup against fifth-seeded Marquette that he can do more than just score, using his handles to evade a double team and set up teammate Shaq Buchanan for an open triple.

That basket was part of a 20-10 run by the Racers to open the game.