Keegan Murray didn't garner any attention during his high school recruitment process in 2019. The proof was in the rankings -- 247Sports listed him as the 334th overall prospect in their 2020 class -- and the only Division I team that offered him a scholarship was Western Illinois. Dissatisfied with the situation, Murray chose to play a postgraduate season at the DME Academy in Florida. And from there, Iowa took notice and swooped in.
Fast forward two years, and the 6-foot-8 Murray has blossomed into one of college basketball's top players. As a sophomore, Murray led the Hawkeyes with 23.6 points on average this season, and with key contributions on both ends of the court, he helped the program capture a Big Ten tournament title. As a conference champion, Murray will now look to build further momentum during this year's edition of March Madness.
"[My recruiting process] was obviously frustrating, just because I knew where I was. But then I could understand from a coaching perspective, just because I was a late bloomer," Murray told The Zach Gelb Show on Wednesday. "I grew from 6-4 to 6-8 from my junior to senior year in high school, and really wasn't filled out yet. I just put my head down, kept working, and tried not to listen to any opinions on me or anything. And it's led me to here.
"I knew that it'd come together eventually. Just not in this magnitude, as it is. But for me, I have a lot of people who support me in anything I do. So, this is their success, too, as well as mine... I feel like, for me, anytime I step on the court, I'm the best player on the court. I kind of changed that mindset going into my sophomore year of college. I believe anything you say in [pro hype]."
Murray, who'll turn 22 before next season begins, is currently ranked fifth on ESPN's 2022 NBA Draft big board. Along with leading Iowa in average points, he's also led the country in player efficiency rating and field goals made, and been named a Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award semifinalist. Iowa finished the regular season ranked 16th the AP's top-25 poll, and its offense currently ranks fourth in the nation in average points (83.8).
With the 'First Four' games complete, the traditional 64-team March Madness tournament is set to begin. Iowa's road to the Final Four in New Orleans starts on Thursday, and as a 5th seed in the Midwest Region, they're scheduled to play 12th-seed Richmond, which won the A-10 conference title. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Hawkeyes have a 19-percent chance to reach the Final Four, and a 4-percent chance to win the national championship.
The entire Iowa basketball conversation between Murray and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.