“If you can’t beat them join them”: College hoops fans react as Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy commits to Bruce Pearl’s Auburn
KeShawn Murphy has decided to play for Bruce Pearl from next season. The 6'10" forward, who began his college career with three seasons at Mississippi State, is heading to Auburn for his senior year.
News of the transfer was posted on Instagram on Tuesday.
College hoops fans flooded the comments with their reactions to Murphy transferring to Auburn. People had mixed feelings about the move, with some expressing frustration about Murphy's lack of loyalty toward Mississippi State.
"If you can't beat em join em," one fan said.
"Loyaly doesn't exist nowadays," another fan noted.
Others expressed their excitement about Murphy's commitment to Auburn.
"Nah this is 🔥go crazy brudda fr"
"LET'S GOOOOOOO🧡"
"Man u just made my whole day."
"🔥🔥🔥"
What KeShawn Murphy brings to Auburn
Mississippi State is losing an athletic two-way forward in Murphy. He has gotten better in each passing college season and will look to develop his skill set even further at Auburn.
As a junior, Murphy led the Bulldogs in rebounds per game with 7.4, and in blocks with 1.1. He was the squad's second highest scorer with 11.7 average points and even shot the ball at 56.6% from the field.
Auburn will look toward Murphy to replace star forward Johni Broome, who is also an excellent rebounder with two-way abilities.
Murphy, a Birmingham, AL native, has ties with Auburn dating back to high school. Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl had nothing but praise for the 22-year-old when he talked about him this past season.
"KeShawn Murphy's a great story, I think, in the sense that, (he) went to Mississippi State and we liked him a lot," Pearl said. "Knew he was going to be a really good player. But (he) was patient and has been there now three years. Kind of reminds me a little of Jaylin Williams. Played some early, saw signs, now he's a terrific player."
Murphy will look to build off of his standout junior season and aid Auburn as the squads looks for another solid season.