Former teammates suit up for Wildcats, Racers
Murray State and Kentucky basketball fans will be seeing a lot of new faces on the court this coming season. Two of those new faces will be Mychal Mulder (UK) and A.J. Patty (MSU).
Murray and Patty spent the last two seasons playing together at Vincennes Junior College in Indiana. Patty, a 6-foot-9 forward, and Murray, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, formed a dynamic duo at Vincennes that dominated the junior college landscape for the past two seasons.
The two combined for a 67-5 record during their two seasons for the Trailblazers while reaching the NJCAA Final Four in both seasons. Patty averaged 13 points and seven rebounds on the season. Mulder, a three-point specialist, averaged over 40% from behind the arc and was named to the JUCO All-American team.
Both players are expected to play significant roles for their respective teams in the coming season.
Racer Hoopapalooza
Several hundred Murray State fans attended the third annual Racer Hoopapalooza event last evening at the CFSB Center in Murray. Racer great Marcus Brown and former Murray State head coach Scott Edgar were honored at the event.
Both honorees, along with new head coach Matt McMahon, entertained the audience with stories of past Racer teams. Several former Murray State basketball players were also in attendance including Isaiah Canaan and Popeye Jones.
Racers return from Canada
First year head coach Matt McMahon and his Murray State squad returned on Thursday from a brief exhibition tour in Canada. The Racers faced three Canadian schools on the ten day international tour. With a new coaching staff and several new faces on the Racers’ roster, the exhibition tour came at an ideal time for Murray State’s basketball program.
The NCAA allows collegiate teams to take an international summer tour once every four years. Participating schools are allowed ten additional practices to accompany the exhibition slate. The international tours allow teams to get a jumpstart on the upcoming season. John Calipari’s Kentucky squad travelled to the Bahamas last summer which paid dividends for the Wildcats early in the season.
After losing 81-57 to Ottawa in the first game of the tour, the Racers bounced back to win their final two games. Murray State was led in scoring by Jeffery Moss and Bryce Jones, both of whom averaged 11 points per game on the tour.
Eric Howard is a native of Calvert City and a Murray State graduate. He lives in Lexington with his wife, Angie, and daughter, Lily. Eric is the statewide manager of Kennedy’s Fan Shop and can be reached at ehoward@kennedys.com.