Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell will return to the program for his final season of eligibility, he announced on Wednesday. He previously tested his status in the 2024 NBA Draft before announcing his return.
Murrell was the Rebels’ leading scorer last season, averaging 16.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists during the campaign.
“I’m back,” he wrote in a post on X. “After carefully weighing my options, I’m excited to announce that I’m coming back to Ole Miss for another year. Huge thanks to the NBA teams, coaches, my family, and all those who have supported me throughout the process. Can’t wait to get back out there and take care of unfinished business alongside my teammates this season.”
He spent four seasons with the Rebels. During that time, Murrell scored 1,444 points which ranks 16th in program history. He’s also logged the fifth-most three-pointers made in program history with 218.
On3’s OMSpirit talked to Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard during Murrell’s excursion into the NBA Draft waters.
“Matthew has been very transparent with us in his desire to give the NBA a try. He’s 100 percent in on going the professional route,” Beard said at the time. “He’s got some tryouts coming up and we are excited for him and wish him all the best in fulfilling his dream of playing professional basketball.”
Murrell joins Malik Dia as the two Rebels that withdrew their name from the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday. Dia, a transfer from Belmont, wanted to receive feedback from pro scouts before making a final decision. Now, they’ll both play for Beard in Oxford next season.
More on Malik Dia
Malik Dia averaged 16.9 points per game for the Bruins this past season. He scored in double figures 30 times for Belmont during the 2023-24 season, including 12 instances of scoring 20 points or more.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore originally began his career at Vanderbilt, so he has some experience in the Southeastern Conference already.
He was a three-star recruit out of high school, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 200 overall recruit and No. 5 player out of his home state of Tennessee.
Belmont finished the 2023-24 college basketball season with a 20-13 record, finishing fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference’s regular season standings. They were awarded a bye into the quarterfinal round of the MVC Tournament, where they fell to Northern Iowa 67-62. Malik Dia was the Bruins’ second-leading scorer on the afternoon, scoring 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting despite playing just 24 minutes due to foul trouble.
His best performance came much earlier in the season, scoring 32 points during a 22-point win over Drake on Jan. 7. He made a season-high five 3-pointers and shot 10-of-16 overall.
On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this report.
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