Keegan Murray is an American basketball player who played collegiate basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The athlete, who comes from a family of athletes, rose from an obscure freshman to become one of the team’s best all-around players.
During his high school and collegiate basketball career, Murray bagged multiple awards, including Karl Malone Award, Big Ten All-Freshman Team, Big Ten Tournament MVP, Consensus First Team All American, and First Team All-Big Ten. On March 29, 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft and is projected as a possible lottery pick in the first round.
Profile Summary of Keegan Murray
- Full Name: Keegan Mitchell Murray
- Date of Birth: August 19, 2000
- Age: 21 years old
- Place of Birth: Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
- Ethnicity: African-American
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Education: Cedar Rapids Prairie high school, DME Sports Academy, and University of Iowa
- Profession: Basketball Player
- Height: 6 feet 8 inches
- Weight: 225 pounds
- Marital Status: Single
- Siblings: Kris, McKenna, and Demetrius Harper,
- Instagram: @keeganmurray
- Twitter:@keegan3murray
Keegan Murray’s Father is a Former Basketball Player
Kenyon isn’t the first father to have hoop dreams for his kids and he won’t be the last. However, he does stand out amongst the rest as a legendary player at the University of Iowa and a former coach of the Prairie freshman basketball team.
Kenyon Murray was a legendary basketball player and a McDonald’s All-American star at Battle Creek Central High School. He was awarded Michigan’s Mr. Basketball in 1992, setting the bar as the only player from the area to win such a title. He is still the school’s all-time leading scorer. From 1992 to 1996, he played collegiate basketball for the University of Iowa and he graduated as No. 12 on the program’s career scoring list, bagging several records for steals.
While playing collegiate basketball at the University of Iowa, he met his wife, Michelle and according to Kenyon, it was love at first sight. In an interview, he said; “We met each other and it was love at first sight. If I hadn’t met her I wouldn’t have all this. It was worth coming to Iowa and staying in Iowa.”
Well, we can’t agree more with this statement, because without the union of Kenyon and Michelle there would be no Keegan Murray. Years later, his passion for basketball stirred his son towards the game as he consistently trained him. He taught Keegan and his twin brother the fundamentals of the game, so they strived on improving their dribbling, shooting, defense, footwork, and rebounding. They’d watch old VHS tapes of Kenyon’s games at Iowa. He would tell them: “If I would have worked harder on this … I could have done that …”
Moreover, he was the assistant coach at Prairie and he was on the bench throughout his twin son’s high school game.
Keegan Murray Has a Twin Named Kris
The union of Kenyon Murray and Michelle Murray birthed twin sons; Keegan Mitchell Murray and Kris Murray born on August 19, 2000, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America.
After the birth of their twin sons, Kenyon and his wife welcomed a girl named McKenna into the family. McKenna is studying at Prairie High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 2012, the family decided to welcome yet another addition to the family, adopting Demetrius Harper, a young boy with problematic family life. Demetrius was a star athlete at Prairie at the time and he went on to play college football at Coe.
Presently, Keegan’s father works as a regional manager at Henry Schein Dental, a major dental supplier while his mother Michelle works as a senior compliance officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.
Read Also: Interesting Facts About Dyson Daniels, His Family, and Basketball Career
Kris Murray and Keegan Murry are More than Blood Brothers
When Kenyon Murray and his wife, Michelle, welcomed twin sons, Kris was the first of the two to be born. Keegan’s twin was named in honor of his father’s college basketball teammate at the University of Iowa, Chris Street, who tragically died in a car accident during his junior season in 1993. According to Kenyon, naming his son after his college teammate is a “daily reminder of the friendship that I had…”.
The twins share a very close bond since they were in their mother’s womb. They have been each other’s partners, best friends, partners in crime, and teammates. Moreover, they share their father’s passion for basketball which surfaced at an early age around a Little Tikes hoop in the basement of their home. According to Keegan, they would often fight over balls and most fights ended in tears.
Aside from their shared passion for basketball, the twins are identical in appearance, with an inch difference in their height. While they are quite identical, they have different personality traits; Kris being the more outgoing and social one of the two. Similarly, on the court, they both have different games. Kris’s left-handed shot is viewed as more comfortable on the perimeter while Keegan’s right-hander is a little stronger in the paint.
Regardless of their similarities and differences, the twins are unique and strong in their way. They both attended and graduated from Cedar Rapids Prairie in 2019. At Cedar Rapids Prairie high school, they were on the golf team and after completion of their high school education, they attended prep school DME sports Academy where they focus all their energy on basketball. A showcase they played in Florida called the Hoop Exchange Fall Festival got them on many major college programs’ radars. It was there they received the Iowa Scholarship offer.
Decades after their father played for the University of Iowa, Kris and Keegan officially announced they were accepting the scholarship offers to play for Hawkeyes. According to Fox Sports, Kris Murray declared for the NBA Draft back in mid-April, but he would be preserving his collegiate eligibility for an eventual return to Iowa.
Keegan Murray Bagged the Karl Malone Award as the Nation’s Best Power Forward
Keegan played high school basketball for Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and was named Metro Player of the Year. While in high school, Western Illinois was the only Division I program to offer both Keegan and Kris scholarships. To improve his basketball skills and exposure, he enrolled at DME Academy in Dayton Beach, Florida where played a postgraduate season. His performance earned him the most outstanding player honors at the National Prep School Invitational.
The Hoop Exchange Fall Festival got him on many major college programs’ radars. It was there he received an Iowa Scholarship offer with his twin brother and they subsequently decided to commit to playing college basketball at Iowa University.
He bagged the Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors during his freshman year after averaging 7.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. In an 86–69 win against North Carolina Central, Kris scores 27 points, 21 rebounds, and four blocks on November 16, 2021. During a 75-74 win against Virginia, he suffered an ankle injury forcing him to miss a game.
On February 13, 2022, he scored a career-high 37 points in a 98-75 win against Nebraska, and in the same year, he bagged the Karl Malone Award as the nation’s best Power Forward. Moreover, he was named to the First Team All-Big Ten, and on March 29, 2022, he declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility. He is projected as a possible lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
