The small town of Murray, Kentucky takes a lot of pride in their university, specifically the athletics. Out of all of the sports that Murray State has to offer, basketball is the one that draws the most eyes.
But this year will be a bit different for MSU basketball, as this will be the first year since the 2010-11 season that the team will have a coach other than Matt McMahon or Steve Prohm.
The latter came back for another go at being the head coach in 2022, but chose to step down after three seasons that ended in disappointment.
The roster will be composed fully of new faces, most of them being transfers.
Ryan Miller comes in looking to restore Murray State basketball to its former glory. He has only been the head coach of the Racers for just over a month, but he has been very busy.
Miller has already signed nine players in the transfer portal, four of which are forwards or centers, which will give the team some much-needed size.
The tallest player on the 2024-25 roster was junior forward KyeRon Lindsay (6’8), who came off the bench. As a result, the Racers were undersized in many of their games, including their loss to the Bradley Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, where their opponent had a 7’1 center who finished the game with 10 rebounds.
Now the Racers have a seven-footer of their own in junior center Dylan Anderson, who transfers in from Boise State. Coach Miller talked a bit about the impact Anderson could have in a press conference following the signing of the 21-year-old center.
“Dylan Anderson brings elite size, skill, and versatility to our program,” Miller said. “His experience at high-level programs like Arizona and Boise State, combined with his potential to dominate in the paint, makes him a cornerstone for our vision for competing for MVC championships.”
Not only does Miller bring transfers with him, but he also brings a new coaching philosophy. During his time as an assistant coach at Creighton from 2021 to 2025, the Bluejays valued ball movement in their offense.
They averaged 17.1 assists per game in the 2024-25 season, which ranked them 16th in the country. Bringing this kind of philosophy to the Racers is much-needed, as the team ranked last in assists per game in the MVC this past season with just 11.9.
Creighton was also number one in the Big East Conference this past season in field goal percentage, which comes as a result of their ball movement and team-first mentality as a whole. If Miller can bring that to MSU, they should improve their 43.3% shooting from the 2024-25 season.
Murray State’s basketball program has had more eyes on it the last few years as a result of the play of campus legend and current Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, who Miller actually has a connection to.
Miller’s younger brother, Mike, used to be an NBA player himself. Now, he happens to be the agent of Morant, which gives Ryan a connection to Murray State before he has even coached a game.
After he was named the next head coach of Murray State, Miller talked to the media about what it means to be part of such a storied program.
“The winning tradition set over the last 100 years is a testament to the outstanding people that have poured so much into this team. I am committed to recruiting highly-talented players and staff to return us to those winning ways. My wife, Marna, daughters Melia and Halle, and I are beyond excited to be a part of Racer Nation, and we are ready to get to work.”
This year will be Murray State’s fourth season in the MVC, and Miller has made it clear that his number one goal will be to bring the Racers their first championship in their new conference.
