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http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS Thursday, July 18, 2024 43

co-champions

were amateur

Eric Cleasby

from Kalamazoo

and amateur

Greg Zeller from

Jackson with

scores of 2-under

70.

A total of 75

golfers from

around the state

made up this

year’s finishing

field.

Local-wise,

Gull Lake View

Golf Club &

Resort director

of golf Dean

Kolstad finished

tied for 55th

with a 7-over 79;

Binder Park Golf

Course manager

and head PGA

professional Ron

Osborne shot an 85; and no score

was available for amateur Mike

LeBarre of Battle Creek.

Dean Kolstad,

director of golf for

Gull Lake View

Golf Club & Resort

group – of which

Bedford Valley

GC in B.C. is part

of – shot a 79

during last week’s

Yamaha Golf Cars

Michigan PGA

Senior Open. (Photo

provided)

GOLF

Continued from Page 41

After excelling at B.C. Central and

then starring for four years at the

University of Iowa, 1993-96 – where

he became the Hawkeyes’ first-ever

player to have over 1,000 points, 500

rebounds and 200 steals as a 6-foot-

5 swingman – Murray then played

professionally in the Continental

Basketball Association and the

International Basketball Association.

Murray and wife Michelle have

four children, all of whom have now

graduated from high school – and

three who excelled in athletics at the

college level.

Adopted son Demetrius (adopted

when he was 17) played college

football and now at age 27 has two

degrees, including a master’s, and is

a teacher and a coach. “He connects

well with the kids as well,” Kenyon

said.

Also, the Murrays have twin sons

Kris and Keegan – who both are

NBA players after collegiate time

spent at Iowa – plus a daughter,

McKenna, who just graduated from

high school and is headed to the

University of Oregon to major in

sports marketing.

As far as his NBA sons:

• Keegan was the fourth overall
  pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the
  Sacramento Kings, and the 6-foot-8,
  225-pounder last December broke a
  team record for 3-pointers in a game
  with 12 – including an NBA-record
  11 straight en route to scoring 47
  points in a Sacramento victory over
  the Utah Jazz.


• And, Kris was the 23rd player
  selected in the 2023 draft by the
  Portland Trail Blazers.
  “Did I ever push my sons into
  basketball as a career? Never. It was
  their choice,” Kenyon said.
  “But making that choice, I helped
  them as much as I could understand
  the same things I’m telling these kids
  out here today: That education is
  just as important as basketball, doing
  well in the classroom is part of the
  commitment, and through support
  and commitment, anything is pos-

sible.

“Have that commitment, and you

can be anything you want to be.”

Murray said that now that he’s been

back once to talk to youngsters in the

Cereal City area, he hopes to make it

a regular situation.

“Like I was saying to the Mayor,

to be able to come back and speak to

kids and make an impact, it’s a great

thing,” Murray said.

“So I’m excited to be back. And

I want to come back and do more.

And I want to bring Kris and Keegan

here, too. Because a lot of younger

kids can only see the end – being like

Kris and Keegan or myself – while

actually, there’s a process in life you

have to go through to get there, and it

takes commitment in a lot of things,

athletically as well as academically,

and having a good home life and

being a responsible and good per-

son.”

Murray then turned back the clock

to when he was growing up in B.C.

and making his mark in both athletics

and education.

“Personally, I didn’t start playing

basketball until 8th grade. And I used

to get my butt kicked by older kids

in the Hoopsters program at Claude

Evans Park for the longest time –

until I committed myself to bigger

and better things, which helped me

become a better player and a better

person,” he said.

“I mean, I’m living proof that it

doesn’t matter when you start playing

basketball. It’s the commitment you

have to excel that matters. Have that

commitment, and anything is pos-

sible.”

Murray then closed his interview

with the following inside perspective:

“In my case, did I do everything

right? No. Was everything smooth?

No. But if you have the right support

around you, the right people, and you

make right decisions, you can do any-

thing you want in this life,” Murray

said.

“I’m not going to sugar coat that

becoming a college player, becoming

an NBA player, is easy. There’s a lot

of hard work you have to do. And a

lot of work for the coaches and the

parents to do. But if that hard work is

done by all, anything is possible.”

BASKETBALL

Continued from Page 42

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LANDSCAPELANDSCAPE INC. INC.

Since 1984

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