Student Athlete of the Week – Malachi Murrell
High school hoops season is finally here and there is a lot of buzz coming out of La Quinta. Malachi Murrell, regining 1st-team all DEL, has been waiting for his senior season. He’s approaching the game from a different perspective.
"I played, but I didn’t work out or anything. I just played for fun. But then the more I started to play and once Covid hit then I realized I could do something in basketball. So that’s when I chose to really stick with it," said Murrell.
That choice that paid off.
Just a few weeks ago Malachi signed his letter of intent to play at Cal Poly Pomona. But the job is not finished. After transferring his sophomore year to La Quinta from Shadow Hills, Murrell has seen his skill set broaden. The LQ coaching staff value his evolution.
"He plays all 5 positions. 1-5 here in high school. He’s probably one of the most unselfish talents that you’ll see," said La Quinta basketball head coach Caleb Gervin. "He could probably shoot the ball every time, but prefers to get his teammates involved and that’s a rarity for a high school star of that stature."
"I’d say you get a person that loves to attack the basket. Feed his teammates if they are open," said Murrell when asked on what type of player we can expect to see this year. "I love to dunk. So if I ever get a chance, I’m dunking on somebody."
Murrell has truly made an impact on the La Quinta basketball program and still has the fire lit under him to lead this team to a deep playoff run.
"He’s a great kid, has a great personality and great GPA. All these things go along with your character. So that’s one of the things we focus on here. It’s not just about the basketball side, it’s about the character," said Gervin.
"Basketball is my life," said Murrell. "I want to go to college, get to the league. If I can’t get to the league, go overseas. I just want to keep playing because this is the sport I love, so I want to keep playing until the wheels fall off."
If you know a future student-athlete of the week and want to nominate someone, please contact Sports Director Blake Arthur or Bailey Arredondo. You can also send an email to share@kesq.com.
