Behind the Scenes: Who is Ole Miss Basketball Star Matthew Murrell?

Ole Miss Rebels fifth-year senior Matthew Murrell has been an impact player over the course of his first four years on the team, but he's not done just yet.

Ole Miss basketball recently released a one-on-one interview with Murrell where he discussed his life on and off the court.

"It starts with finishing my legacy here at Ole Miss," Murrell said. "This being my fifth year, I've dealt with the ups and downs of Ole Miss, and I feel like we're on right trajectory. I feel like we're going to make big things happen."

Murrell has been a stud on the court for the Rebels for four years and keeps improving every season, last year setting career highs in 16.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game. He looks to increase these numbers once more with the help of second-year Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard and his supporting cast of teammates.

"'I've just been more efficient," Murrell said. "I can credit that to my teammates that I've been blessed to play with, and Coach Beard has really been on me about impacting the game besides scoring."

Murrell continued to praise the team and culture that Beard and the coaching staff have built and discussed his expectations for the season.

"We're a gritty, defensive-minded team, but also we're a three-point shooting team," Murrell said. "It's going to be fun when the shots are going down. It's going to be fun when when they're not going. Everybody can get to the rim and make plays, so it'll still be fun.

"That's a part of our culture, being competitive, and that can be from the managers to the players to any other the staff members."

While Murrell may be a star on the court, he is just like everyone else off the hardwood, giving insight to his life outside of basketball.

"I'm really just a laid back, chill person person if I'm not playing basketball," Murrell said. "I'm usually sitting at home playing my game, playing with my dog. It's really straight forward."

While all of this is important to the standout guard, he claims that nothing is higher than his loyalty.

"I hope when people look back, they can say I'm a loyal Ole Miss Rebel," Murrell said. "I've been here five years. I've been through it all. I decided not to transfer out each year. I'm big on loyalty."

Murrell has certainly been a big factor for the team over the last four seasons and looks to continue to grow and mesh with this team heading into his final collegiate season. That campaign begins on Monday when Ole Miss plays host to Long Island at the SJB Pavilion.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT