Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 14 No. 3 | December 2021

10 Inside Hokie Sports Murphy knew what to expect in Blacksburg, but it came with a big jump to ACC play, another big selling point from Young, but Murphy was excited for the opportunity. He believed the jump was going to elevate his play and force him to become a better player and bring his “A” game every night. But Young wasn’t the only driving force that led Murphy to Blacksburg. “Storm coming was a real consideration for Keve coming back because he enjoyed playing with Storm that much,” Young said. “He’s told me that. That’s a special relationship. I’ve heard Keve say it 10 times how excited he is to play with Storm again.” In 2016, Murphy and Aluma visited Wofford together and became crucial players for the Terriers. Young still recalls Murphy’s performance against No. 5 North Carolina, guarding Joel Berry and scoring six points en route to a huge upset. It was a sign of good fortune to come for Wofford, which found itself in the NCAA Tournament the following season after rolling through the Southern Conference. The Terriers showed no mercy, downing Seton Hall 84-68 as Murphy and Aluma combined for 19 points. It set up a showdown against blue blood Kentucky in the Round of 32. The Terriers showed some fight, but left the court with a six-point loss the last time the trio of Young, Aluma and Murphy were together before Young left for Tech. “There’s definitely a feeling of unfinished business to just think about for Keve and I,” Murphy said. “We’re seniors now and this is the home run. It’s all-in time to do that with Coach Young again. We want to get there again and go even further.” Even once Aluma left, the two stayed in touch and Aluma came back and visited during his sit out year. Murphy and Aluma talked about how fun it would be to play together again and how special it would be for them. Aluma told Murphy that he saw him at Tech and threw out a pitch to try to bring in Murphy. “He was excited to have me, and I knew that was genuine and ultimately a huge reason as to why I made [my] decision,” Murphy said. GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER Continued from page 8