TaylorMurray
- position Guard
- height 5-6
- class Junior
- Hometown Odenton, Md.
- High school Annapolis Area Christian HS
Fast, explosive player that gets down the floor quickly and has great ball-handling skills … High basketball IQ … Took on a leadership role last season and that is expected to continue to blossom heading into her upperclassman years … Coaches praised her ability to improve her freshman season and is considered an extremely coachable player that takes advice well and changes … First UK player from Maryland since Keiko Tate (2002-05) … Chose Kentucky over Penn State and West Virginia.
- SEC Academic Honor Roll (2016, 2017)
2016-17 (Sophomore)
A breakout year for the guard, sitting third on the squad with 12.2 points per game … Ranked second on the team with 4.9 rebounds per game, while earning a team-best 61 steals and sitting tied for the team lead with 118 assists … Was the second best free-throw shooter on the team going 101-for-120 for 84.2 percent … Played in 30 games with 30 starts, missing two non-conference games due to injury and one SEC Tournament game due to injury … Set or tied career highs this season in points (29), field-goals made (9), field-goals attempted (15), free-throws made (10), free-throws attempted (10), 3-point field goals made (2), 3-point field goals attempted (6), offensive rebounds (8), defensive rebounds (11), total rebounds (13), assists (11), blocks (1), steals (6) and minutes (44) … Scored 10 or more points 18 times with 15 or more points 11 times and three 20+ games … Posted two double-doubles on the season, earning 11 points and 13 rebounds at LSU before 18 points and 13 rebounds at Missouri … Had five or more assists in 10 games … Led Kentucky in scoring seven times, in rebounds three times, in assists and steals 17 times … Career-high 29 points at highly ranked South Carolina with four rebounds, five assists and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line … Had 21 points with five rebounds against Louisville, while her final 20+ scoring game was 23 points with six rebounds and two assists at Tennessee … Incredible lines against Vanderbilt and Arkansas with 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds against Vanderbilt, before 16 points, six steals, five assists and eight rebounds against Arkansas … Posted a career-best 11 assists against Florida … Had five or more assists in six of her last seven games played … Earned five or more rebounds in 12 games.
2015-16 (Freshman)
Impressive first season with UK, averaging 6.8 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game and 1.5 seals per game … Led the team in steals, with 56, which are the fourth-most in a UK freshman season … Dished out 73 assists, the third-most on the team … Had the 10th-best scoring performance in UK debut, with 12 points against Rice … Recorded four-or-more steals on five occasions, against Rice, Morehead State and Auburn (twice), and Vanderbilt … Had a career day when Auburn came to Memorial Coliseum, posting a career-high 14 points and six steals to lead the team in both categories … Defensive effort against Jackson St. helped team allow just one point more than the fewest allowed in school history, nabbing three steals and also scoring a career-high 13 points … Had the most defensive rebounds on the team against Northern Kentucky, pulling down a career-high seven defensive boards … Hit .833 from the charity stripe, which was the fourth-highest free throw percentage in a freshman season … Scored 10+ points 10 times and had three or more steals in nine games … Led Kentucky in steals in 15 games.
High School
Ranked as No. 18 point guard by espnW and No. 15 overall player by MaxPreps … Averaged 29.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.0 steals and 4.1 assists per game in senior season, leading Annapolis Area Christian School to a 27-3 record and both the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland Class B and Maryland Christian School Division 1 state titles … Named 2015 McDonald’s All-American … 2015 Maryland Gatorade State Girls Basketball Player of the Year … Won gold medal as member of Team USA at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, helping the USA to a 5-0 record and a berth into the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship … Named to the Baltimore Sun All-Metro First Team during junior season after being a second-team selection as a sophomore … Was a two-time Capital Gazette Communications All-County First Team and two-time Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland All-B Conference member (2012 and 2013) … Averaged 25.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9.3 steals and 3.1 assists per game as a junior and 20.9 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 8.4 steals per game as a sophomore.
Personal
Place of Birth: Teaneck, N.J. … Parent(s): Sonya Murray … Major: Pre-Public Health … Shooting Hand: Right
The Cats’ Cause
Volunteered to pack and deliver food for God’s Pantry BackPack program … Spent time spreading joy at the UK Children Hospital on Halloween and during Christmas.