GARETH MURRAY RETIRES FROM (PLAYING) BASKETBALL
Gareth Murray insists it is the right time to end his playing career.
On Thursday, he confirmed he will hang up his boots to focus exclusively on coaching Glasgow Rocks.
The 37-year-old, who earned over 60 caps for Great Britain, retires after a swansong on the Scotland team that finished fourth at last month’s Commonwealth Games.
It closes a chapter in which Murray also played in France and the USA while also featuring for GB in two EuroBasket finals but the Arbroath-born forward wants to throw everything into his career as a coach – starting with Friday’s pre-season opener for his new-look side against St. Mirren.
He said: “I would love to keep playing basketball. A lot of people have been telling me – and GB coach Nate Reinking is one of them – to play until the wheels fall off, that you can’t get that time back.
“But I want to take coaching seriously. and I want to progress in that. I feel we have a great opportunity this season to not only put a good team on the floor with the Rocks but also to keep developing young talent here in Scotland. I want to give that my full attention.”
Current Great Britain head coach Reinking, whose side limped out of EuroBasket 2022 following their final group game against Italy in Milan on Thursday, was quick to pay tribute.
He said: “Gareth has been an essential part of the GB programme. He has always been the consistent professional – fully committed to the foundation and success the team has achieved over the years.
“He is a true team-mate, dependable to rise to any challenge thrown at him. You could always see Gareth’s high IQ as a player and how he was a coach on the floor. It will be fun to watch him transfer his focus directly into a new journey and successful coaching career.”
Do you like our work?
We have a tiny favour to ask. In 2018 we set out to make Hoopsfix sustainable by building our relationship directly with our readers. Up until now, Hoopsfix has been creating editorials, videos and podcasts to provide sorely missing coverage of the British game and its distinct culture and community.
We have funded Hoopsfix with our freelance work creating basketball media, but sadly that means not only does it fall behind our client’s priorities, but some of those clients are the same organisations we need to report objectively on putting us in a conflicted position.
We want to devote more time to our mission of helping British basketball reach its potential, and produce even more content for the basketball community by making Hoopsfix a sustainable 100% independent business funded directly by our readers through Patreon.
If everyone who enjoys our content chose to support us, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $3 per month, you can support Hoopsfix – and it only takes a minute.
We are tremendously honoured and humbled to have a community of people who value what we do, and we look forward to being at the forefront of the British game as it continues to evolve.
0 comments