HCA: WSU basketball loses a commit

Juco transfer Ryan Murphy has asked for a release from his letter of intent.

By Jeff Nusser@PodvsEveryone Apr 12, 2019, 8:24am PDT

After weeks of affirming his commitment to the Washington State Cougars, even in the wake of the firing of Ernie Kent, juco guard Ryan Murphy has had a sudden change of heart and has asked for a release from his letter of intent, according to VerbalCommits.com.

No reason has been given for the request, which is odd given that Murphy had said he was still excited to come to Pullman if the new staff would have him; during the recruiting process, he said he “fell in love” with WSU.

The shooting guard was with the Charlotte 49ers for two years, redshirting his first year before coming off the bench to average 6.7 points while mostly taking three-pointers, shooting 30-of-75 from beyond the arc. He went on to average 18.5 points at New Mexico Junior College, including one 46-point outburst. He missed the second half of the season for unknown reasons.

Presuming the departure of Carter Skaggs, new coach Kyle Smith now has three scholarships to work with. That number could climb, though — both point guard Ahmed Ali and center/forward Isaiah Wade are believed to be exploring transfer options, and neither of the two other players who signed letters of intent, big man Nigel John and stretch four Daron Henson, have said anything publicly about remaining with WSU.

You can catch up on all the roster movement over here.

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