Murphy proves one can be a student and an athlete
Audrey Neale
The student or athlete, which comes first? Some NCAA athletes think a decision must dictate one or the other.
For Colorado State’s McKenna Murphy, the answer is both.
“She's the model of what I want from a student-athlete,” academic coordinator Grace Dulion said. “I want somebody who can come in here, do their schoolwork, be successful in it, and actually care and be successful on the court. She shows that you can do both.”
A biomedical sciences major with a GPA of 3.936, Murphy has become one of CSU’s prime examples of what life as a student-athlete truly means. From early morning practices, to long days spent in the class, followed by rigorous studying, Murphy has found a way to balance it all.
For Murphy, one doesn’t come before the other -- a symbiotic relationship. Her care and effort for one directly links to the other.
“She's a very unique case when it comes to student-athletes because not only does she actually care 100% about basketball, she is driven to be the best, to give her team her all, but she's also driven to be the best in the classroom,” Dulion said. “That balance isn’t always 50-50, it's either 80% sports and 20% school or a little less, a little more, but with her it's a true 50-50.”
From a young age, Murphy was thrown into basketball. Her father coached high school boys basketball in her hometown of Omaha, Neb.
Growing up around basketball gave her an early introduction into the sport she would soon start to dominate locally.
“I grew up walking over from my elementary school going to his practices and just watching the girls and boys high school team from a young age and fell in love with it there,” Murphy said. “My best friend and I were pretty good basketball players in our town.”
As her skill and passion for the sport grew, the idea of playing collegiately became less of an idea and more of a reality and goal.
That path took her 500 miles west to Fort Collins. CSU was one of the later schools which showed interest in Murphy, but through the words of coach Ryun Williams and the scenic mountains compared to long cornfields, Murphy was set.
“She's just a really good basketball player. She can pass, dribble and shoot. She can play multiple positions on the floor, we like that,” Williams said. “She sees it like a point guard, she can distribute it like that. She shoots it like Curry. So that's what we liked about her.”
For Murphy, choosing CSU meant finding a place where she could pursue her ambitions on the basketball court without sacrificing her goals in the classroom.
Graduating in three years, Murphy came into CSU with approximately 50 credit hours transferring over from high school. Instead of trying to prolong her four years, Murphy decided to take the necessary classes, and continuing basketball eligibility was the way to go.
“I know I have a degree in three years and I could go to med school next year. I haven't studied or taken the MCAT, but I could move on with my life after basketball,” Murphy said. “I definitely want to stay here for five years and finish that out, but just having that as an option, potentially maybe getting a master's too. Learning more about the field of medicine and graduating in three, being able to have two more years to do what I want and study, that was the thought process behind it.”
Murphy’s journey at CSU has been one of trials and patience, not playing her first year gave her the opportunity to learn from upperclassmen and set a baseline for her academic performance.
Her second year came with responsibility. With some solid minutes at the start of the season and smaller ones towards the end, Murphy knew what the coaches wanted her to do -- Shoot the ball, make an impact.
Now as a junior and team leader, her mission is to step on the floor and do whatever she can to help her team succeed.
“Her role this year is going to be quite large. She's arguably one of our better passers. Her IQ is very, very high, she shoots it at an elite level,” Williams said. “She sees the game the right way and she'll be on the floor, this will be the most minutes she's played in her career here. As far as responsibility for winning and losing games goes, it's increased greatly.”
In her sophomore season at CSU, she totaled 478 minutes and 173 points, however these numbers don’t account for all the extra work put in on the court at practice.
From the first meeting, Williams saw her potential to be a leader on the court and off, with intelligence that transfers to all aspects of the student-athlete life.
“She's just a very cerebral individual, she's very intelligent. She can direct traffic, she can make sure everybody knows what's going on. She knows every position on the floor just like she knows every answer to her biochem test. It directly carries over,” Williams said. “In college basketball, when you go from Wednesday night, here's the game plan, and then Saturday, it's a totally different game plan. Kids being able to adjust, that's critical and Murphy, her intelligence comes into play there big time.”
Murphy’s ability to understand the game goes far beyond her role as a player. This same focus and attention to detail that allow her to read the court also help her navigate the demands of a challenging academic schedule.
I think that mentality and the way that I look at it, having two days in one, really helps.McKenna Murphy
Similar to her introduction to basketball, Murphy got her doctoral aspirations from her family. Her mother, a cardiopulmonary nurse, showed her what a woman in science could look like and encouraged her that she could be even more.
“I've always, always wanted to go into the medical field. From a young age my mom would come home with cute scrubs on and I was like, “Oh, that's pretty cool.” She would always just tell me, push yourself a little further than a nurse and try to go to med school, try to be the top dog, so to say, in that aspect of my academics,” Murphy said. “I really like helping people and feel like I was called to serve people and help people be the best version of themselves they can be. I think definitely through medicine, that's where my path has taken me.”
CSU gave her the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her mother but also make new strides out on the court.
Basketball introduced Murphy to one of her biggest passions, but her family helped shape the future she hopes to build beyond the sport.
Inspired by her mother’s work in health care, Murphy has approached her education with the same determination she brings to basketball, viewing her time at CSU as an opportunity to develop both as an athlete and as a future medical professional.
“She’s always in the academic center. She's always doing homework and studying,” teammate Caitlin Kramer said. “She has a really good balance of basketball and schoolwork. I like to quiz her and study with her, being around her and helping her succeed.”
Having only received one B in her whole academic career at CSU and maintaining a nearly perfect GPA, this required more than just intellect. Consistency and discipline have become pillars for Murphy’s success and treating academics and athletics as two separate commitments is another.
That approach has helped her maintain her academic standing while continuing to grow into a larger role on the court.
“I feel like I have two days in one. Basketball is from when I wake up, 5:45 a.m., until 10:30 a.m. After 10:30, I don’t really think about basketball, unless we have a game or I need to look at my scout, but I definitely just try to keep the two separate. It is a lot in the grand scheme of things,” Murphy said. “Then school is from 10:30 until I go to bed. So that's just definitely my mentality. I have to give my best and give my all in basketball for those morning hours and then take care of business in the classroom after. I think that mentality and the way that I look at it, having two days in one, really helps.”
Seeing her day as two distinct halves, separate from each other, Murphy is able to have two lives. One all about basketball and the other all academics.
Although nearly all of her time is spent on basketball or academics, she still found a way to make time for a healthy work life. The past two summers Murphy held an internship position at the Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins.
With 40-hour work weeks, five days a week, Murphy saw the challenge and reward of what her future could look like.
“I was in the surgery department both years. I was in pre-op helping prep patients for surgery and in PACU after surgery, helping take care of them before they're either ready to go home or go up to the floor,” Murphy said. “I was able to observe and shadow different surgeons and different surgeries, just to kind of get a feel for everything that goes on in a hospital. I love to do it, it's just fun when you get to do things that you love to do.”
Adding to her long resume, Murphy joined SAAC, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, where she was able to meet and talk with other NCAA athletes, being the voice for athletes at CSU.
In these spaces, her love for what she does shines out on those she interacts with and makes it apparent in her life. For Murphy, instead of things she must do, these are opportunities she gets, competing at a high level in both sports and academics.
“There's also like this joy; I've never seen McKenna upset or stressed out,” Dulion said. “Yes she jokes about her major tests and identifying all the body parts, but she's never once come in here and been like, ‘Grace I can't do this.’ I mean I'm in charge of their academics and I definitely couldn't do what she's doing.”
Despite the demands of her schedule, Murphy’s commitment to both lives has not come at the expense of her attitude.
Her ability to approach school and basketball with enthusiasm has made her an example for those around her, demonstrating that balancing two demanding responsibilities doesn’t have to mean losing the joy which comes with them. That same outlook also carries over to her role as a teammate and leader.
“She knows what's important for a positive team dynamic. I think she's very in tune to the communication she needs to have with each individual,” Williams said. “She's always very positive, she's a fun, bright spirit. I think she can keep it loose but she's also very confident, that can become contagious within the group as well.”
For Murphy, her success as a student-athlete is shaped by the meaning that has brought her to where she is as well as the genuine love for the game.
With her father’s guidance on the court and her mother’s experience in academics, she has strong support that shapes her dedication and joy. Both working side by side, neither outweighing the other, she has found stability in both of her lives.
“I definitely would not be doing one or the other if I didn't love both of them so much. If I really didn't like basketball at all, I would just study and focus on academics. If I didn't want to be a doctor and didn't want to pursue that field, I would definitely focus 100% on basketball,” Murphy said. “I think just being able to change my mindset and give that 100% focus to both at different times of the day, it's really been helpful and rewarding being able to experience college basketball at a very high level and then also academics at a very high level.”
Murphy is an example of what it truly means to be a student-athlete. Whether at a desk or standing on the court, Murphy challenges the belief that success in one area requires sacrificing the other.
For Murphy, being a student-athlete means embracing both sides of the title and living one life at a time.
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