SWIC’s McMurray named junior college player of the week

The sudden offensive outburst of Southwestern Illinois College sophomore guard De’Antae McMurray continues to bring national recognition to the Alton High School graduate and the Blue Storm men’s basketball program.

SWIC coach Jay Harrington announced on Friday that McMurray has been named the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division I National Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23-30.

The cat quick McMurray, whose week included a 47-point game on Jan. 27 when he led SWIC to a 104-100 overtime win at John A. Logan College in Carterville, averaged 33 points per game during a week in which SWIC also defeated Shawnee College (78-69).

McMurray made 18 of 22 field goal attempts and was 6-of-8 in 3-point chances. The 6-foot-2 McMurray also averaged six rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals for a Blue Storm team which will take a 13-game winning streak and a 19-4 record into its home game on Saturday against Kaskaskia College.

“It was a good week,” McMurray said. “I’m just trying to help this basketball team win games. We’re playing well right now as a team and we hope that it continues. We still haven’t peaked yet. We can still play better.’’

The 47-point game came on McMurray’s 20th birthday.

McMurray is the first SWIC player to earn national player of the week honors. Former Blue Storm standout Devron Bostick was named the NJCAA Division I Player of the Year in the 2007-08 season.

McMurray will be attending Drake University next season.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "SWIC’s McMurray named junior college player of the week."