John Murry (192-G-95, college: Austin Peay) is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Indianapolis, Indiana that is playing his third professional season in Germany with BSG Grevenbroich (Germany-Regionalliga). Before that he had experience with the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans. He played two years at Owens Community College playing 63 games and two years at Austin Peay State University (NCAA) playing 56 NCAA games and as a senior averaged 16.7ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 81.1%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.

John thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you?

Thanks for having me again. I am currently in Germany, Grevenbroich to be exact,
Down the road from Duesseldorf and Koln. It’s safe to safe basketball is treating me well I have no room to complain.

Basketball life can be so tough. If someone had told you two years ago as you arrived in Grevenbroich that you would play only some games in the next two years what would you have thought?

Well with us having to end our early success last year due to corona with 4 straight wins to start the season, it was tough on us because we were rolling with such good chemistry but with the same focus I believe we can make that happen again this year.

In October 2020 you played against the Lowen, Dorsten and Bonn 2. Because you played only three games, do you remember these games a lot over time?

I remember all 4 games we played last year before the corona shut down and I haven’t missed a beat mentally or physically, when it comes to the game I love, I can pretty much recall anything.

Especially the game against Dorsten was huge where you scored 36 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a big 114-110 win. Do you remember certain moments of this game?

I remember a tough moment right before we went into the 2nd OT, telling our team that our time is now, let’s seize the moment.

You were on your way to becoming a German Regionalliga star. How do you think today would that season have gone for you had you not been injured and had COVID not come?

Can we say ESPN top 10 plays lol but I know everything happens for a reason so I’m excited about the future and what it holds.

How much do you think does not playing professional games for two seasons effect a player’s game? How does not having the competitive games hurt a player’s development?

It hurts a lot of talented players who are gifted beyond measure but can’t play at the highest level because of ‘politics’ there are many players across the entire nation who can compete and hold there own against BBL, pro A, even the NBA and other top leagues in the world but people let little things like ‘politics’ and ‘playing games’ standing in the way of that particular success route. I believe if a player shows that they can play and compete at a high level, they should be given the chance to show it no matter what league it is. Personally I’ve been on the negative side of politics just because like you said people want to see you play games but I feel I’ve proven myself time in and time out to be at one of the highest leagues in any country, I don’t sit on the couch waiting for a phone call, with or without playing games I work hard every single day to get better so I’m ready for that moment when it comes

How did COVID effect you the most in the last two years? What was the most challenging thing for you on and off the court?

Covid affected my team last year because like I said we were on such a hot streak as far as winning goes but at the same time I just used it as motivation to get better and make sure I was ready for the next season.

With all that you experienced during COVID how do you feel did it make you stronger as a man?

Covid taught me to live in the moment, never take anything for granted and remove all probable situations out of my life, for example once I took the should of, could of, would of out of my daily routine, I could feel myself getting better mentally and physically. Covid taught me that instead of talking about what you should do just stop talking about it and actually be about it.

Did you have contact to your teammates like Moritz Krume or Jonathan Coles or other guys during the Pandemic? Did it sometimes help to talk about things during the hard times?

Yes those guys were along the same lines with me to get better and it really was messed up we couldn’t continue together but they seem to be in good spirits, really proud of those guys.

In those four games you played against talented American guys like Jeremy Lewis, Lavon Hightower and Mark Gordon. How much do you miss the battles against players like these?

I miss it like it crazy. Sometimes it’s hard to sleep not playing because that’s the release of energy you get when playing against top players in the league, they also bring the best out of me as a competitor which makes me better in the long run.

You had a lot of time to grind and work on your craft in the lab. Did you try to do things differently with the time you had that you may not have done had COVID not hit in terms of certain drills not to let the whole training get monotonous after one and a half years.

You can quote me on this: I will NEVER stop getting better, no matter what’s going on outside Covid taught me to grind without excuses and get better EVERY single day and yes this was different I worked smarter, got faster, more flexible, and stronger in my lower center of gravity, I took what Covid meant to corrupt and used it as correction to better myself for the future.

Did you work on certain area’s of your game or did you grind on all parts? Talk a little about the type of work outs you had in the last year and a half?

My workout consisted of starting on the track getting faster getting my takeoff stronger getting my takeoff more consistent making my lateral movement more durable creating a better vertical jump also a quicker vertical jump I also worked on my shot being more consistent at the three-point line defensively keeping people out of the paint also making sure that I worked to a certain level everyday and I didn’t take days off. Most people take vacations to relax, I only took vacations this past summer to grind in a different area codes. No matter how many games I’ve played on paper, I know for a fact I can perform at any level in any league, against any players. I’ve most definitely put the work to do so and say so.

Were you able to practice with other players? And if so were you able to match up against high level guys from the NBA?

Yes indeed, where I’m from everybody is a high level guy and there are a lot of current and former NBA players that I went against everyday, this is another reason I know for a fact I can perform at a high level.

How much are you looking forward to playing with Grevenbroich again? How does the roster look like this season?

The roster is looking excellent and I’m ready to play now more than ever I feel like people are waiting for me to play games which is how it goes but like I stated previously no matter how many games played on paper, I’m always ready to compete and win at a high level in real life.

I expect that you will probably have the same role the last two years ago as the go to guy. Do you feel even more motivated to tear up the league after not playing for so long?

I haven’t been this furious to win and tear up the league ever in my life, I feel like it’s now or NEVER and I’m beyond ready!!!!

Did your chip grow on your shoulder even more over the past two years? How heavy is your chip at the moment?

It’s so heavy it weighs me down at night when it’s time to sleep, I’m just ready to get out on the floor and show people I can perform no matter where I’m the world I am.

Did you watch the 2021 NBA finals. Should one call Chris Paul a chocker? Four times his team led 2-0 in the playoffs in his career and he couldn’t get the series win.

As you get older you understand more and more about basketball and see how people react to winning, I believe he will get his ring before it’s all said and done

Has there been a worse free agency for a player the way Dennis Schroeder went from getting a four year 80 million deal with the Lakers to only 6 million from the Celtics?

I’m sure he and his representatives did what was necessary for the best situation in his regards. We don’t know everything as spectators and there is always 2 sides to every story

Did you see the sequel to Coming To America? Shouldn’t they just have left it alone?

Not really sure the purpose but I feel it was great entertainment and a good storyline to keep the first movie apart of history.

Thanks John for the chat.