King ready for his chance to shine with Racers
MBB: The senior forward spent the last three seasons playing at Creighton
Listed at 6’9 and 250 pounds, Fred King is nothing short of a mountain of a man. After playing his first three collegiate seasons at Creighton, King is now ready to help Murray State try to climb to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference mountain.
But how did King get to Murray State? That entire explanation can be summed up in two short words.
“Coach Miller,” King said, smiling broadly. "I had to follow him because he's a good guy. He’s been on my journey from when I was in high school, so I thought it was a good idea.”
Ryan Miller was an assistant coach at Creighton during King’s three years with the Bluejays. When Murray State hired Miller to become their next head coach, King says the process moved quickly to get him into a Racer uniform.
“He got (the job) while we were in March Madness,” King said. Murray State officially announced Miller’s hiring March 17th, the day after Selection Sunday. “After March Madness, I entered the transfer portal. I already knew he would (want me), so I took a visit out here and then just signed automatically.”
Having familiarity with Miller certainly helped grease the skids for King to find a new basketball home, but he says visiting the city of Murray made his decision all the easier.
“It's a nice small town,” King said. “I'm from a small island. Then the fans here, I'd be walking around Walmart getting stuff and already people are like, ‘Fred King!’ I haven't even been on campus and stuff yet, so, yeah, the people for sure.”
Four months ago, most Murray State fans had never heard of the name Ryan Miller. King has worked alongside him for the last three years, and he believes Racer fans are going to like what they see.
“He’s one of the best coaches to do it,” King said. “Y’all are going to see how far we can go.”
Despite playing three years of college basketball, it’s easy to describe this mountain of a man as a mountain of untapped potential. In his 103 career games with Creighton, King averaged just 7.0 minutes, 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. The main reason for his limited production is King has been playing behind Ryan Kalkbrenner the last three years. Kalkbrenner was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last four seasons, while three times earning All-Big East honors. He was also just taken in the second round of last week’s NBA Draft.
After three years of playing behind arguably the best center in the country, King is ready to unleash his inner-beast that has been waiting for this moment.
“We're going to see a lot of built up energy,” King said about his personal expectations for the season. “I learned a lot being behind one of the best. That should put me in a great position to be one of the best in this league.”
The first day official day of the college basketball season is November 3rd. While we’re still four months and two days away from playing for real, the anticipation of getting to finally showcase his skillset has King counting down the days.
“It's just bubbling and bubbling until it’s time to hit the floor,” King said. “It’s just going to erupt, and then hopefully it’s a great year.”
So excited to watch this young man hoop!
Have they announced the opponent for the field of 68 showcase yet?