Murray has Burgettstown picking up the pace
It’s called the inferno mentality.
At least that’s the label the Burgettstown High School boys basketball team uses.
The style of play adopted under first-year head coach Tim Murray could be given many different names.
However you want to phrase it – controlled chaos, risky business or free flowing – it’s worked wonders for the Blue Devils.
“We started before even having a practice,” Murray said of an up-tempo, relentless attack that isn’t restricted to one side of the ball.
“We had a meeting to discuss what exactly we were going to be doing and what was being asked of them. That allowed them to take it home and share it. A lot of people see a team playing the way we do and can criticize it because you can give up a lot of points.”
Criticism is going to be the last thing Murray hears if these results persist.
With a 6-2 start to the season, 2-0 in Section 4-AAA, Burgettstown is the highest scoring team in Class 3A at 70.5 points per game. If you rewind to this time last year, the Blue Devils were 2-6. And despite making the playoffs, Burgettstown finished with a losing record and averaged only 54.1 points, which ranked fifth best in the section and 14th out of the 25 teams in Class 3A.
“You have to do what the personnel allows you to,” Murray said. “We play at such a fast pace and run guys in and out. We have six seniors and four or five underclassmen contributing. It makes everyone feel invested in our success, but was completely different than how they’ve played in the past.”
The defensive mindset for Burgettstown puts more of an emphasis on creating turnovers rather than getting stops.
“We are still playing defense,” Murray said. “It’s just a different type of defense. Everything we do incorporates transition. Practices from Day 1 were used to promote a fast pace, conversions and turnovers. There is no down time between drills. It’s easier for (the players) to execute in an environment where they don’t have to worry about making mistakes. The longer they do it and start to understand it, it’s neat from my perspective to see the light bulb come on.”
Trying this style isn’t new to Murray, who was the head coach at his alma mater, Wirt County High School in West Virginia from 2005-2016. He was an assistant coach at Weir High School – located 20 minutes west of Burgettstown in Weirton, W.Va. – last season, before his wife stumbled across the open coaching position at Burgettstown.
“I always wanted to get back to being a head coach if I had the opportunity,” Murray said. “Our team (Weir) played at the Chuckie Mahoney Classic last year and it was the first impression I had of Burgettstown. It was a very strong one. I saw that there would be a good team already to work with, their youth program is phenomenal and the facilities really attracted me to this job.”
Murray turned to this quick-paced tempo for the first time in 2013, when his roster at Wirt County was undersized. That style led the Tigers to be the highest-scoring Class A team in West Virginia.
Now, with a lineup that can go 12 deep and led by seniors Garrett Dhans and Ryan Lounder, it has made for an easier transition into WPIAL basketball for the first time.
“Most people don’t get to experience what I am as a head coach in the program,” Murray said about starting with a talented roster that has forced nearly 19 turnovers per game.
“This is a higher level of competition. I really do take it game by game because every place that we travel to this year, it will be the first time I’ve been there. I have to do my homework each and every day because I don’t have any pre-conceived notions or information. That’s given me a lot of energy.”