Tristan Murphy Using Veteran Experience to Lead Young Argos Squad

“I would describe her as a tough-minded, physical player who wants to have fun.” That’s how Argos head coach Bill Himmelberg described center Tristan Murphy. The Stanwood, Washington native transferred from UT-RVG this season. Her experience has been much needed for Providence, as she is the one of only two seniors on a very young squad. “The biggest thing for her is just being timely in what we needed,” Himmelberg said. “There are times when we need her to score, there are times when we need her to defend, and there’s times we need her to rebound. And her being able to recognize when we need her to do those things has been important for us.” Tristan said she left her old school for a chance to cut loose and enjoy her final season in a basketball uniform. “Well, down there just wasn’t the right fit for me. I had some injuries that kinda made me not really wanna play basketball anymore. I figured at this point in my career, just to have fun. So that’s kinda it, I just figured, you know, I have this one last year so might as well just take advantage of it and just start playing for the fun rather than being like the type of lifestyle it was down there.” It’s not the first time she’s been one of the only veterans on a basketball roster though. “My senior year of high school I was the only senior, and the rest of the girls were a couple sophomores and mostly freshmen, so I was kinda just used to being the older girl,” Murphy said. But the lack of leadership does come with it’s challenges. “Having a senior like Tristan around as a great leader helps, but it’s always harmful when you only really have one upperclassman on your roster to be able to lead the way,:” Himmelberg said. “She’s done a great job, but it makes it tough.” With her time wearing the blue and green winding down, the program will miss her strong presence on and off the court. But Tristan says it’s the end of the season marks new beginnings. “You know, everyone wants to win for her. They know this is her last chance to do it, and that’s their focus is to try and make sure we take care of her and send her off in a good way hopefully,” Himmelberg said about her graduation. “It’s sad, but I’m excited to do something new. I’v been playing basketball for some many years that it’s kinda just been a huge part of me, where I’m excited to go on and explore to see what else I can do.” Murphy said she is studying criminal justice, but has yet to decide what she wants to do after college.