Resiliency, self-belief and dedication define junior guard Jojo Murphy’s career at Chico State. His journey from a promising freshman to a conference-leading scorer exemplifies the power of perseverance and an unwavering commitment to self-improvement in the face of an array of obstacles.

Murphy has 13 20-point games this season and is the current scoring leader in the conference averaging 20.4 points per game. His outstanding play has led the Wildcats to a 19-5 record with only six games remaining in the season.

In his freshman year, Murphy burst onto the scene, earning CCAA Freshman of the Year and First League honors while averaging 15.7 points per game, and was a bright spot on a Wildcat team that finished with a 13-16 record. 

Following his outstanding freshman campaign, Murphy had big expectations going into his sophomore year, not just from his team but his opponents. His scoring dipped from 15.7 ppg to 10.7 ppg. While being a focal point on opposition scouting reports was an adjustment, his sophomore year was also amidst a challenging team dynamic and a shift in his role within the offense.

“Ultimately, I’d say the biggest difference between my first year and my second year was just my role,” Murphy said. “I had to play a whole different role and had to be more of a catch-and-shoot guy, play off the ball.”

Murphy’s frustration about his sophomore year wasn’t just about his performance, but also the struggles of the team which had lofty expectations and loads of talent. The Wildcats came into the season ranked No. 22 in the nation but struggled to take down the powerhouses in their conference, ultimately finishing fourth place in the conference with a 15-7 record.

The Wildcats had four all-league players in the 2023 season and Murphy was the only one who returned for this season. Two key players decided to transfer; Evan Oliver, who transferred to Cal State San Bernardino, and Adam Afifi, who transferred to Cal State Dominguez Hills. Kelvin Wright Jr and Josh Hamilton graduated. 

“Ultimately this allowed other guys who were ready for their opportunities to step into roles and blossom immediately,” said Murphy.

Compounding these on-court challenges was a significant off-season shift with the departure of the long-time Head Coach Greg Clink, who was the leader of the program for 16 years. Clink stepped down in early November, only four days before the team’s first preseason game in October.

Although Murphy was surprised by Clink’s departure, he expressed the impact that Clink had on him and the Chico State basketball program. 

“He built the foundation of Chico State basketball and established the true standard of a leader and role model,” said Murphy. “I am extremely grateful for our relationship.”

The departure of so many important pieces was a drastic change from the season before and gave Murphy a chip on his shoulder knowing the Wildcats had something to prove going into the 2024 season. 

After Clink’s departure, former assistant coach Cevin Meador was appointed as interim head coach shortly before the new season started. 

Murphy acknowledged how young and inexperienced the team was heading into the season and knew he had to embrace a leadership role in order to start the season strong. Over the past two seasons, Murphy observed the past leaders and tried to take away as many valuable insights as possible. 

“I kinda took bits and pieces of how they worked on their game, how they took care of their bodies and how vocal they were in the locker room,” said Murphy. 

While his vocal leadership has been a key component of the team’s success, Murphy’s on-court performance has been equally impressive. 

He not only leads the conference in scoring, but also tops the charts in 3-point field goals per game, 3-point percentage and minutes played. Furthermore, Murphy ranks among the top five in overall field goal percentage, free-throw percentage and total 3-pointers made.

Being the only all-league player who remained with the team this season, Murphy knew how much his team needed him to score and do so efficiently. 

“I knew that in order for us to win, I was gonna have to take big shots,” Murphy said.

Inspired by the likes of Steph Curry, Steve Nash, Trae Young and Chris Paul, Murphy sought to emulate their efficiency, defensive manipulation and playmaking abilities. He translated this admiration into a more assertive and impactful offensive approach.

Murphy’s leadership and strong play have directly translated into wins. After starting the season 1-2, the Wildcats won a school-record 13 straight games, despite having a younger and more inexperienced team. Murphy credited it to the cohesion this year’s group has. 

“Ultimately, we have a pretty young core,” Murphy said. “So I feel like the biggest thing for our guys was just buying in, trusting each other, trusting their role, trusting the program.”

While the play on the basketball court has been strong, Murphy credits Coach Meador for creating a team environment built on cohesion and selflessness.

“I think that all the guys trust him,” he said. “He’s implemented a really good culture here and not just recruiting good players, but good people who are willing to buy in and work with other guys around them and set aside their differences to get one goal, and that’s just to win basketball games.”

Murphy and the Wildcats have four conference games remaining to close the season, including a pivotal away game on Feb. 22 versus Cal State Dominguez Hills, who they trail by two games in the standings. If the Wildcats are able to win both their away games next week, there will be heavy ramifications for their final two home games against Sonoma State on Thursday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 29 when they take on Cal State San Marcos for the conference finale.

The Wildcats boast an 11-1 record at Acker Gymnasium this year and lead the conference in home attendance with 6,285 fans amassing for games this year, which is more than 1,500 above the second-place team.

“We know that we’re gonna be up for home games because our crowd is gonna turn us up, we’re gonna have that energy, we’re gonna have that sixth man,” Murphy said. “So, I mean, there’s nothing more fun than coming out and putting on for the community and knowing that we get a lot of local community supporters and a lot of good boosters that come out and watch our games.”

Home games are free for students who bring their student ID or show their Canvas home page. 

For information about all Chico State athletics or to keep up with the game live, visit the Wildcat home page, or watch through FloSports.

J.J. Fain can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com.