Joel Murray was so brilliant that his single season will go down in history as one of the best ever in SBL or NBL1 West history, but from the moment he arrived he wanted to deliver a championship to the Mandurah and he backed it up in spectacular fashion.
Murray never doubted his talent and rightfully so because before he decided to stay at Long Beach State University for his final year at college, he was on a lot of NBA draft boards and he could feel his dream of playing on the world's biggest stage was within reach.
While that senior year didn’t go to plan thanks to a wrist injury that required surgery, he still never regretted the decision because he was able to complete his civil engineering major and then get ready to begin his professional career.
The first stop was in Mandurah where he was a late replacement to join a team that had won just two games the previous season, didn't have a big budget to open up to him, and to join a Magic club who had never really got close to a championship game in the SBL or NBL1 West at the men's level.
All that did was add to Murray's motivation. On a personal front, he wanted to show the basketball world what he was capable of. He did that in the most spectacular fashion to end up as the season MVP and Grand Final MVP.
But from the moment he arrived in Mandurah just a couple of days before making his debut with 27 points against the Joondalup Wolves, he embraced the Magic community, they embraced him back and he wanted to bring them a championship.
Nothing is ever as simple as just wanting that. Whether it was helping Mandurah to a fourth place finish or willing them to win on the road in the preliminary final in overtime to the Wolves or producing a remarkable last two minutes in the Grand Final, he refused to lose.
That drive and passion to refuse to lose both to prove himself and to win for his new Magic community meant that Mandurah are now NBL1 West champions for the first time and his season will go down in folklore as one of the best in the 35-year history of the competition.
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Bringing a championship to Mandurah
From the moment Murray first arrived in Mandurah, he felt like it was the exact type of community that he most wants to be part of and that he would thrive in, and want to win for.
He told anyone that would listen that he would be bringing a championship to the Magic and backed up that guarantee.
"When you're around people who are underdogs and who have gone through a lot, the community can be that little bit stronger and more tight," Murray said.
"We went through a lot this year, but the club as a whole went through a whole lot more in the years prior and they have that resiliency. So just for us to be in the position that we're in and for them to embrace us, it shows me how strong their community is.
"That's kinda what you dream of, to get a championship for those people who root for you and who show up after a two-win season and finished last.
"To be in the position to just be able to go out with a coach like Mark and have fun, and trust one another with my teammates and coaches, and with the community backing us up, it's the best feeling."
Grand Final game itself
Just like was the case in the preliminary final against Joondalup the previous Sunday, Mandurah found themselves behind for a lot of Saturday night's Grand Final at RAC Arena.
After Mandurah scored the first basket of the game through Jarrod Molnar, Willetton were on top and the Magic didn’t lead again until Murray hit a massive shot with 32 seconds remaining.
Eventually Murray scored again in the dying seconds to answer Marshall Nelson's three for Willetton to secure Mandurah the championship.
While Murray was the finisher and a deserved Grand Final MVP with his 30 points, seven rebounds and three assists, he credits his teammates like Michael Durr, Julian Pesava and Lachlan Bertram for keeping the game close enough and for the coaching efforts of Mark Utley.
"The game of basketball is a game of runs and how we've approached every game all season is that we don’t feel like any team can run with us for four quarters straight," Murray said.
"So it's just about getting those timely stops, keeping it close even when you're not making the shots that you usually make and you might be a little tired.
"You just stick with it and trust each other, and make the adjustments throughout the game and tell each other that we're good. That's kinda what we did and it was the last thing last Sunday against Joondalup too.
"We just told each other that we're OK and that we have nothing to lose. We came in as underdogs and no one expected us to win, and nobody expected us to be in this position.
"So it's just going out there and being prepared to lose if it happens, but knowing we would leave it all out there as a team, and as a coaching staff and community. We always made sure we had fun at the same time."
Being able to play entire games
Murray has a lot of strengths to his game. His playmaking ability and ball handling is first class. His ability to get to the basket and finish in traffic or draw fouls is tremendous. His pull up mid-range shooting is elite. And he can make the outside shot.
Perhaps above all that, it's Murray's competitive drive and the way he refuses to let his team lose, but also the fact he doesn’t need a rest.
At no point of Saturday night's Grand Final did coach Mark Utley think of taking him out of the game and Murray probably would have refused anyway unless he was hurt or in foul trouble.
It was similar the previous Sunday in the preliminary final when he only came out of the game against the Wolves when he had blood on his jersey and had to sit out a possession while getting changed.
It's the combination of having that competitiveness but also physically being able to play all 40 minutes of a Grand Final where you are getting hounded defensively, and then still win you team a championship with nine points in the last two minutes that makes Murray incredible.
"It's a lot of conditioning work to allow you to do that, but with me in this game I also had to guard their best player who was hot," Murray said.
"So in games like that you have to make the adjustment, but you just have to dig deep. If I wake up tomorrow and I can't walk, then I can't walk and so be it.
"But when you come out with a win and that's what you're aiming to get then you are happy to live with that. You just have to leave it all out there and once you do that, you can get the best possible results and even if you lose sometimes, you know you gave it everything.
"Most times when you leave it all out there you have that great feeling of having done everything you could do to get the job done."
Playing on big stage at RAC Arena
The second that it was announced that the NBL1 West Grand Finals for 2024 would be held at RAC Arena, Murray not only knew that he wanted to be part of it but he made a guarantee that the Magic would be playing that night.
He backed that up with some remarkable performances to get the Magic into the Grand Final especially on that last weekend with two wins over the Giants and Wolves inside less than 48 hours.
Murray had built up what it would be like to play the Grand Final at RAC Arena in his own mind plenty, but the reality more than surpassed anything he could have dreamt of.
"It was a crazy environment to play in and it was more than I expected it to be," Murray said.
"For the Mandurah crowd to come as they did, and be as loud as they were and fill up that whole section of the stadium, it was something beyond what I even imagined.
"It was something I couldn’t have imagined, but being out there on that court and seeing all our community having so much fun, and being the underdogs from Mandurah, you could see how much fun they were having. It was the best feeling ever to be part of that with them."
Looking ahead to National Finals
This week has all been a mix for Murray and everyone involved at the Magic of celebrating the history they made with the championship triumph, and then turning their focus to the National Finals.
While some teams competing might be down on some star power, that's not going to be the case for Mandurah with a full squad available and Murray is heading to the Sunshine Coast wanting to win, and make another statement.
"I think we're so motivated going over there because people try to compare conferences and which one is better," Murray said.
"We're going in with a chip on our shoulder knowing that if we do what we're capable of then we will get that national championship.
"Obviously before that we've all made sure we all enjoy this Grand Final win because it's the first time ever for Mandurah and we have to make sure we enjoy it as much as we can.
"It was stressful to get here and obviously so hard to win but then we'll lock back in and go and get that national championship."
What's coming next
Beyond the National Finals on the Sunshine Coast this weekend, Murray's immediate future is going to be in Europe, but he's more than open to a return down under and returning to Mandurah would be top of that priority list if it was possible.
"I'll be somewhere in Europe. My agent is figuring everything out and we'll get a situation sorted out," Murray said.
"I’m blessed that my agent knows what would be best for me and I'll just go out and do what I do, and I know it will all work out at the end of the day. I love Australia and would love to come back.
"I love my Mandurah people and coach Mark. I feel like he's the best coach in the league and he is the most fun coach I've ever played for, and I feel like anyone would want to play for him. He allows you to be free so I would most definitely love to come back here if it was able to work out."