Murray sets the tone early in introductory press conference

CHESTNUT HILL – There’s always buzz when a new head coach is hired. There’s hope.

But, every single word that Luke Murray said was believable when he spoke during his half hour introductory press conference inside the Yawkey Center on Tuesday. It feels like Eagles fans genuinely have reason to believe there’s a resurgence coming.

Perhaps the most encouraging thing BC fans could hear on Tuesday is that Murray is a Cubs fan, since his dad is of course, Bill Murray, a well-known diehard Cubs supporter.

So, he too, knows suffering.

“I have to come clean, I’m a Cubs fan,” Murray quipped, drawing a laugh from the large crowd gathered. “My dad was raised in Chicago and he turned me into a diehard Cubs fan. So, I’m supporting the lovable losers. But, yeah, I guess I’m going to have to get myself and my family over to Fenway, for sure.”

Murray sounded extremely confident in the support he’s getting, specifically when asked about the financial commitment with Blake James sitting right next to him. At one point after his speech during the Q&A portion, Murray was asked directly about the number he’s allowed to work with. Smartly, he quickly deferred to James, who twice said numbers won’t be discussed publicly.

“I think from our very first conversations, Blake and I really seemed to be aligned with our vision for Boston College basketball and I couldn’t be more excited to be here with my family today with all these great supporters,” Murray said. “It’s an honor and I don’t take it for granted, so thank you.

“I also want to thank Father Leahy and Father Jack. I had a great opportunity to spend time with them a few weeks ago on campus and certainly, was taken by their vision for Boston College. I went to a jesuit college myself, so the values and standards of what Boston College is all about really identify for me. I had a great opportunity to spend time talking about college basketball and the landscape of college athletics and I think there’s real alignment there between the two fathers and the Boston College athletic program.”

Ultimately, nothing else matters now other than returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2009. Anyone reading this has had multiple life-altering events happen in that span. It’s been far too long, and Murray isn’t shying away from any of that pressure.

“I know it’s been a while. It’s been since 2009 since we’ve enjoyed that NCAA tournament,” said Murray. “That’s our focus. That’s going to be our focus every single day, is working to put ourselves back into position to be an NCAA tournament team, to hear our team announced on Selection Sunday.”

Before the new era of BC basketball can truly begin though, he’s got two more games to win.

“That work starts soon. The portal opens up on Tuesday, summer workouts open up. So, it’s going to be kind of a whirlwind for everybody,” Murray noted. “I’m making the trip to Indianapolis tomorrow, going to be in Indianapolis hopefully through Monday night. Get back here Monday night late, Tuesday morning early and then hit the ground running in terms of getting into the gym with these guys that are here, bringing in a great staff. I’ve already established a lot of what that’s going to look like, guys with very diverse backgrounds, very skilled coaches and people that really exemplify what we’re going to ask out of our student athletes, that model the sort of behavior we’re going to ask for from these guys.”

Oddly enough, there will be BC fans rooting for the Huskies this weekend now, another thing Murray addressed in what was a grand slam of a day for the program.

“I kind of want to start by acknowledging where I’m coming from,” said Murray. “I know based on sort of what I’ve heard on social media and people that have come up to me, that the University of Connecticut is not the most beloved program around here. So, I’m going to try and serve as a conduit of peace. I’m going to try and bring everybody together.

“I’ve already started working on the UConn side of things. So, I’m going to do my job here in Boston as well to try and mend some fences.”