Five-star recruit blogs about visit to Oregon

With Jamal Murray on Oregon's campus today, now's as good a time as any to share this blog from a couple of months ago. It was written by a five-star basketball recruit for his personal diary on a popular college basketball website. The recruit, who will remain nameless, had just taken his official visit to Oregon and he wrote about his experience for his fans. It paints a pretty vivid picture of what Murray is going through while in Eugene today and, hopefully, it will give you a little insight into the decision he faces. From (Popular College Basketball Website):

Hey guys! It’s [redacted] here. Just got back from my official visit to Oregon! Coach Altman and his staff flew me and my dad out for the weekend to see the campus and to talk about becoming a Duck. It was a lot of fun and they’re definitely on my list going into the spring. I had a great time even though it rained a lot. The day started when Coach picked us up at the airport in his new Chevy Spark. It’s a really small car but he said it’s good for the environment. That’s really important out in Oregon. Everyone drives smart cars and recycles. They really care about the Earth and that’s cool. We stopped for breakfast at some vegan cafe I had never heard of. Dad got the scrambled sprouts with black beans and I got the tofu french toast. I didn’t really like it and the soy syrup made my stomach hurt. Coach told us that’s what everyone eats out there though. I’d rather have McDonalds lol. After breakfast we went straight to the football stadium for a tour. I don’t know why we spent so much time there but they really liked showing off the locker room and all of the different jersey combinations the football team wears. I saw the huge screen in the lobby, walked the field and watched some of the guys lift weights. That place is incredible! It's so nice. Finally I asked if we can see the basketball facilities because I’m a basketball player. They said yes but we had to watch Marcus Mariota highlights first. Once we finally got over to the basketball building, I saw a lot of the trophies Oregon has won over the years. In the first case I saw the conference championship trophies from 1919, 1939, 1944 and 2002. I asked Coach if those are the only four and he told me the others were taken out to be cleaned. Surely they have more than four lol. I guess I believe him. He let me hold the 1939 Final Four trophy too. Dad told me his grandpa played for NC State that year and only eight teams made the tournament. That's crazy. On the way to the practice court we passed a huge mural on the wall but I didn’t know the two guys on it. Coach told me it was Luke Ridnower (?) and Aaron Brooks. I think they were in the NBA. I hope I make the NBA one day. That's what every kid dreams of growing up. Maybe Oregon will help me get there and I can be on the wall with those two guys. Finally we made it to Matthew Knight Arena and it wasn't as big as some of the other places I've been. It holds like 12,000 people. I'm pretty sure Kentucky is twice that size lol. That's ok though. Coach told me I would get a lot of exposure on TV. He said games are always televised on the Pac 12 network when they play UCLA, Arizona and sometimes Cal. The other games are streamed online. After seeing the arena Coach took us out to eat for lunch. I wanted to go to B-Dubs because I was starving but Eugene doesn't have one. We got something called buffalo tempeh instead. I didn't like it so I ate the carrot sticks. Dad offered me his tofurkey but it was bad too. I guess I'll have to get used to this food if I pick Oregon lol. At lunch Coach said he believes I can get them to the Sweet Sixteen next year. They were knocked out the first weekend the last two years but he thinks I'm the missing piece to get them to the next round. It sounds like they really want me. After lunch we went back to campus to chill for the rest of the day. Coach took my dad to meet the AD while I hung out with some of the players. We were stuck in an apartment all afternoon because it was raining and then we went to a party at night. It was alright but everyone was sitting around smoking weed and listening to some kid play guitar. I asked if they heard the new Fetty Wap but nobody knew about it. The music out there is so different and everyone is so laid back. And the girls don't shave their armpits lol. That's so gross. I went to bed pretty early because I had an early flight back to [redacted] and I wasn't really feeling the party. When I met up with Dad the next morning he told me the AD made him tour the football facility again and watch more Mariota highlights. They sent us home with a bunch of Nike gear and told us to stay in touch. Looking back on it, the visit was a cool experience but I still have more to take. I will probably cut my list in a couple months after I talk it over with my coach and parents. Anyways, I just wanted to update you before I get too busy with school and the season. We start AAU practice tomorrow. I have to miss homecoming for a tournament next weekend but I gotta keep grinding. Ball is life!

"My Official Visit To Oregon"