A future in the NBA

Keegan and Kris are used to playing basketball on camera. But at the start of the New Year, they did so under slightly different circumstances.

The twins stood on the court of the empty main West Liberty High School gym. Their scripts had been memorized. Estela’s Fresh Mix in Iowa City was filming an advertisement. The premise was based on a Michael Jordan-Larry Bird McDonald’s commercial from the 90s, where both future Hall of Famers played a game of H-O-R-S-E.

A Fresh take on a classic commercial 📺

Keep It Fresh 🔥 @keegan3murray @KrisMurray24 @PHawkKenyon pic.twitter.com/n6fhgQpFnR

— Estela’s Fresh Mex (@EstelasFreshMex) February 13, 2022

“What’s up, Keegan?” Kris asked as the cameras started rolling. “Whatcha got in the bag?”

“An Estela’s burrito, chips, and queso,” Keegan responded.

“I’ll play you for it,” Kris said.

Trick shots followed. Some with eyes closed, others behind the back. Keynon made a cameo at the end of the commercial. He said Michelle and Mckenna need to be in an upcoming Part II. Kris joked that the filming crew was really good at editing. The twins attempted several of the trick shots. Keegan claimed to hit the rim once. Kris was never even close. Between the commercial and their own merchandise line, Keegan and Kris are taking advantage of their name, image, and likeness rights.

The Murrays always wanted to make a living by being around the game of basketball. Kris, who majors in journalism and mass communication, idolized Paul Pierce and the rest of the Boston Celtics’ “Big 3.” He grew up wanting to do something in sports — coach games, commentate them, or play if he was good enough. Kenyon remembers Keegan, a sport and recreation management major, sending Facebook messages to his friends in fifth grade that he would one day play in the NBA.

That day is quickly approaching.

Sports Illustrated ranks Keegan as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft. Bleacher Report’s latest mock projects Keegan going fifth overall, while NBC Sports predicts him being selected at No. 8.

“If you ask Kris anything, he doesn’t care where Keegan is being projected, because he will say that he can beat him one-on-one,” Kenyon said. “I think if you ask each one of them who’s better, they’ll probably say themselves. But I think that’s pretty cool, because they always push each other and try to make each other better.”

Infographic by Kelsey Harrell/The Daily Iowan

The Iowa men’s basketball program hasn’t had a top-10 draft pick since Lester in 1980. Fran McCaffery knows that’s likely to change. He’s called Keegan a lottery pick, which equates to being a top-14 draft pick, on several occasions this season.

McCaffery sees a little bit of Daren Queenan, who scored 2,703 points in college, in Keegan’s game. There’s a tad of Troy Murphy, a first-round pick out of Notre Dame who played 12 years in the NBA, too. Current Phoenix Suns coach and former Notre Dame player Monty Williams has some similar traits as well. McCaffery sees a little bit of all the great players he’s coached show up in Keegan’s game.

“I remember [former No. 5 overall pick] LaPhonso Ellis was texting me about him,” McCaffery said. “And I said, ‘You know, he reminds me of you because he’s really humble off the court, but he’s kind of an assassin off of it.’

“And he said, ‘Yeah, but I couldn’t shoot it like him.’”