The Pilot News - Aubrey Minix commits to Murray State

“The fact of going and playing with a college team will help me grow and mature, and help me achieve my goals,” Minix said. “Most people who go to Murray State get a job right after they graduate. I’ll probably be in basketball coaching or something, which is what I want to do, and they said they would help me. I want to work with young people and help make them better just like I had people help me.”
Minix, who plans to study physical education with a math minor after she graduates from Oregon-Davis next spring, made her commitment to join the Lady Racers after considering offers from programs at Winthrop, Appalachian State and Florida Gulf Coast. The O-D senior said the family atmosphere she witnessed during a visit to Murray State earlier this summer helped solidify her decision to play ball there.
“I think just when I went down how welcoming they were and the family atmosphere,” Minix said of her reasons for choosing Murray State. “They just made us feel welcome, and the fact that the coaches are all really close. It was like a family atmosphere, and they have good academics.”
Minix’s father and Lady Bobcats basketball head coach Terry Minix said he was surprised by his daughter’s decision, but that he’s happy with the choice she made.
“We thought she was going to go with Florida,” he said. “I just think she’s made a great choice. I like it. It’s not little, but it’s not huge. It’s a good conference, good facilities. I think it’s a good fit for her... It’s still 400-something miles away, but we can get down there and see a few games.”
Minix, a 3-point specialist who has already broken the 1,000-point mark with an 18-points-per-game average as she enters her senior season, said she also believes she’ll fit in well with the Racers, who like to put it up from deep.
“We talked to them about it, and he (Murray State women’s basketball head coach Rob Cross) said at the beginning of each season they hand out cards to tell people what their roles are, and my role will be shooting,” she said. “He said with my shooting I’ll have a very good impact on the play during games.”
Murray State finished the 2007-08 season with a 24-7 record, and a second-place standing in the Ohio Valley Conference after winning the OVC Tournament. The Racers also played in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament for the first time, although they were knocked out in the first round by then No. 9-ranked Duke. The team has several strong players returning this season, and Minix will be among a talented group of newcomers adding to the mix.
“They were in the NCAA tournament last year. They’ve got a lot of kids returning, and they’re bringing in some good players,” Terry Minix said. “All in all I think it’s just a great choice. She should get a good opportunity to see the floor, and they shoot a lot of 3s, which is obviously what they wanted from her.”