Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Scurry feeling at home as a Blue Raider
11/4/2018 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Reggie Scurry isn't a stranger to new environments. Really, he thrives in them, especially when he's on the hardwood.
An Augusta, Georgia native, Scurry has been a little bit of everywhere on his young basketball journey.
The redshirt junior forward started at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa after high school, becoming a star in his two years at the junior college ranks in the small northern Oklahoma town.
After averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game as a sophomore to lead the team and being named to the NJCAA Division I All-America Third Team, Scurry chose to break onto the Division I scene at Missouri State.
His junior season was going well in Springfield, and Scurry was showing improvement with the Bears through 21 games, averaging 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds and earning two starts. He was third on the team in scoring at the time.
Scurry's season was cut short, though.
On Jan. 22, he and some of his teammates went through a whole-body cryotherapy treatment. Something went wrong with Scurry's and a teammate's treatments, causing both to suffer third-degree frostbite on their feet that caused nerve damage and severe blisters. They would miss the rest of the season.
"His situation at Missouri State would be a difficult one to endure for anybody," first-year MT head coach Nick McDevitt said. "To go through that as a 20, 21-year-old young man … I think, to me, it shows how mentally tough he is that he was able to come through that."
Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk would then be relieved of his duties in March, leaving a recovering Scurry with another decision on where his basketball journey would lead.
In April, he decided that place would be Murfreesboro.
"I really liked the coaching staff, and I saw MT go to the tournament the past couple of years," Scurry said. "It felt like a good fit for me, and I like the history."
Now, with the regular-season opener approaching on Nov. 6, Scurry is again fitting in with a new team with a new, tougher mindset both on and off the court.
He's getting healthier and finally starting to feel more like himself on the basketball floor, which is something that didn't seem possible at one point.
"I still have some nerve issues, but it's nothing too crazy," he said. "I'm getting close … I just went to the doctor and got some cream and stuff for my nerve damage. I'm pretty good, though."
Scurry shows his toughness on the basketball court just like when he was recovering.
An undersized post at just 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, he routinely faces forwards who tower over him, but doesn't seem intimidated.
"He's aggressive, powerful and explosive … and he has a 7-foot-2 wingspan," McDevitt said. "With the combination of his length and how explosive his legs are, he's able to play bigger than he really is. He's fun to coach."
Scurry's athleticism could shine in McDevitt's system, something Scurry is excited for.
"The offense can run the floor in what we do, and I really like that," he said. "At Missouri State, we didn't really have that option. Coach McDevitt lets us really play and run the floor."
He's not the only player having to get used to McDevitt's system and the university. The first-year Blue Raider head coach's roster is made up of just six returners with seven newcomers, including three freshmen.
Having now been at three different schools in his collegiate career, Scurry is using his experiences to try and help his new teammates.
"I've just told them all to be themselves," he said. "If you try to be somebody you're not, that's when you end up losing yourself. We're all a team here, so you just have to be yourself."
When he and his teammates walk onto the Murphy Center floor for the first time on Nov. 6, Scurry expects it to be emotional.
"Hopefully, I'll be in my regular mindset and just do everything normal," he said. "But, I know it'll be overwhelming."
He's had a long ride getting to Middle Tennessee, but it feels like home.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
An Augusta, Georgia native, Scurry has been a little bit of everywhere on his young basketball journey.
The redshirt junior forward started at Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa after high school, becoming a star in his two years at the junior college ranks in the small northern Oklahoma town.
After averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game as a sophomore to lead the team and being named to the NJCAA Division I All-America Third Team, Scurry chose to break onto the Division I scene at Missouri State.
His junior season was going well in Springfield, and Scurry was showing improvement with the Bears through 21 games, averaging 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds and earning two starts. He was third on the team in scoring at the time.
Scurry's season was cut short, though.
On Jan. 22, he and some of his teammates went through a whole-body cryotherapy treatment. Something went wrong with Scurry's and a teammate's treatments, causing both to suffer third-degree frostbite on their feet that caused nerve damage and severe blisters. They would miss the rest of the season.
"His situation at Missouri State would be a difficult one to endure for anybody," first-year MT head coach Nick McDevitt said. "To go through that as a 20, 21-year-old young man … I think, to me, it shows how mentally tough he is that he was able to come through that."
Missouri State head coach Paul Lusk would then be relieved of his duties in March, leaving a recovering Scurry with another decision on where his basketball journey would lead.
In April, he decided that place would be Murfreesboro.
"I really liked the coaching staff, and I saw MT go to the tournament the past couple of years," Scurry said. "It felt like a good fit for me, and I like the history."
Now, with the regular-season opener approaching on Nov. 6, Scurry is again fitting in with a new team with a new, tougher mindset both on and off the court.
He's getting healthier and finally starting to feel more like himself on the basketball floor, which is something that didn't seem possible at one point.
"I still have some nerve issues, but it's nothing too crazy," he said. "I'm getting close … I just went to the doctor and got some cream and stuff for my nerve damage. I'm pretty good, though."
Scurry shows his toughness on the basketball court just like when he was recovering.
An undersized post at just 6-foot-6, 230 pounds, he routinely faces forwards who tower over him, but doesn't seem intimidated.
"He's aggressive, powerful and explosive … and he has a 7-foot-2 wingspan," McDevitt said. "With the combination of his length and how explosive his legs are, he's able to play bigger than he really is. He's fun to coach."
Scurry's athleticism could shine in McDevitt's system, something Scurry is excited for.
"The offense can run the floor in what we do, and I really like that," he said. "At Missouri State, we didn't really have that option. Coach McDevitt lets us really play and run the floor."
He's not the only player having to get used to McDevitt's system and the university. The first-year Blue Raider head coach's roster is made up of just six returners with seven newcomers, including three freshmen.
Having now been at three different schools in his collegiate career, Scurry is using his experiences to try and help his new teammates.
"I've just told them all to be themselves," he said. "If you try to be somebody you're not, that's when you end up losing yourself. We're all a team here, so you just have to be yourself."
When he and his teammates walk onto the Murphy Center floor for the first time on Nov. 6, Scurry expects it to be emotional.
"Hopefully, I'll be in my regular mindset and just do everything normal," he said. "But, I know it'll be overwhelming."
He's had a long ride getting to Middle Tennessee, but it feels like home.
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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