The Process Ft Trey Murphy III

Ethen Meyers • August 8, 2022

Sure There is Bigger News

        I woke up today and saw the news of Cale Gundy resigning, and didn't have a clue who he was prior to the headlines. My day continued into the Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero beef that only gets weirder. Then, the unfortunate news of Jameis Winston tweaking his ankle in 7 on 7 drills which appears and is hopefully nothing. Finally it was all capped all of that off with the fact that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson nearly instantly had the answer of "Megan Thee Stallion" to a question of "What celebrity would you want to be the pet of?" and Kevin Hart seemingly like he has heard that before:

I know The Rock said don't ask, and honestly if you need to then maybe just forget it happened at all.  None of that stopped my desire to write about our Pelican daily content provided Trey "Trigga" Murphy.

Rookie Year, Rookie Mistakes?

        Obviously, the coaching staff saw something in Trey that they weren't quite ready to force him to work through mistakes despite allowing Herb Jones to start. I don't know how often to happens, but a 2nd round pick starting over a 1st round pick in the same draft class their rookie year likely isn't something you see happening every year. We saw glimpses of Trey here and there but it seemed his ability to carve out consistent minutes was an uphill battle and we never saw the other side of the hill he was climbing. Despite this, he still won the admiration of many even making sure a creator and fan got credit where it was due:

        I can't think off the top of my head anything Trey did wrong yet still we saw plenty of Garret Temple minutes instead of him. We even saw the coaching staff move Jaxson Hayes to a 4 and get starting minutes when it was clear Jax was not perfect and hit or miss if he showed up to play consistently. All of this, inconsistent playing time, and Trey still came out and shot like he was drafted to do leading all rookies in 3pt percentage. The best part of it all? None of this deterred Trey, and if you have seen Summer League or even the cell phone footage in games during his down time it is evident, Trigga is not playing around any more.

New Year, New Player

        Coming out of college being touted as a "bigtime shooter" but severely lacking in awareness to rebound effectively despite his size. Lacks the ability to find teammates, lacks good positioning on defense, and lacks a ball handling skill set. There seemed to be only one thing Trey could offer, shooting, but if you watched Summer League he came to be better and clearly worked on all the things he "lacked". One of the biggest things I saw repeated on a few draft profiles was Trey himself didn't quite understand what he was capable of and lacked confidence. I think this was the only rookie mistake the coaching staff was not willing to let him work through. Based on what we have seen since then, Trey has been a gym rat and looks more comfortable and capable in his frame that offers more agility than most guys who are 6'10 and in the NBA. Check out a few quick clips from the summer:

All Part of The Process

        Despite not playing as much as I think a lot of fans wanted, I still think the coaching staff made the right decision limiting Trey's minutes early on. Battling a demon like confidence in one self is something that can take a toll on a player even if they have been playing in the NBA for more than just their rookie year. Guys come back from injury and their confidence in their body or even if they will still play at the same level is something we have seen before. Trey battled and persevered through everything he "lacked" and is ready to come back and put the league on notice and remind everyone of something he realized, he was drafted in the first round for a reason. Watching Summer Trigga I can't help but think of the Kanye sample from his song "Stronger":


Work it, make it, do it
Makes us harder, better, faster, stronger


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NOLA Gold's win over Seattle secures 3rd place in the Major League Rugby Eastern Conference standings

By Tina Howell • April 28, 2025
After a weather-delayed kickoff, loyal NOLA Gold fans were treated to a rollercoaster of a match that ended with a well-earned 44-36 victory over the Seattle Seawolves at the Shrine. This win moved NOLA Gold into 3rd place in the Major League Rugby Eastern Conference standings. Coach Danny Lee said of the team's response to the delay, “We just had to control the controllables. Once we told the boys the definitive time for kickoff, we had a plan ready to go. In terms of game plan, we had to be a little bit more direct, and we had to kick and adapt quickly.” NOLA Gold set the tone early, taking an initial 3-0 lead thanks to a steady penalty kick from Dorian Jones. Though Seattle answered quickly with a try to make it 7-3, the Gold launched into a dominant scoring stretch. Isaac Te Tamaki powered across the try line to ignite the offense, followed by back-to-back tries from the relentless Jonah Mau’u. Jones continued to add points from the tee, stretching the Gold’s lead to 27-7. Just before halftime, the Seawolves found a breakthrough and scored at the buzzer, narrowing the margin to 27-14. However, NOLA emerged from the locker room with purpose. Xavier Mignot wasted no time reestablishing momentum with a try that pushed the lead to 34-14. Seattle fought back with intensity, capitalizing on back-to-back tries to bring the score to 34-24. But NOLA responded with composure, as Jones added another penalty to keep the visitors at bay, 37-24. The closing stages of the match saw both teams exchanging blows. Seattle’s try was met by a decisive moment from Joe Taufete’e, who muscled through defenders for a critical score. Luke Campbell’s conversion extended the lead to 44-29. Though Seattle scored one final try at the buzzer, it wasn’t enough. With a final score of 44-36, NOLA Gold walked away with a crucial five-point win in front of a roaring home crowd and strengthens their postseason hopes with a firm grip on 3rd place in the East. Their next match will be on the road against the San Diego Legion on May 4th at 4:00 PM CT. For tickets and more details, please visit www.nolagoldrugby.com

10th annual Covington Antiques and Uniques Festival

By Tina Howell • April 24, 2025
The 10th annual Covington Antiques & Uniques Festival will be held this Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27, at the Covington Trailhead Museum. This two-day, juried festival features over 60 vendors offering an eclectic mix of antique furnishings, period collectibles, architectural salvage, and vintage-inspired fine crafts, as well as a live auction, car show, good food, music, and more. The Covington Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to preserve the city’s culture, character and community. Founded in 2015, the festival is coordinated with the support of the City’s Department of Cultural Arts and Events. As the festival grows and evolves each year, their goal remains the same- to offer a first-class juried event that reflects the unique charm and history of the city of Covington. The festival is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free. For more details, please visit https://www.covingtonheritagefoundation.com/
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