Former Ankeny Centennial basketball standout Cleao Murray is coming home.
After spending one season at Missouri Western, Murray has decided to transfer to Grand View University in Des Moines. She announced her commitment via Twitter on Wednesday.
“I picked Grand View because I really enjoyed my visit and the people I met on campus when I was there,” said Murray. “A few of the girls I already know on the team had nothing but positive things to say about the program, and the coaching staff has been really good to me.”
Murray helped Missouri Western to a 24-7 record last season. The freshman wing played in 28 of the 31 games with one start.
Murray averaged 5.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 16.6 minutes of action per game. She placed second on the team with 32 3-point goals while shooting 32.3 percent from behind the arc.
On Feb. 22, Murray scored a career-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 6-of-9 3-pointers, in a 97-49 win over Newman. But the season ended nine days later, and then Murray elected to leave the Griffons’ program.
“I made the decision to transfer after having some culture issues within the team,” she said. “Obviously, it wasn’t all bad, but I made the best decision for me at this time. I talked to a lot of schools initially, but the second time around I was very aware of what I was looking for in a school, and it made it much easier to narrow my list down almost immediately.”
Murray took just two visits before picking the Vikings.
“Initially, I was completely against being so close to home, but I think this time around I’m looking for the right fit as opposed to anything else so I don’t have a repeat experience!” Murray said.
